nervous about cutting my plexi...advice? (yes i have searched)

[hulkster]

okay, i had to buy a large sheet of plexi because my cp is 49" wide (showcase cab) and so i have a sheet of plexi thats about 36" x 72".  i went out and bought a new blade for my jigsaw....its one with lots of blades on it (there was a post a while back about drilling plexi, and i was under the impression, that the more blades (teeth or whatever) that you have on your blade, then the better)....anyway, i got that new blade, and im worried about the whole cracking the plexi thing.  ive heard that you need to get two pieces of wood and sandwhich the plexi between them, but thats mainly for drilling the holes, which i understand.  but the actually cutting out the shape of the plexi....since my sheet is so big, where should i lay this thing so it wont crack?  i mean, do i need to get pieces of wood and sandwhich that even when i cut the outline?  i just dont want to crack it...so whats the best way to do this???  

[paigeoliver]

I really don't think you can cut plexiglass with a jigsaw.

I usually cut mine by hand with a razor blade.

[hulkster]

whoa, with a razor blade?  as in box cutter/exacto knife???  i have one of those, but didnt think that would work.  how long did that take you to cut?  my cp is like 21" x 49" or something close to that

[TalkingOctopus]

I wouldn't cut it with a jig saw either.  I think that it would probably crack.  However, you could try a practice cut on a scrap piece to make sure.  I cut my lexan with a circular saw.  When I tried a jig saw on a scrap piece, it cracked!

[paigeoliver]

Well, you don't cut all the way THROUGH with the box cutter. You just cut a nice line in it, and then you break it on the edge of the table.

[hulkster]

Well, you don't cut all the way THROUGH with the box cutter. You just cut a nice line in it, and then you break it on the edge of the table.

hmmmm...breaking it.....that sounds like it would...um....break.  i know lexan can be cut with a circular saw or jig saw.  i had lexan the first time and i cut that with a jig saw no problems.  but i couldnt find a big enough sheet of lexan, so i had to settle for plexi.  so now im trying to cut it.  if i can cut the hole thing with a box cutter that would be great, and i wouldnt be worrying about cracking it.  but if breaking it works....i dont know, i can just invision me trying to break it and a shard popping off and piercing my stomach.  ouch.

[paigeoliver]

The breaking thing works great for marquees, which is the only thing I ever use plexi on (I don't put it on control panels, as it is largely non-original, and not needed for home use). I use real glass over monitors.

You just make a good solid line cut into the plexi, line that up with the edge of the table, and give it a good whack with your hand. Works even better if you sandwich it between the table and a piece of wood and put some weight on top.

[hulkster]

hmmm, well ill give it a try.  why do you not use plexi again?  is it because it doesnt work well, or is it because you just like to be different or is too expensive or what?  i mean, im okay using plexi for my cp right?  i dont care about authenticity, blah blah blah....im just wanting it to look good and work.  

[SNAAAKE]

Get a "plexi glass cutter"(your local hardware should know).Use a straight edge and score it few times then turn it over and score on the other side as well then snap.

I highly recomend you get lexan though.You can drill straight forward with a spade bit and it won't crack or anything.AND you can the cut the trackball hole/squre whatever with a jigsaw+metal cutting blade as well.Avoid plexi.

[hulkster]

plexi glass cutter....there it is!!  theres an ace hardware here, and a home depot and lowes...im assuming HD would have a plexi glass cutter right?

[paigeoliver]

Well, I have always been all about dedicated games, and specifically early 80s dedicated games. Very few dedicated games had plexiglass on the panels. That is largely the realm of conversion games and generic cabinets, with the true purpose of the plexi being to hide the old holes in the panel underneath the new overlay.

[drunkatuw]

I used a router to trim the plexi around my control panel.  I got a piece of plexi that was only about 6 inches bigger than my CP all around then screwed 4 screws to secure the plexi so it wouldn't move and then routed all around with a flush bit.  Left a very smooth edge all around...no need to sand like you would if you used a razor blade.

[SNAAAKE]

How are you installing your trackball ?
Like this here ?


Like I just mentioned above,avoid plexi for a 4player panel.
Drilling 33 holes WILL be a challange and you might end up cracking the piece.And I have no idea how you wanna cut the hole for trackball on plexi since you can't use a jigsaw.Get a lexan sheet.Its much much easier to work with.You can treat it like wood.Sure it cost more but it will save you some headace.Get it right first time.

You might wanna order online(probley cheaper then home depot).

