cutting lexan with ???

stevenf · Oct 28, 2005

Hi folks, I'm building a club house/deer blind with my son this weekend and have aquired some 1/4" thick used Lexan for the windows. They are great big storefront sheets and I need to cut some very long runs like 4 foot long by 20" tall slider windows out of them. What would you use to cut it. I have a few different circular saws, a dremel with cutoff wheels, a jigsaw with a plastic cutting blade or the trusty old hand saw or I could stop by HD and get a plastic cutting knife and score it but its so thick I figured I'd be better with a powered device if I can keep it from getting to hot and melting.
Steve

mikim · Oct 28, 2005

I never had any luck using a power tool for that stuff ... I'd just score the devil out of it both sides - like 25% each side ... those plastic cutting knives & a straight edge can work quite well - just don't push so hard you dull it quick. Slow & easy - just so you get a nice small plastic curly coming from the knife.

hunterridgefarm · Oct 28, 2005

I have traced out the outline then drilled several holes about 1/2" apart then used a jigsaw with course blade and slow speed to cut it. That way it is not one continous cut which tends to heat up the blade.This may not work good for long straight cuts though.

EddieWalker · Oct 28, 2005

I'd try puting my saw blade in my saw backwards and see what happens. It works good on metal and other odd materials, maybe on lexan to.

Good luck,
Eddie

stevenf · Oct 28, 2005

I spent a summer with a circular saw blade backwards building a corrugated steel barn that has got to be the worst sound in the universe.
Steve

hazmat · Oct 28, 2005

My former job was at a company that built ambulances. We would use lexan for sliding doors in the cabinets.

Lexan was cut on a table saw with a high tooth count carbide blade. Edge was smoothed on a router table.

I would use a table saw or circ saw with the above mentioned blade.

We only ever seemed to crack it when drilling it by hand (the flutes would catch, pulling the bit thru faster than it was cutting. Hole saws work nice for making a "pull" to open the window. If you want to put a small hole in it, use a drill press if possible (better control). There are some specialty drill bits out for cutting plastic w/o the cracking...

 EDIT Saw blade should be used "forwards"...

JerryG · Oct 28, 2005

The key is a lot of teeth per inch and a slow ctting speed. Anything else and it will get to hot and fracture and / or remelt back together.

ronjhall · Oct 28, 2005

Bosch makes a blade for Lexan and Plexiglass that does a great job of cutting. Part # T101A. It's only available in Boschs T-Shank for their saws. Check it out HERE.
I have used this blade to cut up to 1/2" Lexan.

getut · Oct 28, 2005

Are you guys talking about plexiglass instead of lexan?

Plexiglass, clear like untinted glass but distinct blue color if looked at from the edge. Very easy to chip, but can be scored and broken just like glass.

Lexan, in my experience, is usually ever so slightly more rubbery in texture than plexiglass, and lots more difficult to chip. I've never seen true Lexan that was completely clear. Most of the time it has a translucent milky look to it and sometimes it is almost completely white. It can also be scored and broken like glass, but has to be scored very deeply. You can easily run lexan through a standard table saw without fear of chipping.

I've seen lots of people mix the two up. It really does sound like you guys are talking about plexiglass instead (with the exception of Hazmats post where he mentions cutting it with a table saw).

BB_TX · Oct 28, 2005

Check out this project with thick lexan .
It says Cutting ......can be done with the jigsaw or circular saw, ................ Again, this saw should be fitted with a non-ferrous metal-cutting blade (which is usually also good for plastics)., as described in Chapter 5.