How To Cut Acrylic Sheets With Cricut

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If you're a exercise-it-yourself-er, you lot've probable needed to use acrylic sheeting in a project. Acrylic sheets are adequately simple to cutting. If your sheet is relatively thin--less than ³⁄₁₆ inch (0.48 cm)--you can use the scoring method. Otherwise, you'll need to employ a saw to cutting information technology. Put on prophylactic glasses before doing any kind of cutting, and wear ear plugs if you use an electric saw.^[1]

1. ane

   Gear up the acrylic on a apartment surface. To get in easier to work with, find a flat surface big plenty to accommodate your plastic sheet. However, you can't use the floor, equally you need an border to break the acrylic over later on.^[2]

2. two

   Marker your line. Brainstorm by deciding where you want to cut the acrylic. Measure it out, and use a ruler to brand a straight line. Y'all tin can mark the line with a permanent marker or grease pencil, or yous can just use the ruler as a guide for your blade.^[3]

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3. 3

   Score the line in the acrylic with a plastic scoring blade. Using your ruler equally a guide, run a plastic scoring blade forth the cut line, trying to brand ane continuous line with gentle, even pressure. Pull the bract towards you forth the line. It'due south especially of import to get a straight line on the first go-round, every bit that line guides your subsequent lines.^[four]

4. four

   Deepen the cutting using the scoring blade. Run the blade over the line several times until you have a substantial groove. Once y'all practise, flip it over, and make a line along the backside that follows the line on the other side. Score information technology several times as well.^[5]

5. five

   Interruption the acrylic sheet. Place the line y'all've scored directly along the edge of the table. Using clamps to hold the sheet to the table makes the procedure easier. Break the canvass at the scored line past pressing down on the outer edge in a quick motility. You tin can wrap your mitt around ane edge and apply your body weight to button downward.^[6]

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1. ane

   Use a blade meant for acrylic. For plastic, you need a blade with a high tooth count. Look for a blade that says information technology's made for acrylic or plexiglass. You'll get a much cleaner cut with these blades.^[7]

   • Y'all can apply a regular blade, but the cut volition be more jagged.

2. ii

   Marking the cut. Before beginning, marking what you want to cut with a permanent marking. With a round saw, table saw, or saber saw, yous can cut a straight line. With a jigsaw, you can cut curves. Use a directly edge if necessary.^[8]

   • Placing masking record over your cutting line can help you make a cleaner edge with a jigsaw.

3. iii

   Push button the acrylic through a table saw for a straight cutting. Start at one edge of the mark you lot made. Push the acrylic through the table saw at a steady pace, being sure to keep your fingers out of the mode of the saw. Don't motion too quickly, equally you'll create a rougher edge, but don't go too slowly, equally y'all tin can melt the plastic.^[ix]

4. 4

   Cut a curved line with a jigsaw. Set upward the acrylic glass on 2 beams then that you lot can cut through it with the jigsaw. Button the jigsaw from the outer border towards your body along the line you made, then yous can constantly continue your center on the blade and the line. If you go stuck at an bending, pull the jigsaw out the mode you came, and cut from the other edge.^[ten]

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1. 1

   File downwardly any sharp burrs with a metal file. Check for any large chunks that the saw or scoring method left behind on the border. Apply a metallic file to smooth them out so they are fifty-fifty with the edge you cut.^[11]

2. two

   Sand the border 180-dust waterproof sandpaper. With the sandpaper on a sanding block, apply h2o to the sandpaper. Use enough to become the sandpaper thoroughly wet. Sand down the border. Move to finer and finer sandpaper to refine the edge, catastrophe up with 600-grit sandpaper.^[12]

   • Purchase waterproof sandpaper designed for plastic.

3. iii

   Vitrify the edge. Attach a buffing border to your electrical drill. Rub the buffer with a polishing chemical compound, and then vitrify down the edge until it is polish and shiny. This step really refines the border, but it is not absolutely necessary.^[xiii]

   • If you lot don't accept a buffing border, yous tin finish with fine sandpaper.

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Add New Question

• Question

  I want to circular the edges of 1/iv" Plexiglas for a tabletop. Any suggestions?

  

  Brand the original cut as make clean as possible. This will reduce the sanding time significantly. Outset with rough newspaper ~180 grit and a cream sanding block. Sand until the edge is uniform and relatively smooth. Switch to fine, then finer newspaper (360 and 600 grit) to get a satin finish. When using 360 grit, first moisture-sanding. With the cream block and sand paper, cup the border to polish it round.

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Things You'll Need

• Acrylic sheets
• Plastic scoring blade
• Ruler
• Permanent marker or grease pencil
• Jigsaw, optional
• Table saw, optional
• Metal file
• Waterproof sandpaper meant for plastic
• Drill, optional
• Buffing edge, optional
• Polishing compound, optional

About This Article

Article Summary Ten

To cut acrylic sheets, start by marking the line you desire to cut using a ruler and a permanent marker. Then, score the line using a plastic scoring blade, using the ruler as a guide then your line is direct. One time yous've scored the initial line, go over it a few times with the blade until a groove forms. Side by side, repeat on the opposite side of the acrylic canvass over the same line. Finally, place the line you scored over the border of a tabular array and press downwardly on the function of the acrylic that's hanging off of the table to break information technology off. To learn how to cut acrylic by sawing information technology, curlicue downwards!

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Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Cut-Acrylic-Sheets

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