Glass and Mirrors - Plexiglass cutting

I want to cut a piece of plexiglass to fit a new project, but have been told in the past that conventional methods do not work because the material will melt. How can I cut my plexiglass and then buff the cut edges?

If the plexiglass is less than 1/4 " thick, and you just need to make a straight cut, you could use a plexiglass/acrylic scoring tool,available at hardware stores.Basically, it's just a knife with a special blade.Using a straight edge, go across the piece a few times with the cutter until you've made a deep scratch or groove. Then line it up on the edge of your work table, and snap off the piece on the score line.

On the other hand, if you need to cut the plexiglass to a special shape, or a curved cut, a jigsaw with a fine tooth blade usually works ok if the plexiglass is between 1/8" - 1/4" thick.Melting can sometimes cause problems if the blade gets too hot, epecially on thicker material.Plexiglass thinner than 1/8" is more likely to crack using a saw.

Another alternative is to use a polycarbonate material such as Lexan instead of plexiglass.Although its more expensive than plexiglass, its virtually unbreakable, and can be cut and drilled as easily as plywood, with no worries.It also lasts a lot longer.

My husband already had a metal cutting, fiber blade in his circular saw. It cut the plexiglass quickly, did not overheat, was nice and smooth!

You can smooth the edge with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper and then rubbing compound if you want it shiny.

Use a very fine saber saw blade--spray cold water at blade cut while cutting.
Use old Windex bottle or any device to spray water at cut---you could cut &
have someone spray........
Have fun....

Use a scoring tool for plastic up to 1/8", for 1/4" material you can still use the scoring tool or a carbide 60 tooth circular saw blade or a jigsaw with a coarse blade so that it won't melt the plastic and bind.