How To Break A 1 8 Inch Acrylic Sheet

This tip will help you easily cut plexiglass with no chips or breaks.

How to break a 1 8 inch acrylic sheet.

The sheet should break cleanly along the line that you scored in it. Acrylic will break if subjected to force beyond that measure but breaks into large relatively dull edged pieces which disperse. Break the acrylic sheet. 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.

Using clamps to hold the sheet to the table makes the process easier. You can use 1 hand to brace the sheet while you push down on the sheet with the other hand. You can wrap your hand around one edge and use your body weight to push down. 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.

Thinner sheets of plexiglass less than 3 16 inch can be cut by hand. Place the line you ve scored directly along the edge of the table. 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. Flip over the sheet and score the opposite side of the piece.

Break the sheet at the scored line by pressing down on the outer edge in a quick motion. The thin plastic might start to vibrate. Plexiglass can be tricky to cut on a table saw. Use a glass cutter or the dull side of a utility knife to score the plexiglass along the mark line 5 to 10 times.

Line up the score line with the edge of the work space and clamp it down.