Cutting Perspex

[barftone]

Help tech heads. Whats the cleanest way of cutting a sheet of perspex. I'm going to cut a small nose fairing out for the DRZ but wondered what gave the best finish. Heat applied to the edges after cutting??

[Sohoeasy]

Tone ! This company were in England back in the seventies. ( I got some off-cuts for my old Matchless sidecar screen )They seem to have moved to Ireland. If you give them a bell, with some sort of bull story about buying in bulk they may well give you some tech info .... If I remember right I bent my screen up, in a bath of boiling water. .................http://www.williamcox.ie/

[mad4it028]

i used to work for a firm that made the perspex screens for icerinks we cut then to size on site with a router hth

[AlanH]

Stick masking tape where you're going to cut and use a jigsaw with a fine toothed blade on a high speed. Let it cut at a gentle pace otherwise it'll melt and weld itself into a gloopy mess. Also important is to make sure you keep pressure on the sheet so it doesn't vibrate against the bench as that can crack it.

That's how I've always done it anyway. I'm sure there's probably a proper way to do it but that works for me.

[AIRWOLF]

Easiest way i found is use a small angle grinder with a really thin cutting disc, then production paper on a block to finish to shape, then fine abrasive paper for final finish. . . . thats how i did the short screen for my transalp.

[chalky4]

Help tech heads. Whats the cleanest way of cutting a sheet of perspex. I'm going to cut a small nose fairing out for the DRZ but wondered what gave the best finish. Heat applied to the edges after cutting??

I've just finished cutting some to fit out side of back door to stop dogs scratching wood when they want to get back in, used a 9" angle grinder, I've cut before using jig saw but it heat welded its self together behind the cut. Both times on thicker stuff than you would be using for your fairing so don't know how either would do perform on thin perspex. Good luck and don't forget picture of finished job.

[Lumiya]

Some very wide masking tape on noth sides and a very fine blade or router.. and take it slow, the faster you go the more heat generated and you'll end up with discolored perspex at the edges

[XR Mad]

disc cutter works fine with a thin disc as said before. I used a belt sander clamped upside down in a vice to clean up the edges

[Lumiya]

Disk cutters (we sometimes use a fine stainless disc) is great for straight lines but no good for curves.. You have to be really carefull with the heat issue

[barftone]

Thankyou team. Come up trumps again.