Best tools to cut aluminum and acrylic

[Eddie3dfx]

Looking over some of these worklogs gives me great ideas, but everytime I cut acrylic by scoring and snapping, it still doesn't look great.

I want to do a few projects. Make a radiator cover with aluminum or heat bent acrylic.

Dremel and Jig is out. Not enough control. What type of saw should I get, specific file, sandpaper, polish, etc.

A nibbler is probably the first tool I need.

[RickCain]

You should see if you can find a local shop with a waterjet. That is what I used to cut out a HL2 logo in the side of a LL case using orange arcylic for the voids. Only cost me about 80.00 to have cut.

[Eddie3dfx]

You should see if you can find a local shop with a waterjet. That is what I used to cut out a HL2 logo in the side of a LL case using orange arcylic for the voids. Only cost me about 80.00 to have cut.

Please post a pic. Sounds really nice. I would like to see how that turned out.

The projects I want to create are little brackets or adaptors or covers... Mostly for pure aesthetics.
If I ever want to cut the case or sides, I'll definitely go your route and do it with a waterjet/laser.

When I was remodeling my parents kitchen, i kept seeing those nice stainless steel backsplashes in the magazines. Went to home depot, had them special order a really nice metal muted 3mm metal laminate. Drew out the design and a local company used a waterjet on it for $150 or so. came out really nice as all the power outlets were perfectly cut and metal was perfectly cut for the height and width. I used nail glue to glue it on the on the mdf.

As a straight interior designer, it came out fabulous

[fatman]

scroll saw or band saw?

the scroll saw would be best cause of lower rpms mean less heat, so it wouldnt melt the acrylic

[Eddie3dfx]

scroll saw or band saw?

the scroll saw would be best cause of lower rpms mean less heat, so it wouldnt melt the acrylic

I'm looking for more caveman like tools.

[fornowagain]

To cut the basic sheet a table saw with a triple cut saw blade, lots of teeth 80 TCT. To finish edges square for bonding use a router or some people use scrapers to clean it up. If its a visible edge flame polishing or buffing.

[billb]

I cut acrylic on a table saw with a thin curf, carbide, 60 tooth blade.
Circles with a hole cutter. See pic.
It needs some clean up with a fine file. Draw the file down the edge, don't file across.
Polish with a buffing wheel (1"x 10", 1750 rpm) with a compound made especially for plastic.

Thin aluminum can be cut with a tin snips. Circles with a hole cutter.

[zuess]

I cut acrylic on a table saw with a thin curf, carbide, 60 tooth blade.
Circles with a hole cutter. See pic.
It needs some clean up with a fine file. Draw the file down the edge, don't file across.
Polish with a buffing wheel (1"x 10", 1750 rpm) with a compound made especially for plastic.

Thin aluminum can be cut with a tin snips. Circles with a hole cutter.

If you don't have a jigsaw just get a cheap one, and find some jigsaw blades that have the highest Teeth Per Inch or TPI.
A jigsaw with course and fine files is really all you need to cut aluminum.

I wouldn't use tin snips to cut aluminum, unless you have a quality pair
and really know how to use them.

I get by cutting circles in aluminum and acrylic with a simple template on
a cheap jigsaw.

[TedShred]

I had some pretty good luck using a scroll saw to cut some little acrylic trim pieces. I recall that I used a blade that had teeth 360 degrees, which made it really easy to turn corners.

[shabranigdo]

I think the best thing for cutting sheets of plexi and aluminum would be a table saw for big cuts. That said I have used a portable circular saw with a plastic cutting blade for plexi and metal cutting or abrasive wheel for cutting aluminum. I have used some guide bars for the circular saw to get stright cuts, but if I had the purchases to do again I would have invested in a table saw. Smaller cuts I have used a jig saw and a few different rotary tools. And when all else fails a plain old hack saw comes in handy too. Don't discount a nice set of metal files, they are great for getting a clean edge and making up for less than accurate cuts. The jig saw does not seem to be as accurate, the blade flexes and thin material can cause the saw to buck. I think the best things to invest in if you plan on doing alot of plexi are a table saw, scroll saw and router. They are on my wish list. I have to say I am new to this and have been trying different tools to get the results I want, and accuracy seems to be my biggest issue.

