Cutting thin sheets of plastic.
How do you cut plastic sheeting.
Pvc is easy to cut and saw.
A dull blade will not produce a clean cut in the thin plastic sheet.
Before using any of these methods to cut your acrylic sheeting you ll want to determine the length and thickness of your sheets first as this will decide which method will work best.
It is better to cut lightly a few times than firmly at once.
In all cases for mechanical cutting of the plastic sheet a fine toothed blade must be used or else severe break out will occur to the plastic s cut edges.
To cut acrylic sheets start by marking the line you want to cut using a ruler and a permanent marker.
This is better both for safety and the cutting line.
If you want a straight cut in a thin acrylic or polycarbonate plastic sheet up to inch thick reach for a simple utility knife then follow these steps.
You can use lots of the same tools you d use to cut wood for this project.
Mark a cut line along the right and left sides and along the middle of the sheet using a felt.
You can cut sheets up to 5 mm thick with stanley knives box cutters.
Step 1 keep the polycarbonate sheet material s protective plastic cover intact.
Pull the trigger on the jigsaw and wait 3 5 seconds to let the blade get up to speed.
Do not remove the thin clear plastic from the sheet material until you are ready to install the sheet into place.
Whichever type of thin plastic sheeting you are using ensure that the knife blade is sharp.
Measure the length you need to cut starting at one end of the corrugated plastic roofing sheet.
Once you ve scored the initial line go over it a few times with the blade until a groove forms.
Methods for cutting acrylic sheeting.
Then score the line using a plastic scoring blade using the ruler as a guide so your line is straight.
Here a few tool options for cutting acrylic.
Hold the edge of the plastic 2 3 ft 0 61 0 91 m away from the spot that you re cutting with your nondominant hand.
The jigsaw s blade will move up and down to cut so you need to keep the plastic still while you re cutting.