acrylic help needed

[clownfish4me]

i have two different sized acrylic scraps ones 1/8 thick and i i think the other one is 1/4 inch. i need to know how to cut it to make baffles and a over flow box. do you score it with a razor or sharp blade and then snap it on the line? or is there a saw or special blade needed to cut it? i wish i had a router as i know thats the best. i just need to make a few straight cuts... thanks for the help.

[CarmieJo]

I don't know but Manny thesaent14 (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/../member.php?u=930) is a wizard with acrylic. I'd PM him if I was you.

[SoCalReefer]

There is a special plastic cutting blade, it looks like a heavy duty x-acto knife. You'll need a metel ruler or straight edge to guide your cut. You should first mark the acrylic where you want to make the cut, then score it slowly going over it in a few passes just to make sure you have a definite line. Then comes the cool part, turn the blade to the other side and it has somewhat of a curved edge; you place that into the groove you made by scoring the acrylic. Now with a steady hand continue making the groove deeper, the curved side of the blade digs in and pulls out larger amounts of plastic. Once you're groove is about 1/16th of the total thickness you can place the piece along a table edge and snap it. Make sure the groove is even, so you get an even break.

[puckerfactor]

Do you know anyone with a table saw?? For that thickness of acrylic, you don't need a special blade, but just to make a straight cut. You then can sand the edge real clean, and it bonds well. I haven't had good luck with 1/8th inch acrylic for baffles in the past, so I've gone with 1/4 inch with no problems. Are you using the baffles in glass???

P

[thesaent14]

use the 1/4 the 1/8 is not going to work