# Best table saw blade for acrylic???



## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

i need to cut some acrylic and plexi with no chance for chipping or burning.
im thinking more teeth for a smoother cut but more chance of burning/melting...
also, any good methods to sanding and polishing cut edges? i am thinking sand up to 2500 then buff...but never worked with acrylic or plexi before.

any ideas...?

THANKS GUYS!!! :thumbsup:


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## NorCal Scot (Dec 31, 2010)

As for a blade, while tooth count is important, tooth geometry and hook angle are even more so. Freud makes a blade that is specific to that application. It is the LU94M010. For good results as well, but more budget conscious, Diablo, made by Freud, has a plastic/ non ferrous blade. It is D1080N for 10", or D1296N for 12".


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

FiveOneSix said:


> i need to cut some acrylic and plexi with no chance for chipping or burning.
> im thinking more teeth for a smoother cut but more chance of burning/melting...
> also, any good methods to sanding and polishing cut edges? i am thinking sand up to 2500 then buff...but never worked with acrylic or plexi before.
> 
> ...


 Hi Jason - Don't know how much you want to spend but, as previously stated, Freud make a blade for acrylics, the LU94 series
http://www.freudtools.com/p-41-plexiglassplasticsbr-nbsp.aspx

How thick is the acrylic? With 1/4" + I've had good luck with just a finish blade making two cuts. First one a tad more than 1/2 way through and then flip it end for end and make the second cut. Keep a relatively fast feed rate. Watch the thin stuff, it likes to ride up the blade and/or sneak under the fence.
Good Luck :thumbsup:


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

The blade choice would depend on thickness of material. What are you cutting. Is it cast acrylic sheet, or an extruded sheet?












 







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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

The blades that are specific for plastics and acrylics have side geometry to specifically address the challenges of these materials with no melting. Forrest, Freud, Infinity, CMT all have them.


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## Superduty31 (Feb 8, 2011)

I worked at a sign shop where we would cut acrylics and plastics on the TS daily, definitely use the blades made for acrylics and such, when finishing the edges we would use a 320 grit sand paper and lightly run along the edges, just to knock of the burrs, then take a propane or map gas torch (the kind used for plumbing) and quickly run the flame along the edges. I would recommend using a couple of test pieces until you get it figured out. The edges always came out like a factory finish and was amazingly simple.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

A purposed blade like this works very well with acrylics. Our blade expert knotscott is right, there are many brands that have them. I found cutting with the blade high gives a very nice cut. The angle of the blade is more vertical than just having the gullets exposed. This allows the cutting action to force the material down. The lesser angle puts less of the blade in contact with the material, and it runs cooler. Thin acrylics up to 3/16" can be scored and snapped with the right technique.

Edges can be flame polished and from experience, if you need a perfect edge, sanding and buffing is the way to go. It takes longer.

Flame polishing has the tendency to deform the edges where the heat forms the edges to the plane of the face. If you are too close with the tip of the flame, proceed too slowly, or get the edge too hot, the melting (which is what the flame does) will take the deformity to the face, and possibly bubble the edge.

For pieces 1/4" and thicker I block sand up to 800x and use a buffing wheel with compounds and rouges. That produces a very nice crystal clear edge. A good buffing wheel can be made by stacking up several of the same size cotton buffing wheels on the same shaft so it has some width.












 







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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*guess i shoulda mentioned...*

1 - its a cylinder
2 - need to cut the cylinder to a specific depth and polish the cut marks
3 - its about 1/4" thick
4 - its a red transparent acrylic.
5 - sorry :blush:


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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*Spinning, but not records...*

can't do the "flip end to end" technique, can't do the "score/snap" technique either. has to be all the way through and i have to spin it along the fence. would a router table approach give me cleaner results?
i apologize for my absence lately...60 Hr work weeks in a display shop...blech!


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

FiveOneSix said:


> can't do the "flip end to end" technique, can't do the "score/snap" technique either. has to be all the way through and i have to spin it along the fence. would a router table approach give me cleaner results?
> i apologize for my absence lately...60 Hr work weeks in a display shop...blech!


For router table operations involving plastics, I use one of these bits
http://www.toolstoday.com/p-5879-so...stic-cutting-up-cut-down-cut-router-bits.aspx

I'm having trouble visualizing just what kind of operation you are planning though.:huh:


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## aaronhl (Jun 2, 2011)

Put tape around the cut line before the cut.


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

If you have access to a chop saw (miter saw) That should make a quick job of slicing through that round stock. Then either sand or buff it like C-man suggested.


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## lawrence (Nov 14, 2009)

FiveOneSix said:


> 1 - its a cylinder
> 2 - need to cut the cylinder to a specific depth and polish the cut marks
> 3 - its about 1/4" thick
> 4 - its a red transparent acrylic.
> 5 - sorry :blush:


 like a bong tube?


