# What blade to use for cutting acrylic



## americancanuck (Apr 4, 2011)

I have to cut some 4' x 8' sheets of 1/4" acrylic for museum disply cases I am making. these cuts will have to be made with my circular saw and I was wondering what tooth count blade I should use, or even if I should be making my cuts with my variable speed jig saw. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I have cut acrylic on my table saw with a regular combination blade. The edge isn't perfect, but good enough to go into a frame where the very edge will be hidden. I would suspect that a plywood blade would give a better cut.


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## joebloe (Feb 13, 2012)

I have used a plywood blade on my circular saw ,with a straight edge and have got good results.just don't force the saw threw,cut slow and WEAR SAFETY GLASSES,you don't want this stuff in your eyes.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

TCG blade for acrylic sheet. I knew it was a triple chip grind but here is an article with the specifics of hook and rake and why.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6619/is_12_54/ai_n28718616/


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

That link Charlie provided is an excellent resource. It covers pretty much everything I was going to suggest. Good find Charlie.

Edit:
Also, I've often used masking tape when I'm cutting acrylic with my hand coping saw as well. Never tried it with jigsaw or circular saw though, so I'm not sure if it'd help much or not.


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## Doss (Mar 14, 2012)

Like Charlie says, triple chip design with between 5 and 10° rake with roughly 60 teeth. Make sure the teeth are all the same height. Cover your table with a soft material or use a sled. A zero clearance insert will help.

One more tip, make sure the blade is about 1/2-1" higher than the top of the piece.

If you feed too slowly or the piece binds, you'll either melt the plastic, have it kick back, or, worst yet, have it shatters AND get fired back at you.


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## handmade24 (May 1, 2012)

I have used a plastic knife with good results for my piggy banks--score the plastic on one side and snap like glass.
wide jaw pliers help too.


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## TrBlu (Mar 19, 2011)

I use a plywood blade with my circular saw. I usually allow a 1/16 to 1/8 inch outside my cut line, the sand a smooth edge, for a finished edge. Passing the sanded edge through a flame will add a polished look to the edge.

If the edge is going to be hidden in a frame or dado, I cut to the line.

I have not had much luck cutting with a jigsaw. It seems to want to catch and break the plexi.


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## MichaelR (Oct 1, 2011)

I began using my crosscut hand saw after cracking too many pieces with other approaches. Slow and smooth strokes and it leaves clean cut. Finding a good support for a 4×8 sheet may be the biggest problem.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Forrest and others make a no-melt style blade that has more generous side clearance geometry to reduce heat. The TCG is a durable choice for brittle materials in general, but it's the special side grinds that are the most beneficial for this type of material. If you opt to use another type of blade, keeping the blade slightly higher (deeper in the case of a circular saw) can help reduce heat.


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