How To Cut Glass Panels Like A Pro

Learn to cut glass panels for use in windows or picture frames. With a little patience and some practice, your results will look as good as those done by a professional.

The Right Cutter

To cut glass, you'll need a high-quality glass cutter with a durable tip made of diamond or carbide. The best glass cutters use diamond-tipped blades. While they cost more, they are more durable and produce more accurate cuts.

Preparation

If you want to cut glass like a professional, then you must prepare your glass the same way a professional does. Work on a flat surface that is free from clutter as well as sand, grit and dust. Foreign matter can cause glass to crack or break when being cut.

Use an excellent straightedge or T-square to guide your cutting. Have plenty of small rubber clamps to secure the straightedge, as these will prevent the glass from slipping as you cut.

Use a dry erase marker or grease pencil to mark your cutting lines on the glass. When you are done working, you will be able to simply wipe your marks away.

Cutting the Glass

Apply constant firm pressure while scoring the glass. Wear safety goggles as you work.

After you've scored your glass, hold it securely in one hand and twist the opposite side of the scored edge side with a pair of pliers. This should cause the glass to break cleanly at the or etched, line.

For larger pieces of glass, simply hang the glass over the edge of a table or counter and push downward firmly and quickly. Again, the glass should simply snap off at the scored line.

Many people believe that cutting Glass Panels is the job only for professionals, and that even the simplest glass cutting jobs are impossible. However, this is simply not the case; if you need to cut a glass panel for anything, whether it is: a picture frame, a window or any other glass project - then you can do it yourself. It is much easier than you think, but it does take a little patience and some practice.

Tools to Use
When considering tackling cutting a glass panel, you'll want to ensure that you get the proper tools. This means you'll need a high-quality glass cutting tool, or glass cutter. You will want to make sure that you buy one with a durable carbide tip, at the very least. Very high-quality glass cutters use a diamond tipped blade; they cut much better and last much longer than normal run-of-the-mill glass cutter blades.

Preparation
Ninety percent of the work in cutting glass is in the careful and methodical preparation used in preparing the glass to be cut. If you want to cut glass like a professional, then you have to prepare your glass the same way a professional does. You will need to make sure you have a clean flat work area that is free from clutter, and also ensure that there is not a lot of sand, grit or dust in that area - these can all affect the quality of your glass cuts. In fact, the smallest or tiniest pebble or large grain of sand can cause glass to crack or break when being cut.

When preparing to cut glass, you need to make sure that you use an excellent straight edge, or T-square, for use in your cutting. You also want to ensure that you have plenty of small rubber clamps on hand. The clamps will allow you to securely attach the straight edge, or T-square, to the glass so it will not move or slip, during the cutting of the glass. Once you have your straight gauge, or T-square, firmly clamped in place, you can then use a dry erase marker or grease pencil to mark your cutting lines on the glass. Using these kinds of writing devices will allow you to easily wipe the marks away from the glass.

Cutting the Glass
When it's time to actually start cutting the glass, you'll want to ensure that you use constant, yet firm, pressure while scoring the glass with the glass cutter along the edge of your straight age or T-square. This is not exactly difficult; however, it can take some practice to do well. So, you may want to experiment on pieces of scrap glass or even old tiles or pieces of mirror.

After you've scored your glass, hold it securely in one hand and twist the opposite side of the scored edge side with a pair of pliers. This should cause the glass to break cleanly at the scored, or etched, line. For larger pieces of glass, simply hang the glass over the edge of a table or counter - and push downward firmly and quickly. Again, the glass should simply snap off at the scored line.