Best tool for cutting plastic?


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Old 01-29-06, 08:19 AM
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Best tool for cutting plastic?

Morning All - Just a quick question. I need to cut a hole in a piece of hard plastic, about 1/8th inch thick. I have a jigsaw and a rotary saw - any thoughts on which would be better for the job? It doesn't need to look great because the hole won't show, so that's not a factor. The hole will be fairly small - only about 8 inches across. Is there something else I should use for this type of cut? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
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Old 01-29-06, 09:24 AM
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Cut an 8" hole in a piece of 3/4 plywood. Clamp your plastic to the plywood with your cutout positioned over the hole in the plywood. The plywood will give the plastic support throughout the cut. Draw your circle on the plastic and drill a 1/8 inch hole at the circle's edge. Then with the sole plate of your rotary cutter flat on the plastic, allow the cutting bit (sheetrock spiral will be OK) to extend slightly below the plastic and cut your circle. The hole in the plywood will act as a guide. Your circle will be as good as the hole you cut in the plywood.
 
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Old 01-29-06, 10:46 AM
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Great advice - thanks!
 
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Old 01-29-06, 02:55 PM
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Use a new fine tooth blade you will get less chatter.
 
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Old 01-29-06, 06:11 PM
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I sell and install composite products and believe it or not, those cut better with less teeth
The manufacturer has explained it as the many fine teeth tend to heat it up too much

Regardless, for a hole such as this I would use the rotary saw with a "plastics" bit
I use a hole cutting guide made for the saw
Esentually it's an arm that's tacked into the soon to be hole's center, and the saw attached to the other end swings around in a circle

...the material I cut is about twice as thick
My experience with this material would lead me to beleive the 1/8th plastic would act the same
 
 

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