Best tools to cut aluminum and acrylic

[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.