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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*lil more info...*

its a 14" diameter, 6" deep that i need to cut into (3) 2" pieces.
miter saw = no bueno :sad: but thanks for the suggestion.
i heard that tape could cause plastic to splinter?!?!
i guess that i'll have to try one of the blades? i really don't want to screw this up...blah.......
thanks for the help guys =)


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## cellophane (Oct 6, 2009)

You can also flip your blade around and cut into the curve of the tooth rather than the sharp edge. That was the defacto way to cut plexi while in school. Cuts were clean and smooth and there was no damage to the plastic from teeth smashing into it. 

Can't really comment on whether or not that would be considered "safe" though...


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## Jr.Woodchuck (Nov 9, 2010)

I just cut some PVC pipe for my sister. She is in the swimming pool business. About 12" in dia. I used a japan pull cut saw. I can't spell the name and evreything is in Japanese on the saw. Dozier or something like that. I had to rotate the pipe as I cut. Not too bad of a finish and it took awhile. The saw loaded up a lot.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I can give you one method, but it's a very dangerous procedure especially if you have no or little experience with acrylics. I won't post it here, but if you want it, I'll PM it to you with the understanding you are at your own risk.












 







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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*hadoolgit...*

Jr. Woodchuck: i thought of that and i can even make a jig to make it square but i need it to be TRUE and SQUARE (even though its a cylinder HA!). i need to do more (much more) then one so i need something less time consuming. but thank you for your post!!! :thumbsup:


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

FiveOneSix said:


> Jr. Woodchuck: i thought of that and i can even make a jig to make it square but i need it to be TRUE and SQUARE (even though its a cylinder HA!). i need to do more (much more) then one so i need something less time consuming. but thank you for your post!!! :thumbsup:


Now you may be posting the most important information.

Just how many of these do you need to cut? Is this a commercial application or home use? Are you working within monetary constraints? etc.

George


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## cody.sheridan-2008 (May 23, 2010)

could you chuck it up on a lathe (preferably metal) and use that to make the cuts then you could clean up one edge while your at it? Can you just take it to an acrylic place and get them to cut it for you with their equipment?

and also the above questions...


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Set up a sled on your table saw with the correct blade. Lay the cylinder flat on the table and rotate it through the blade. Have the blade set at the proper height. Taping it may help with gripping it as you rotate it.

Use a test piece to refine your technique before you try it on your finish piece.

This technique should only be attempted with a high quality table saw and an experienced operator.

Hopefully this is NOT the technique C'man was going to share off the forum......


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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*um, ee, ahh...*

well i'm not rich and i'm not poor lol. i was just looking for a few ideas to see what you guys could come up with. i think i'll try the better blade, tape the shell and push her through the saw. i'll try like 1/4'' off the end, that wont ruin the project. :smile:

i'm a home shop now but looking to go somewhat commercial. just gotta do 5-10 soon but hoping to do like 10-30 a month.

my main concern is polishing the edges without melting or distorting the piece. i have a few sanding tables (flat surface covered in sandpaper)...80, 120 and 220 grits (which work great with wood). the piece is only about 1/4'' thick so polishing a 1/4'' edge is gonna be tough so im thinking the torch might be the best bet but i have 0 experience in that field haha. i don't even know what grit to stop at before using the torch!!!

i appreciate all your help and when i know what i'm doing i'll post pics of the project so you'll all know what this was for 

any other ideas out there?...


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

FiveOneSix said:


> my main concern is polishing the edges without melting or distorting the piece. i have a few sanding tables (flat surface covered in sandpaper)...80, 120 and 220 grits (which work great with wood). the piece is only about 1/4'' thick so polishing a 1/4'' edge is gonna be tough so im thinking the torch might be the best bet but i have 0 experience in that field haha. i don't even know what grit to stop at before using the torch!!!


From my post #7:

_Edges can be flame polished and from experience, if you need a perfect edge, sanding and buffing is the way to go. It takes longer.

Flame polishing has the tendency to deform the edges where the heat forms the edges to the plane of the face. If you are too close with the tip of the flame, proceed too slowly, or get the edge too hot, the melting (which is what the flame does) will take the deformity to the face, and possibly bubble the edge.

For pieces 1/4" and thicker I block sand up to 800x and use a buffing wheel with compounds and rouges. That produces a very nice crystal clear edge. A good buffing wheel can be made by stacking up several of the same size cotton buffing wheels on the same shaft so it has some width._

Use silicone carbide sandpaper, wet-or-dry (dark grey), but use it dry. Start with 220x, then 400x, then 600x, then 800x.














 







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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*bubblicious...*

isn't the 400x (and up) gonna gum up right away if it's used dry? would it do something to the acrylic if it was used wet?


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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*oil wrestling...*

if not water...maybe an oil?


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

If indeed that cylinder is 6" long due to kerf, there is no way you are going to get 3 2" long pieces out of it... Your best bet with that size, and considering that it has got to be straight / square, would be to chuck it in a lathe and trim it off on the lathe...


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## FiveOneSix (Sep 26, 2009)

*don't got it...*

i do not have a lathe or acess to one big enough...yet! haha

the 3 pieces are not imperitive in size. 2 can be 1 7/8" (even a tad smaller with sanding and buffing the edges).

just gonna look for a laminate/plastic cutting blade, tape it up and get down!!! :yes:

thanks for the reply my man!!! :thumbsup:


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