Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 18, 1999 08:43pm | #1

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   Use a finer toothed carbide in your tablesaw, be careful though, I wrecked a good Freud, one of the red ones, because the heat built up. I've had good luck with the Pirahna's on some of the Vermont blades. Obviously you have some rabbet at the edges to hide your mistakes so go for it.

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   Guest_ | Nov 19, 1999 03:54am | #2

   *Renzo & dbh: I like a regular carbide framing blade in a skill saw. Set the blade deep so you have a good angle of attack, use a straight edge and take it slow, you can cut the melted burrs off with your utility knife, don't peel off the protective paper until your're ready to glaze.You can cut shapes with a sabresaw too, but you should tape your shoe so that if it starts jumping up and down on you it won't scratch thru the protective paper. Here again, a relatively coarse blade seems to work better because the fine ones (and the coarse ones) melt some of the material, and the fine ones can't get rid of it, but the coarse ones do. Leaves quite a kerf, and its pretty exciting (well OK,cheap thrills) so clamp your Lexan and keep a firm grip. Kind of similar to cutting aluminum angles with a power saw.Lets see, oh yeh, don't forget your safety glasses !

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 17, 2000 02:04am | #3

   *I used to work on Museum and Trade Show projects where we used vast amounts of Plexiglas and Lexan. We outfitted all our table saws with triple chip carbide blades. Three different tooth cuts alternate around the blade, usually a 50 tooth for a 10" blade, check with your local saw shop for what is available. This blade works well cutting plywood also. The Lexan material will tend to melt if you cut to fast, leaving a rough edge. For the best edge on a table saw I would cut oversize first then the final cut should be less than the kerf of the blade. This allows the chips to exit quickly keeping the material cool. Another method to get a clean edge is to rout it with a straight edge. Again I would rough cut first then trim to size with the router. I would use a spiral cutter with a minimum diameter of 1/2" (cutting a maximum of a 1/4" with each pass). This helps get the chips away fast keeping the material cool. Make sure your material is on a good solid surface, like the edge of a heavy bench. If you have to work off saw horses, make a temporary bench with plywood and 2x4 backing to make it good and stiff. As always ware safety glasses, hot plastic chips and bare eyes do not go well together.If you have to do this on site without the assistance of a large table saw then I would use a skill saw with a good carbide blade and straight edge. I would set the saw to just cut through the material then set it up so you are actually cutting into a scrap piece of wood behind the Lexan, this should be on a solid flat surface. Obviously you don't want to cut all the way through your scrap wood below the Lexan so set your saw carefully. This method cuts down on the vibration that causes chips and cracks. I have used this method for cutting plastic laminate without cracks as well. With this method I would trim to size with a router as described above. Be carefull not to scratch Lexan, you cannot polish out scratches like you can with acrylic. Also be very careful while cutting lexan, it can and will break if bound up with a powertool, and when it does it explodes, pieces go everywhere.Good Luck

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   Guest_ | Jan 18, 2000 04:09am | #5

   *At my lumberyard, they cut it on a panel saw. The guy has told me that the trick is to use a wide kerf blade. Thin blades tend to gum up and if you melt the lexan, it will weld back together behind a thin saw.

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   Renzo_ | Jan 18, 2000 04:09am | #4

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   I need to cut several panels for window
   glazing out of Lexan. I know how to cut
   and score plexie or acrylic but haven't
   sawn Lexan. Anyone know from glass the
   best blade to use?