Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M

I ran my entire boat Plexiglas windshield through my ten inch benchsaw to
cut 7 inches off of the bottom. Cut pretty well, & would have done better
with a plywood blade, instead of a combo, but I just sanded it down when I
was done. It is NOT an edge that would be easily seen, though. RichG

Keep the speed down to avoid melting the plastic as much as possible, takes
a little longer but results in a cleaner cut.

"g" wrote in message
...
Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M

If it's acrylic, like acrylite, you can just score it several times where
you want to break it, then snap it off on the edge of a table or something.
They make a little plastic scorer for this. If it's something like Lexan,
you'll have to cut slowly with a power saw of some kind.

--


Keith
__
Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow they may make it illegal.
"g" wrote in message
...
Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M

__
Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow they may make it illegal.
"g" wrote in message
.. .
Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M
Band saw is the best way to cut it use as slow a speed as possible.
Your router or roto-zip probably spins too fast and will just melt the
plastic instead of cutting it. Avoid using a jig saw or reciprocating
saw as the plastic will probably crack from the vibration. I like to
cut about an 1/8" outside the line then trim to the line using a wood
plane.

The suggestion not to use a hand held reciprocating
"jig" saw is because it will break the plastic is
possibly correct however, being sure to support the
plastic using a piece of plywood under it while cutting
will avoid breaking if you choose to use the hand held saw.
This is good if the piece is too large to handle on the band
saw or you do not own one. Leave the paper on the plastic.
Draw the line you want to cut, cut slowly and use
a proper blade that is fine tooth, hollow ground and
specifically designed for cutting plastic. Smooth up with
a cabinet scraper to relieve the sharp cut edge. I've always used
a hand held saw and the only time the plastic breaks is if it is not
fully supported from beneath.All this works well for curves.
If the cuts are all straight, score the plastic with a special plastic
scoring knife, place a dowel (broom stick) under the score, then place
two boards along either side of the score on top of the plastic and
press down sharply. Will snap on the score. Finish with a cabinet
scraper. You can also flame the edge after cutting to make it shiney by
playing a propane torch very lightly along the cut edge to give it a
nice smooth finish. Practice first on some scrap.
Forget the router. I'd use the hand held with a piece of plywood
beneathe it. You can also use a belt sander to bring the edge to a
closer tolerance.


g wrote:
Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M

Depends on the plastic. Thin acrylics like plexiglass up to 3/16 can be
scored and popped like glass. Any thicker and you have a high
probability of the crack wandering. Polycarbonates like lexan have to be
sawn.

For acrylics I find that high angle alternate bevel top laminate blade
minimizes chipping. For polycarbonates a tripplechip non-ferrous blade
prevents melting better. FOr softer stuff like Starboard almost any
carbide blade will work as long as it has a lot of teeth.

g wrote:

Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M


--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

g wrote in message . ..
Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M

I might want control of the saw so the sheet does not bind and kick, I
would probably not use a table saw. Anyway, I would take a new plywood
blade and put it backwards in my circular saw and cut it like that.
That is what they do on the job site, no new special tools necessary.
You want to try it first on your material but the saw being backwards
keeps the plastic from chipping and for one windshield you should not
dull it enough to get too much melt. Some is ok, as long as you keep
the saw moving at a steady pace and don't let any "melt" drip on you,
trust me, the whole neighborhood will know if you do WEAR SAFETY
GLASSES, AND NEVER WEAR GLOVES WHEN USING ANY TOOL WITH A MOVING
BLADE! Really, if the saw walks away, you may have an explosion of
plastic shrapnel everywhere and you want to be able to get your hands
away from the working end of the tool without letting go of it. And I
have a good rule for using saws and drills and such, If you have to
lean over, or into a cut, you are probably set up the wrong way. If
you have to use you weight to make a cut, same applies...
Scotty from SmallBoats.com

When I cut plastic of 5mm and less I use masking tape both sides of the
sheet to be cut for about 2" either side of the cut line. That gives me a
surface I can put a pencil mark on and prevents chipping at the cut edge and
any scratches from the sole plate of a jig saw which is used at slow speed
with the correct blade for plastics. I also clamp a piece of wood either
side of the sheet with enough depth on the underneath piece to keep the saw
blade clear of the bench. If you position the top piece correctly it can act
as a straight edge for running the edge of the saw sole against. (assuming
of course that you are wanting to cut a straight edge)
FWIW Peter...

I had a new dash made at a local sign shop. They used wood grain nameplate
backed with acrylic. A "computer router" tool cut all the switch and
instrument holes, as well as engraving the switch names. All while I waited.

Looked great, especially at night when it was backlit with red light.

--
Capt. Frank

__c
\ _ | \_
__\_| oooo \_____
~~~~|______________/ ~~~~~
www.home.earthlink.net/~aartworks
"g" wrote in message
...
Hi all I have a group question
I need to bake a new dashboard for my boat
it made of the usual plastic that you can get at home depot or Lows

what s a good clean, easy way to cut this?

I was going to buy a bit for my router or Roto-zip and just follow the
old one

THanks
M