bigdguitars Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 Anyone know who is a good supplier of plexiglass? I want to make a bunch of templates... Thanks, Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 Why don't you check your local sign shop or hardware store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 Lowes and home depot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdog Posted June 22, 2004 Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 Look in your local phone book for glass installers or plate glass....These guys may have some cut-offs which may work perfectly for your purpose...It would be a lot cheaper also. You ought to use 3/8in plexi for your templates....it gives you more latitude when making plunge cuts.....you won't have to make spacer blocks and the template will be more durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted June 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2004 ace and home depot no luck... will try glass place good idea thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 ace and home depot no luck... That's wierd, I worked at an ACE (thought it was a very long time ago) and we had it and cut it to size. All ACE are independently owned and stock what they choose so you may want to try another. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 That is strange. My local Home Depot's have gobs of the stuff. All sorts of thickness and material types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 That is strange. My local Home Depot's have gobs of the stuff. All sorts of thickness and material types. yeah same here seaking of plexiglass, how do you cut it... i've tried with a jigsaw, but it cracked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted June 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 the Home Depot that I was at was out, and the ace did not carry it. Got some at sears hardware. Cut it with a router bit high speed, or a drill press. someone else have a better way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asm Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 scroll saw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdog Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 You can cut plexi to sixe on your table saw......I like to put a masking tape along the line to be cut, so that any chipping is minimized. You can then use a router to cut your template to shape from there.....scroll saws would be good for cutting intricate patterns, but my guess is that the blade would wander around a bit with anything requiring a high degree of accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Jabsco Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 band saw maybe. would a jigsaw cut plexiglass (with a high qualtie blade of course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All the way to peoria Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 I used to work at a candy store for my friends mom and they had a tool and it was a strip of metal that got super heated and i used it to cut styrofoam, and plexiglass i will see if i can get you one it will set you back about 50 bucks though. Crap what was it called??? Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asm Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 I used to work at a candy store for my friends mom and they had a tool and it was a strip of metal that got super heated and i used it to cut styrofoam, and plexiglass i will see if i can get you one it will set you back about 50 bucks though. Crap what was it called??? Chad its called a 'hot wire'. but ive never seen one that can cut plexi. just foam. they can be easily made with a Nickle wire i think and a 12v car battery charger. prolly less than 30$ but not for plexi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All the way to peoria Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 she had a heavy duty one it worked much slower on plexi though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewickedjester Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 i used a dremel to cut mine (but it was probably thinner than what you need, i used mine for an xbox mod), but a dremel with a cutting disc is great for the strait lines, then a grinding disc to smooth out any round parts in it i get all my plexiglass for my projects at my local surplus store, if you have one but they dont have any plexiglass, keep checking every now and then, surplus stores get new stuff in all the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I'm a bit surprised by the answers of all of you guys who use high-speed equipment such as dremels and the like on plexi. I did work with Plexi once (tho not for guitars) and experienced serious melting issues. If you didn't have any problems with that, that's cool I don't want to sound like an expert...seems I've been doing something wrong then ;-) A jigsaw with a special plastic blade will surely do the work and to work on the corners, you might want to choose a razorblade. so long ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I've found a gread resource on various types of plastics and some of the tools and techniques you can use to cut and machine them. Not all plastics are created equal. http://www.wps.on.ca/ThePlasticWorkshop/default.htm CUTTING Acrylic and Polycarbonate can be cut with a table saw. Ensure you are using a carbide tipped blade with lots of teeth. Note that for jig saws you should use special blades for plastic to avoid the material gumming up or reforming behind the blade. DRILLING Acrylic and Polycarbonate can be drilled. One should use a drill bit made for plastic to avoid blowing out the hole when the bit pushes through. Wood bits are angled at about 60 degrees - bits for plastic are angled at about 90 degrees. CEMENTING Acrylic and Polycarbonate require specialized cements. There is water-like cements which allow you to bond material quickly but will require 24 hours to cure. There is thickened cement to help fill in cracks or small holes. CLEANING Acrylic requires special cleaners and polishes to ensure a long life. Ammonia based cleaners will break down the material and that is why it usually crazes or yellows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted July 1, 2004 Report Share Posted July 1, 2004 I'm a bit surprised by the answers of all of you guys who use high-speed equipment such as dremels and the like on plexi. I did work with Plexi once (tho not for guitars) and experienced serious melting issues. If you didn't have any problems with that, that's cool I don't want to sound like an expert...seems I've been doing something wrong then ;-) A jigsaw with a special plastic blade will surely do the work and to work on the corners, you might want to choose a razorblade. so long ace This is true, but unless you have the cheap dremel this tool is high and low speed. I use it all the time to cut plastic, just keep the rpm low. And unless you have a VARIAC or a variable speed routed keep it away from the plexi. A jigsaw with a fine tooth blade like the one for smooth cut on metals or a palstic blade will be better.. If you have access to a scroll saw and the speed is variable this will be your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted July 2, 2004 Report Share Posted July 2, 2004 Yup, now that perfectly makes sense. Thanks Maiden so long ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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