Thread: Cutting perspex

I found that my table saw cuts 6mm sheet perspex OK, but had trouble keeping it straight. One end was wider than the other after the cut. Held it down tightly on the bench with a modified wooden concrete float as it went through the blade. Was quite noisy and chattering at the start, but the edge was quite good, surprisingly.

Pushed some MDF through immediately after, and it was dead straight. Checked the fence alignment with mitre slot, and it was spot on.

Any suggestions?

I found the router gave the best edge and easiest cut, with a flush trimming bit and a jig with a couple of toggle clamps on a straight edge

I forgot to mention that u need to be careful that the 6mm perspex doesn't sneak under the fence (as it does on my saw) because, if it does, one end will be wider than the other ....
I ride the edge against the fence on a piece of aluminium angle which stops it from sneaking under ...
fletty

The strips used for joining ceiling fibro are good for keeping any thin bits from sneaking under the fence.

How about using some double sided tape to fix MDF, ply, chipboard or whatever to the perspex. This will give you a taller edge to run against the fence and you can put another wide strip near the cut line and that will give you mass to minimize chatter.

Originally Posted by blackhole

How about using some double sided tape to fix MDF, ply, chipboard or whatever to the perspex. This will give you a taller edge to run against the fence and you can put another wide strip near the cut line and that will give you mass to minimize chatter.

That's what I do. I use either 3 or 6 mm MDF as a sacrificial support surface. It also reduces scratching when you run it across the saw table surface. A negative raked tooth blade will also give a much cleaner edge. These blades are really useful for ally, plastic and other unusual materials