# Cutting acrylic



## harif87

Im having a problem cutting these pieces of acrylic for my sump. Ive tried an electric saw and soon realized its not suited for the job, i tried a regular handsaw and came to the same conclusion and i tried a hacksaw but thats wayy too tedious (took me an hour and 15 minutes to cut out one piece) and with the hacksaw there is still the chance of cracking the piece........So how the hell do i go about cutting acrylic (fiberglass) im stumped and my wrist is hurting from the hacksaw from last night.........:help: :help: :help: :help: :help:


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## KiltyONeal

I've always cut it by scoring the acrylic with a utility knife and a straight-edge. Then position the cut over the edge of a table and quickly snap the acrylic downward in one quick motion. It will break along the score.

Practice on a few scrap pieces first and you'll get the hang of it.


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## cheseboy

The way I always cut acrylic is with a jigsaw. Use a fine metal cutting blade and make sure you cut slowly because if you cut to fast it will melt the plastic making a bad cut.

Also, make sure you clamp it down. Don't trust your hand.


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## Reefneck

One Word......Table Saw! Oh wait, That's two words.  That's how I do it though.


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## harif87

Table saws are a nono....at least i found that out the hard way. But i ended up using a scriber to cut the pieces and then snaped it like cheesboy said. Worked amazingg and quick as opposed ot a damned hacksaw (cursed is that hacksaw!)


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## Reefneck

Table saw has worked fine for me for years. Just have to know how to use it.


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## harif87

Maybe it depends on the blade and the hollow?? i dont know anything about table saws, only that i borrowed one from my aunt and i wasted a 15$ piece of acrylic by chiping a huge piece off lol....


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## Anonymous

Table saw is definitely the way to do it for thicker pieces. Anything under 3/16 inch can be scored and snapped as described above. For thicker pieces, use a very fine tooth saw blade-40tpi, and a table saw using the rip fence for a nice squared piece.

Larry Vires


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## cheseboy

Yes, you can get special blades for table saws but buying blades for table saws are quite expensice if you are only going to cut a little bit that's why I went for the 3$ pack of 2 blades for a jigsaw.


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## born2lovefish

Hey, I have some 1/4 inch acrylic that I plan to make a small tank out of. Can I score it with a knife and then snap it or is it too think to do that with? Thanks.


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## harif87

You could do it with a scriber, but your going to have to go over it alot of times, figure 10 or 11 clean shots. 1/4 acrylic is pretty thick so i recommend using a table saw (with the proper blade) but scoring it with a scriber can be done (i did it )


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## born2lovefish

does scoring it give you a clean cut? What type of blade should I use for a table saw? Maybe I would be better off taking it somewhere that sells acrylic and having them cut it for me. Just a thought. You think I could make a 3 foot tank with 1/4 inch acrylic? It seems like it bends too much now, but maybe after I connect everything it might seem sturdier.


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## harif87

For making tanks i dont advise using acrylic since its a pain to deal with and because after time it turns yellowish. Its also not as strong as glass. If your going to make a 3 foot tank then 1/4 inch definately isnt going to cut it. Your going to need at least 1/2 inch acrylic. You could get it from a plastics manufacturer and when you order it from them ask them to cut it for you. They should do the service for free if your buying from them. But like i said 1/4 inch is not even close to what you need for a 3 ft tank

Oh and yes scoring gives you one of the cleanest cuts youll see


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## born2lovefish

well I do not have to make it 3 feet long. I got some acrylic free from work. They were just going to throw it out because it was sitting around in the factory. what's the biggest I could go with 1/4 acrylic? I want to enforce the top of the tank with a border of acrylic about 2-3 inches wide. I'm thinking planning on building in a filter in the back of the tank. I'm just going to add a wall and then cut the back side down a little in a spot and add some dividers in there and use a pump to pump it over the back wall into the tank again. What you think? Is bonding acrylic really that hard to do?


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## harif87

The most most you could go with a 1/4 i would say is about 13 inches...After that it will start to bow and worst comes to worst it might not be able to withstand the pressure and...thats is let those scary thoughts spill into your head as fast as tons of water crashing to your floors.......ahem sorry about that....anyways i wouldnt go bigger than 13 inches with 1/4 inch acrylic. 

In order to bond acrylic you should use either epoxy or weld on (solvent cement). When joining acrylic stay away from silicone since it doesnt hold acrylic joints together good enough.


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## born2lovefish

Hey thanks. I went out and checked what I actually have, and it is not really acrylic. It is 1/4 inch polycarbonate. I really do not know much about plastics. Is this stuff better than acrylic or is it about the same stuff. Thanks.


