Cutting acrylic...it’s melting!!

[TriggerFinger]

No worries. Those look great @JohnGP !! I’m nowhere near that skill level...
I really want this black piece of acrylic in the middle of the sump to cover my overflow box. Of course it’s bonded in 5 places.

 

[JohnGP]

Thank you but I'm not nearly as skilled as I've led you to believe! Oh boy, that piece is in there. I just talked to a guy today who cut out a section in a brand new Bashsea sump that was bonded on several sides sort of like that, he used a zip saw to do it. Then again you'd have to buy another tool! Seems to never end does it. ha ha....

Oh, Amazon has some pretty inexpensive acrylic if you dig around on their site.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Well...I burned out my jig saw and I hadn’t even got all 4 sides off. I tried to hulk some pieces apart, not recommended. I also used a propane torch to try and release the bonds...it worked! But it also melted the pieces I was trying to keep, propane torch not recommended either. Since I’m such a patient person, I decided the circular saw seemed like a good idea. 87 cuts later, I have my 10” by 6” black acrylic to cover my overflow box and enough clear pieces to make probably 15 frag racks (I’ll never need that many!) I will be using a razor blade to score and snap the rest...the acrylic cutting life is not for me. Thanks for everyone’s help; greatly appreciated!
for the record; only one bandaid was needed & it’s not because of a saw.

 

[Lojenn]

Best bet 80T blade, for table saw. Cuts like cheese..... uhhhh no..... butter

 

[reefer fro canada]

I’m trying to take apart this acrylic sump. I bought plexiglass blades. The blade is getting really hot and melting the acrylic....do I have the saw turned up too high? Do I have to keep stopping to let the blade cool and then start again? Will a blade with more teeth per inch not get so hot?

I use a circular saw blade that is specialty designed for cutting all plastic.It cuts and throws the chip away so there is no heat.The blade can be purchased at any good saw blade store.I have had mine for years and cuts like butter.I highly recommend it.I have tried other options and have made a mess of a few projects.Good luck

 

[TriggerFinger]

@reefer fro canada and @Lojenn...thanks for the blade recommendations but I am not meant to live the acrylic cutting life. You see what I ended up with ;Smuggrin

 

[Lojenn]

Do you have a place where you can rent In house tools? In this manner you can use the tool Library rather than outright buying items you no room to store. The Tools Library here in Minneapolis has more tools, blades, torches, tablesaws, etc than one can imagine and folks around to help. If not there check local woodworking shops. I think I paid about 10.00 per hour or 30.00 for 8 hours.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I use a circular saw works great

 

[Nonya]

I totally understand your hesitance to use water. It would give me pause. Obviously, water and electricity don't mix. Make sure you're using a GFCI protected circuit. Better yet, there are GFCI-equipped cords you can get.