Acrylic Sheets

patlaw

Mike
Corporate Member
I still can't remember which sheet goods can be cut on a table saw. Where in the Triangle can I buy the acrylic that William Ng uses is this video?

 

dwminnich

New User
Dave
If you can’t find anything local, Golden Rule Plastics in Haw River would likely have it. It’s a small place and you can get someone on the phone who can tell you for sure.


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junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
[QUOTE="patlaw, post: 686069, member: 9257" Plus, what is the material? Is it just called acrylic? Plexiglas?
[/QUOTE]
Neither, it's polycarbonate (Lexan.) Lexan is a brand name for this product. Lowes / HD stocks it in the hardware dept.
 

AllanD

Allan
Corporate Member
I'm no plastic expert but I think Plexiglass is a trade name for acrylic and Lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate. I have bought both at Lowes before but a plastics company would have a wider variety I suspect. I used to buy some at Cadillac Plastics in Charlotte but they may not be around anymore.
Acrylic is more rigid and has more clarity than polycarbonate but can crack. Polycarbonate would be a better choice for a guard on a machine I think. I have cut both on my table saw but expect some melted swarf but will clean up fine.
 

patlaw

Mike
Corporate Member
One is definitely more brittle than the other. It sounds like acrylic is more brittle than polycarbonate. I bought a sheet of something from Lowe's a couple of years ago and tried to cut it on my table saw. It didn't go well. It shattered. I want the kind that William Ng used in his video. It cut easily on his table saw and welded together easily.
 

Scott H

Scott
User
There are also two kinds of acrylic, cast acrylic and extruded acrylic, which have different properties. I think extruded is more prone to cracking, cast is better but is more expensive. There are trade offs. I am trying to remember what I encountered when I was making router guards, bases and insert plates, but it has been a while.
 

AllanD

Allan
Corporate Member
One is definitely more brittle than the other. It sounds like acrylic is more brittle than polycarbonate. I bought a sheet of something from Lowe's a couple of years ago and tried to cut it on my table saw. It didn't go well. It shattered. I want the kind that William Ng used in his video. It cut easily on his table saw and welded together easily.
Yes, the acrylic (Plexiglass) is the more brittle one. On a side note I made a high bookshelf for my auto shop to keep manuals etc. and made sliding doors of plastic to keep them cleaner. I later made one for over my fly tying bench but the costs of the plastics were inflated due to everyone needing to make covid shields so I didn't buy the door stuff yet. I figure once this gets in the past that there will be an abundance of scrap acrylic to pick from.
 

Pop Golden

New User
Pop
Lexan is the product that bullet proof windows are made of. In order to stop a bullet it's thick around 1/2 in. or so. Also it will stop or slow down a pistol bullet, but not a high caliber rifle bullet.

Pop
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Polycarbonate (Lexan) has much better impact resistance (it is what modern day jet fighter aircraft canopies are made of), and less apt to yellow with age. It is easier to scratch, but also easier to bend. Because it is softer, scratches and scrub marks can be polished out. Many car headlight lenses are polycarbonate.

Acrylic is lighter and less expensive, but is more brittle. Best way to repair defects is with heat. Best way to cut it is by scoring and snapping (like you would glass), or, if careful not to bind it, a fine tooth band saw. Jigsaws are not recommended. If you cut it with a band saw, you can clear up the saw marks on the edge with a propane torch if careful. Clearing up the edge is commonly done when building something like a fish tank.

For a safety shield, polycarbonate would be preferred, but in time may get dulled or clouded from getting hit with wood or metal chips.
 

mquan01

Mike
Corporate Member
Do you have to have a commercial account to purchase from them? Plus, what is the material? Is it just called acrylic? Plexiglas?

You can order direct. Like jcrk stated, if you order by 10 or so they typically have it the same day
 

smallboat

smallboat
Corporate Member
Late to the party but - I have had no problems cutting either polycarbonate, cast acrylic or extruded acrylic on the table saw. You do want good face protection as it will be flinging tiny bits of sharp plastic at you. If your previous sheet shattered it may be that it bound on the back (rising) side of the saw blade. You definitely want to keep the material under control so its not binding or bouncing around.

A router will be a more pleasant experience and leave a nicer finished edge. Watch your feed and speed. A lot of Acrylic if CNC cut in commercial applications.

For straight cuts in thinner material the score and crack method Mark mentioned is quick, easy and clean.
 

bob vaughan

Bob Vaughan
Senior User
Acrylic is lighter and less expensive, but is more brittle. Best way to repair defects is with heat. Best way to cut it is by scoring and snapping (like you would glass), or, if careful not to bind it, a fine tooth band saw. Jigsaws are not recommended. If you cut it with a band saw, you can clear up the saw marks on the edge with a propane torch if careful. Clearing up the edge is commonly done when building something like a fish tank.

For a safety shield, polycarbonate would be preferred, but in time may get dulled or clouded from getting hit with wood or metal chips.

Spot on points about acrylic and heat. With polycarbonate, heat is not your friend because a polycarbonate has water in it and it will bubble and generally make a mess. DAMHIKT
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Key to cutting either is low speed. Remember those antique things in the corner? Hand saw!
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
An article in the current issue of Wood recommends scoring acrylics on the table saw on both sides and then plunging the blade on through to finish the cut.
 

HMH

Heath Hendrick
Senior User
I just cut some this weekend w/ a metal blade on my Bosch jigsaw, w/ the speed dialed down to a “4”. Worked like a charm, no issues whatsoever.
 

Rick Mainhart

Rick
Corporate Member
I've cut more than a bit of polycarbonate on both the table saw and on the CNC Router. I use my normal combination blade on the saw, and typically use up spiral 1/4" (Whiteside) router bits on the CNC. I have a Porter Cable 3.25 HP router running at 23000 RPM and cut no more than 1/2 bit diameter depth (1/8") at 3 inches per second with no issues.

Previously used Onsrud bits specifically ground for cutting plastic, and found the bits available locally (such as the Klingspor Woodworking Shop in Winston Salem) do very well.

I discussed chip loading in great detail with the Onsrud rep who informed me that a 5-7 mil thick chip is the optimum bit loading, as it will remove heat from the parts quickly. Thinner doesn't pull the heat out as fast, and thicker generates more spindle loading and chatter.

I don't like using acrylic sheet material due to the brittleness ... especially as it ages. Polycarbonate is easier to scratch, but you can treat it like aluminum (including bending in on a sheet metal brake without first heating it!). BTW, polycarbonate ages more gracefully ... I've pulled material that was over 15 years old from under a stack of other stuff (yea, it was hiding!), and no issues with it chipping or cracking.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Rick
 

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