Cutting acrylic

[SmallestFrog]

Hi all,

DIY related, not specifically fish tank... but I need to cut some acrylic, a sheet of it, such as many of you use for tank lids. I'll do myself a decent lid at the time, but I must confess my main use for this will be child proofing a tv unit!!

What would you folk suggest I use to cut the acrylic to size? And will I need any particular type of drill bit to drill it without shattering it?

Thanks,

Small Frog Dad & Ultra-inquisitive Smaller Frog Baby

 

[LancsRick]

As a general rule, acrylic won't shatter, it has quite a degree of flex to it. Be aware of heat when you're doing it, as you can easily generate a high enough temperature to melt it.

the main piece of advice I can give is to keep the protective film on until the last possible moment, as otherwise you'll pick up a lot of scratches.

 

[Aron_Dip]

As @LancsRick said is shouldn't really shatter when drilling (wood bit not Brick) , But could snap when cutting it depending on how you do it . A fine cut hand saw will do the job and a rub with fine sand paper too take any sharp edges and jobs a good one

 

[SmallestFrog]

Thanks lads. Damn good timing too - my son just started crawling 5 minutes after I posted this

 

[scapegoat]

I use a scroll saw to cut acrylic but thats for finer details, if your cutting straight lines a band saw or a jigsaw work well, just watch out for the melting, if it joins back up straight after the blade has gone through then you are using the wrong blade. if you want to cut by hand a hacksaw will be fine but will need sanding

 

[kirk]

thickness of the acrylic will depend on how easy it cuts. i made a lid for a b shaped tank recenly. go slow with a jicksaw try to keep to a constant speed and avoid it flappping/bouncing .if your good with a heat gun and sand paper you can get the edges nice. oh and if you make a lid for a fish tank use over 8mm. i used 8mm and the small amount of warmth from lights warped it so i had to keep laying flat with weight on and pouring a hot a kettle of water over it to flatten.​

 

[Mr P]

hello. I made a lid for my tank out of acrylic sheet. I used a router to do all the cutting,it does a fantastic job.if you have one I would definitely use it
all the best ,Mr P.