In the past I have had to pay cutting fees to get my acrylic from local plastic sources cut down to fit in my vehicle and on the lasers. Now I have a vehicle which can handle full 4ft*8ft sheets so I wouldn’t need to pay cutting fees and wait for their lead time. However, I am not sure what the best method is for cutting down these large sheets of acrylic. 1/8th thick is usually what I use (well, the metric equivalent). I just need to do a couple cross cuts so they’ll fit on the Big Thunder.
I find that the fee is usually worth it for them to process it to a size that fits on the machine. they are good at what they do and can toss it on the table saw quickly and get you a good cut.
otherwise you can buy a battery powered Ryobi circular saw and cut them down in the parking lot.
that used to be what I had to do at Dakota hardwoods, but I guess someone hurt themselves and they don’t allow that anymore either. - that’s just to say they might not be happy with you doing that
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I am not sure either a table saw or a circular saw will get anywhere near a usable cut on acrylic. It is far too brittle IME
A table saw is certainly able to get a fine enough cut, that’s how we would cut 4x8’s down to 1x2 for our laser cutter in school. Use a crosscut (or other fine tooth) blade. They do make some blades specifically for plastics.
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Think there’s a blade for plastics in WoodShop. Change it out. Change it back when done.
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Alternative method not requiring power: score and snap.
We do this for the majority of the Plexi we use at work (picture framing) including from 4x8 sheets. It does take a bit of practice to get the proper technique down so you stay on the score line, but otherwise very effective.
This is a handheld scoring tool with a swappable blade tip, and you can also get fixed tools that either get resharpened or tossed once they get dull.
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this
which is why I was saying it’s usually worth it to have them do the cuts so you don’t have to deal with it. if you examine the sides of your acrylic you will find that it’s probably saw cut already
are they really charging that much? allied plastics down the street from the space would cut a sheet in half down me for free. anything else was less than $5 a cut.
eh it’s not thaaat expensive but it does add up. I am not saying you are wrong but I was exploring other options.
I’ve cut acrylic on the table saws but it was a little thicker than yours - like 0.175. I used a plastic blade I bought. It’s fine tooth with a negative rake angle. Cuts like butter. If you like to borrow it to try your cuts let me know.
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Thanks I will reach out
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I cut acrylic with a track saw and table saw all the time. For reference here’s the edge look after being cut:
I’ve never had an issue or had a sheet break and/or shatter. I’m breaking down 4x8 sheets to fit on my laser cutter. Worst that happens is the protective film sometimes pulls away a bit.
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I am actually a tad surprised you get such great results with a combo blade! Good on you :–)
Forrest? Do you use this blade for anything else or only on Acrylic?
Ridge Carbide TS2000. Use it for everything.
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I also use a table saw for cutting down larger sheets - the $700 sheets pricey but cutting the sheets that cost over $2300 are a pucker factor. Still the Table saw and an extra pair of hands is helpful. My blades if that is your “gig” are by “W.D. Quinn”.
Like Hardsuit above, I do a little picture framing.
Sorry I’m late to the party here – but I’ve always used a jigsaw. Partly because I have one available at home, but that’s true of most of the other tools mentioned here. Mostly because it’s really easy to get the speed right to prevent burning the edges of the material, which is more difficult for me to do with a circle saw or table saw. But I do like the idea of using the table saw for that if you just need to cut down bigger sheets…