Cutting acrylic...it’s melting!!

[TriggerFinger]

I’m trying to take apart this acrylic sump. I bought plexiglass blades. The blade is getting really hot and melting the acrylic....do I have the saw turned up too high? Do I have to keep stopping to let the blade cool and then start again? Will a blade with more teeth per inch not get so hot?

 

[Bacon505]

You need a wider teethblade if you know what i mean. Small gap will melt the plastic

 

[TriggerFinger]

You need a wider teethblade if you know what i mean. Small gap will melt the plastic

No idea what that means...please explain like you would to a child, bc that’s the level of experience I have with this.

 

[TriggerFinger]

I guess a better question would be, does it matter? I’m cutting this apart to make frag racks so I don’t need the cuts to be pristine...am I hurting anything if I keep powering through the melted acrylic?

 

[Bacon505]

the gap between each blade has to be wide to prevent from causing too much friction when in contact with the plastic which will melted. The faster you cut more heat will generate. It also depend on the acrylic thickness. That’s what i learned when i try to make own acrylic box and rack

 

[Scoob]

You could try using a little water to keep the blade cool.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Thanks @Bacon505, I understand now.
I tried turning on a fan and that lets me get a little farther along before it gets too hot.
Going to try some water before I go buy another pack of blades.

melted acrylic is hot ya’ll!!

 

[fishguy242]

a glass shop can direct you to right professional blades,multi tool works really good,rt blade on chop or table saw is best,can send you pic of 10" blade and pkg if you would like

 

[TriggerFinger]

Thanks @fishguy242, I don’t have a table saw. I’m working with a jigsaw...well, trying to anyways

 

[StatelineReefer]

I see your speed is set to "Absolute fastest possible" on your jigsaw... try rolling it back to the first setting, which is "Acrylic"

 

[Flippers4pups]

Safety first with the water and the saw. Wear tennis shoes and just a little water to cool it.

 

[DaneGer21]

Slower blade speed, and less force, would be my 2cents

 

[StatelineReefer]

Slower blade speed, and less force, would be my 2cents

Exactly right, let the blade do the work, and just guide it along. No reason to push the jigsaw, just guide it forward along your straightedge.

 

[TriggerFinger]

More faster=more better @StatelineReefer ;Joyful
thanks @Flippers4pups; I’ve put on appropriate footwear. I’m a little hesitant to get out the hose because electricity and water don’t mix well...

I slowed down the speed, put in a 10tpi wood blade and I’m standing real close to a giant fan. It’s very slow going...but I’m making progress and surprisingly the acrylic is not melting

 

[TriggerFinger]

low speed and tennys

 

[KrisReef]

That blade is dragging along the sides of the cut creating friction along the way. Moving faster thru the cut might actually improve your results, but you need a finer blade with proper chip removal properties to accomplish that. I believe that you can use liquid dish soap for lubricant to speed up cutting and help reduce friction. You can also get a hand saw and carefully make the same cuts with better results.

 

[JohnGP]

Those blades he is using are made for cutting acrylic/plastic and work better than blades made for wood. I'm the one that recommended them to him her because they work well. I think his blade speed was too fast, slow the blade speed down, don't force it and let the blade do the work.

ETA: Turn that dial on the left side of your jigsaw all the way to the left-"0 or 1".

 

[TriggerFinger]

Thanks @JohnGP, I’m a she and slowing the blade down helped tremendously!

 

[JohnGP]

Oops, sorry about that! Glad it's working for you now, took me a while to figure it out too but once you get a feel for it you'll breeze right through. I cut these lids for my sump and now thinking about a little riser for my skimmer.

 

[Johniejumbo]

I had the same problem when I was cutting up some acrylic. I just went ahead and burned through it though lol. It wasn’t important for me to have neat cuts on that project. I am glad to have read through these tips though. Next time I won’t use a circular saw.