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## leveldrummer

ive found the best way is with a router, clamp something about 6 inches away from where you want your cut (measure the router so you know how far for the egde of the router to follow) and you cant mess it up at all. they even sell acrylic cutting bits for them.


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## harif87

born2lovefish said:


> Hey thanks. I went out and checked what I actually have, and it is not really acrylic. It is 1/4 inch polycarbonate. I really do not know much about plastics. Is this stuff better than acrylic or is it about the same stuff. Thanks.


I might be mistaken here but i think po;ycarbonate and acrylic are the same thing.


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## emc7

no, polycarbonate is harder. Think shatterproof safety glasses.


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## born2lovefish

Yes, polycarbonate is harder, which should mean it is stronger. SO how big out tank could I make out of 1/4 polycarbonate? Thanks!


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## Damon

First off acrylic is stronger than glass. The downside is it scratches much easier than glass also. Its clearer than glass and hold temp better. You can also bend acrylic (think oceanic or bowfront tanks). The other downside is its price.


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## born2lovefish

I have polycarbonate, not acrylic....


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## txholeyrock

*Acrylic FACTS:*



harif87 said:


> For making tanks i dont advise using acrylic since its a pain to deal with and because after time it turns yellowish. Its also not as strong as glass. If your going to make a 3 foot tank then 1/4 inch definately isnt going to cut it. Your going to need at least 1/2 inch acrylic. You could get it from a plastics manufacturer and when you order it from them ask them to cut it for you. They should do the service for free if your buying from them. But like i said 1/4 inch is not even close to what you need for a 3 ft tank
> 
> Oh and yes scoring gives you one of the cleanest cuts youll see


Uh I am a former Acrylic fabricator and your Facts you state in the above are SO incorrect. Acrylic for one is 18x's stronger in tensil strength. Plexiglass doesn't change to Yellow either unless you in direct sunlight exposure for a whole yr. Inside a house for an aquarium WILL NOT turn the acrylic yellow. Yellowing is due to UV rays in sun. Many bulbs common in the light industry will not have UV in them and you have to specifficaly get them. 1/4" is VERY suitible for a 3ft length tank. X 18"X18". 

Please research your facts prior to posting..... Your a moderator!

Zak


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## txholeyrock

NONE, Polycarbonate will eventually seap out. (Sweat) They don't make polycarbonate aquariums for that very reason. you probably could build an 800 gallon tank useing 1/4" polycarbonate. It won't shatter! 

Poly carbonate is a reiniforced acrylic. bullet proof plastic. I worked at Ridout and in display they have a 1/4" piece that has a bullet imbedded in it. A 357 Magnum was clicked off at 10yds. pretty unfriendly material to work with too. I HIGHLY suggest you NOT work with this material. It doesn't like to be cut, drilled, or routed at all.


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## harif87

txholeyrock said:


> Uh I am a former Acrylic fabricator and your Facts you state in the above are SO incorrect. Acrylic for one is 18x's stronger in tensil strength. Plexiglass doesn't change to Yellow either unless you in direct sunlight exposure for a whole yr. Inside a house for an aquarium WILL NOT turn the acrylic yellow. Yellowing is due to UV rays in sun. Many bulbs common in the light industry will not have UV in them and you have to specifficaly get them. 1/4" is VERY suitible for a 3ft length tank. X 18"X18".
> 
> Please research your facts prior to posting..... Your a moderator!
> 
> Zak


Well then i would be glad to send you a few of my DIY acrylic tanks that i have in my basement that have yellowed that have been setup in my basement which has no windows . And 1/4" acrylic will bend under the stress. I have a DIY sump i made out of 1/4" acrylic that i need to have supported by my wall and the backside of my tank stand so it wont bow. I could send that to you too if you would like for a stress test . 

I have (alot of) experience with acrylic going bad situations so i would appreciate it if you didnt think that this is a clean cut scenario. I dont meant to be an @$$ but i consider my experience to be my research.


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## born2lovefish

Good grief people!!! It's a free country, you can all share your experiences! I just have some free polycarbonate, well that is what it says it is, and I thought I would try to make a small tank or something out of it. If anyone knows how to work with the stuff and lives around Indy, send me a pm!


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## azn1stknightsou

You could always spurge and get yourself a laser cutter.  You know, the kind they use to cut diamonds and tried to kill James Bond with countless times.


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## cheseboy

If you build the tank correctly strength won't be a problem. Not sure but I know plexiglass and other non acrylic plastics turn yellow over time when in the water. Acrylic is 10x clearer than glass and is easier to drill into if you want to add a sump but there is always a price. Acrylic scratches very easy so be careful, especially careful with liverock if your making a marine tank. 

If you want to make a small tank out of polycarbonate go for it. I just don't know what you would use to get the pieces to come together.


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