got some lexan for the rear windows in my 31 tudor, anybody got a clue on how or what to cut it with?? thanks................BT
You can cut it with a really fine woodworking blade, any saw will cut it really, but the more teeth the smoother the cut.
Like aluminum it will melt & gum up at high speed. Run jigsaw real slow, tape the surface to protect, & oil to cool
Jigsaw or a bandsaw that will run slow enough to cut metal. Lexan melts real easily from any sort of friction and its a general pain in the ass to cut. Lots of people assume its about like cutting plexiglas, but its much more aggravating to deal with than plexi. After sawing you can smooth up the cut edges with a fairly coarse single cut file used in a draw filing motion. For sanding, its best to use waterproof paper and wet sand as dry sanding will clog up the paper in no time. Any particular reason you want to use Lexan instead of having a glass shop cut some laminated glass? Most racing stuff requires it, but for street use it doesn't hold up well at all. Scratches at nothing and turns cloudy pretty quickly when exposed to sunlight. If you make a pattern, most glass shops will cut laminated and finish the edges for you pretty cheap for flat stuff.
take yer time and cut it by hand with a metal 32 tpi hacksaw blade. any friction heat will melt it and make it look shitty.. had to cut some for an ice plant in Iraq and that was the only way to get a quality cut
I have cut it many times with a metal cutting wheel on an angle grinder.Just go fast enough that it doesnt melt back together behind the cut .It will build up around the edges ,but after it cools off you can put on a thick glove and snap the buildup right off cleanly .If you do it this way wear a dust mask ...
Spray your cutting line with WD 40 or silicone spray before you cut or as you cut to prevent it from "loading" up your blade. Also keeps it cooler.
I do the same on a table saw, feeding it steady gives a nearly perfect cut. Let the blade cool between long cuts or it may drag or build up melted material on the edge. A Fein multimaster or similar knock off osillating tool with a cutting blade works great too.
The place that did my Anglia windows used a CNC Lazar. I gave them patterns and they cut all 4 windows (including windshield) for about $300.00, including the material (real Lexan not Plexi), the edges are beautiful.
I'll second this. I use a belt sander to clean up the edges(if needed) when im done. If you are using lexan for side windows, you can sand and buff the edge to a glass like finish. for straight cuts, a metal shear works excelant.
The only way I have found to successfully cut Lexan(I use 1/2")is to go to your friendly hardware store and get a saber saw blade for laminates.The teeth face in the opposite direction and will not clog the blade or fuse the material you have just sliced through.The blades cost about $2.00 for a pair and they last forever.I have cut up to 1 1/4" thick Lexan and although it goes slow it doesn't fuse. EDIT:You can use a torch to clean up the edges but it works best if you rough sand it first.
Oh yeah, The other neat thing about Lexan is if you need to form it you can put it in a sheet metal brake and bend it >>>>.
you didn't say how thick the Lexan is, the Lexan I used for race car windshields was usually 3/16" , side windows usually 1/8", the 1/8 material was easy to cut with Wiss tin snips, the 3/16 was a little tougher so I would rough cut it with stomp shear and do the final trimming with tin snips. If the application required 1/4 Lexan, I would use my stomp shear for the rough cutting and long straight lines and would use a jig saw with a laminate blade for the curved cuts. p.s. I liked the Wiss tin snips because the blades are smooth. Some of the other brands of tin snips have small serrations on the blades that mar the cut edge too much for my taste.
I think you are referring to plexiglass. Lexan wont shatter when you bend it in a metal brake or anything else for that matter. I have used Lexan in a metal brake to make spoilers, windshield braces, air ducts, etc. Lexan will fatigue and crack like metal if you don't work it correctly, but it will not shatter. That is why most racing sanctioning bodies require it for windshields. For really complex pieces and material much thicker that 3/16 it helps to heat (read warm) the lexan a little as you work it. Be aware if you heat it too much you will have a mess that you can not see through.
When we raced dirt cars we used a lot of lexan instead of aluminum. 1/8th and a 45 degree bend worked well. Give it a try sometime >>>>.
I dont do much metal work these days (that will change as soon as I get my barn finished), yet I have been call Popeye enough times that I lost my sense of humor about it. LOL
I guess I learned something today. I've cut tons of the stuff, working in the L.A. County jails. We used it for windows in and around the lockups. I always cut it with a tablesaw and a plastic specific blade. If you need a nice edge, you can run it across a jointer, sand the edges and flame polish them with a propane torch. I also made a bunch of tops for desks this way. Nobody ever asked me to bend it
Fine tooth skill saw blade flipped over backwards just like cutting steel. Works great the edges do have melted lexan stuck to it but seem to clean up nice. I make shop windows this way.
Use a thin Kerf circular saw wood working blade such as a Diablo, You want to use a finish plywood tooth set, Best to cover the area of the cut with a double layer of blue tape and cover the saw base with a double tape to prevent scratching or marring. It is best to set the cut depth at a minimum so as not to have the blades cut into the sheet at a 90 degree angle, it is better to scuff cut the sheet setting the blade so the teeth hit at a 45 to 60 degree angle, preventing bind shatter of the sheet. This material prefers to be cut or worked at 70 degrees F. You can also solvent glue it to make complex shapes as well as have it heat shaped. I have made aquariums of up to 700 gallons from Lexan sheet products.
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