[kinghong1970]

Zuess, immediately after the first pic... i thought you had a hand stable enough to be a brain surgeon... damn nice cut...
then... damn nice idea on the setup for circular cut... but how do you align the pilot hole for the jigsaw? carefully drill at edge of the circle?

as for cutting plexi... high TPI, but what speed? i remember in the past, i've melted some plexi due to heat from the blade...

[Eddie3dfx]

When I cut plexi with the dremel, it melts the edges.
With a hole saw, the holes came out quite nice on the thicker plexi 3/8. On the thinner plexi, it cracks.

Those holes you made are incredible

[kinghong1970]

perhaps low speed in blade setting with high TPI blade and nice slow cuts?

i remember melting a lot of plexi on a circular saw...

[Waterlogged]

Geez, I have a full fledged "machine shop" compared to some of you guys.

I have a 10" table saw, 10" compound miter saw, scroll saw, 9" band saw, router, and a Smithy 1220XL 3-in-1 machine. When cutting acrylic or polycarb on the 10" saws, I use a thick 80 tooth blade, I have a thin 80 tooth blade as well but find it vibrates when cutting giving a slightly rougher cut.

[Eddie3dfx]

Possible to bend acrylic with a simple butane torch?

[Waterlogged]

Possible to bend acrylic with a simple butane torch?

Possible...but tricky as hell to not bubble it. Mcmaster has a strip that heats up the acrylic for just that purpose somewhere on their site.

[Eddie3dfx]

Possible...but tricky as hell to not bubble it. Mcmaster has a strip that heats up the acrylic for just that purpose somewhere on their site.

I was trying to polish the edges of my acrylic radiator grill and it bubbled and now looks like sh*t

I need a propane torch.. used butane

[ownage]

Some Plexi information, translated from dutch to english.
"Abort" Is translated wrong, it should be "break off".
Also look at the other pages.

[Waterlogged]

I was trying to polish the edges of my acrylic radiator grill and it bubbled and now looks like sh*t

I need a propane torch.. used butane

Propane isn't any easier.

[kinghong1970]

www.tapplastics.com
they have some very nice info on working iwth Plexi as well as a nice supply of plastics.

as for bending... you need a heat strip which you can buy and make a kit (as seen on their instructional videos) that can bend plexi.

here's the link for instructional videos

kinda makes you wanna go out and get some plastics, no?

[kiikkuja]

You could use jigsaw if you cool your blade with water. It isn't exactly safe to do so but the cut is nice. It is hard to do by yourself unless the piece of polycarbonate is secured nice and tight. Just hold a cup full of water under the plastic and the blade will suck the water and cool the cut. Cutting with very low rpm should work also.

Angle grinders are useless when it comes to plastic but can be used for cutting aluminum.

[shabranigdo]

Geez, I have a full fledged "machine shop" compared to some of you guys.

I have a 10" table saw, 10" compound miter saw, scroll saw, 9" band saw, router, and a Smithy 1220XL 3-in-1 machine. When cutting acrylic or polycarb on the 10" saws, I use a thick 80 tooth blade, I have a thin 80 tooth blade as well but find it vibrates when cutting giving a slightly rougher cut.

Can I come play with your toys? Table saw is really the top of my list atm then router, just not sure how much I want to spend. For flame polishing plexi I have read you should use a MAAP torch, propane is not hot enough fast enough. Picked one up but have not tried it yet. So far just done some cutting and drilling plexi. I also picked up some weld-on 3 to experiment with making more complex things out of plexi. I'm using 1/4" plexi, so far with a hole saw only made small holes 1", I need to make 2 fan holes in my side panels and am hoping I can make them close enough to the edge to use my drill press. If not will have to rig something up so the 4 1/2" saw does not move around. I used slow rpms based on the hole saw reccomendations. Going slow and having things well braced and lubricated (spray silicone) makes the drilling/ hole cutting easier.

[Eddie3dfx]

I think I'll get something like this.

It's called a Figuurzaag

[dopestuff]

lol eddie are you from holland?? :P
and yeah that seems a pretty good idea to use (haven't seen one of those in a while... )
howevver like whit every cutting tool you do need to sand/file afterwards to get a nice finish

[Eddie3dfx]

lol eddie are you from holland?? :P
and yeah that seems a pretty good idea to use (haven't seen one of those in a while... )
howevver like whit every cutting tool you do need to sand/file afterwards to get a nice finish

Chicago. I was wondering what the translation for that was, so I can pick this up at a hardware store