How To Break A 1 8 Inch Acrylic Sheet

Use a glass cutter or the dull side of a utility knife to score the plexiglass along the mark line 5 to 10 times.

How to break a 1 8 inch acrylic sheet. The thin plastic might start to vibrate. Other materials inches inch f acrylic sheet 0000410 aluminum 0000129 plate glass 0000050 for indoor applications where temperatures normally remain the same 20 degrees f acrylic sheet does not generally require special considerations for expansion and contraction other than providing for a snug rather than tight fit. Line up the score line with the edge of the work space and clamp it down. This tip will help you easily cut plexiglass with no chips or breaks.

You can use 1 hand to brace the sheet while you push down on the sheet with the other hand. Acrylic will break if subjected to force beyond that measure but breaks into large relatively dull edged pieces which disperse. With the sheet of plexiglass clamped in place on the work surface apply quick downward pressure to break off the piece that you cut. Thinner sheets of plexiglass less than 3 16 inch can be cut by hand.

If the sheet doesn t fully break along the line use your utility knife to cut along the groove and break off the piece. Break the sheet at the scored line by pressing down on the outer edge in a quick motion. To create bends for small scale projects in plexiglass perspex or acrylic 1 8 inch and thinner you can use a small torch butane kitchen torches work well a paint stripping heat gun or an embossing heat tool which is a wand that works very similarly to a paint stripping gun but using a smaller more directed heat flow with a smaller fan. The sheet should break cleanly along the line that you scored in it.

Lay the sheet on a flat surface and using a yardstick and a permanent marker or a grease marker measure and draw the line you wish to cut. Place the line you ve scored directly along the edge of the table. You can wrap your hand around one edge and use your body weight to push down. Next hold the yardstick to the marked line and run.

Plexiglass can be tricky to cut on a table saw.