Your panel is 48"X21" right ?Order this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1276&item=2396937411

[hulkster]

well dude i dont know where to get lexan big enough for my cp.  the home depot i checked only had lexan like 47" long, and i need 49".  so i dont know what else to do, but to use plexi.  im confused as to what to use at this point.  i want to use lexan, but cant find a big enough sheet.  there are plastics places in the phone book, but i dont know which ones will have lexan, and the size i need.  i have already bought the plexi, and i do have a router, and if that will work to cut the holes, i can use that, but i dont know what bit to buy, etc.  aaaaaaaaaaaa....

[paigeoliver]

Cut an inch of each side of your panel then.

Don't tell me that your 49" panel has controls all the way up to the edge on each side, because I don't believe it.

[Santoro]

well dude i dont know where to get lexan big enough for my cp.  the home depot i checked only had lexan like 47" long, and i need 49".  

Is your CP really going to by 49" long?

[SNAAAKE]

well dude i dont know where to get lexan big enough for my cp.  the home depot i checked only had lexan like 47" long, and i need 49".  

Is your CP really going to by 49" long?

Mine is 44".Bigger the better !

[hulkster]

no it doesnt have controls all the way up to the edge, but i like the layout of my cp and im not going to cut that.  it seems ridiculous to me that i would have this much trouble with plexi/lexan.  i guess if i end up cracking the hell out of my plexi, ill just have to suck it up and call every plastics place here in Nashvizzle (Nashville, TN for you foreigners).  ill just try to cut my plexi with the box cutter and try the break method, then just take my time drilling holes and hope it works.

[LoRDDeVO]

Best way to cut plexi is a spiral saw(rotozip, dremel, Ghetto brand, whatever) or a routher with a flush cut bit.  just set up a guide and clamp it down so you cut straight and sandwich it down all at the same time.

 the problem with plexi is if it starts to shake or vibrate it can get caught up in the blade and snap jagged peices off the plexi (trust me i went through a few pieces of plexi and a lot of headache before i got it right.

when your done with the cutting use a piece of emory cloth Like a girrty sandpaper  to finish it up the edges and make everything smooth.  

[crsdawg]

here's another idea. if you want to use the piece of plex you have now, use a router and a flush trim bit. place the top piece of your control panel under the plex as a guide and basically trace it with the router. this is my method and i've had a bunch of succes with it.

here's a panel i did a couple days ago. note i messed up on placement of my joystick hole and had do redrill, but the top came out perfect. also i haven't taken the protective cover off the plastic yet, so the edges look frayed. the edge of the plex is smooth.



also, if you want perfect button holes, use the router and the same bit for them. just drill a hole big enough for the flush trim to fit in and route the hole. a better method is to use a panel pilot bit(this is what i used on the panel above), which has a little drill bit built into it. with this bit the whole process is very quick, i can bust out a finished cp top in about 20 minutes. and i don't think you could ever get as good a result with a drill, even on lexan. the holes and shape of you panel will match the wood top perfectly.

another tip if you use a router, it helps to have a piece of plex that is roughly the same size, otherwise, the unused plastic gets in the way and can be a bit of a pain to deal with. i'd use a plex cutter as mentioned in a previous post, to cut down the piece you have(just get the width and length closer to your panel dimensions). then go with the router to finish.

[Violineb]

There is but one more way to cut plastic (probably the best way) You get a table saw and a platic cutting blade and start sawing away. Watch your fingers But seriously, table saws are very very useful things.

[kahlid74]

Dremel 100%.

I tried scarring, and breaking and I messed up my finger pretty bad, was a stupid idiot.

Used the dremel and had it done in a snatch, no cracking or anything.

[hulkster]

okay, so i use the flush trim bit, what size/type do i need to get?  and what do i drill the starter hole with...cordless drill with regular bit??  if not, what?  and if i use that panel bit thing, what size/type do i need for that?  ive never used any of these bits.  

crsdawg, you sound like it doesnt take very long to do this, and your panel turned out fine, so if you can, give me some product links or something at home depot or any other hardware store as to what to get.  thanks.

[crsdawg]

"okay, so i use the flush trim bit, what size/type do i need to get?"

just about any flush trim bit should work. just make sure the blade is longer than your plex is thick, which is pretty much all of 'em.

"and what do i drill the starter hole with...cordless drill with regular bit?? "

i guess that would work as long as it's a good quality cordless(ie. 18v). personally i've never had to drill a starter hole because i use the panel pilot bit. you might get some cracking drilling the starter hole, but as long as they don't reach past the limits of the hole your ok. you could also use the sandwich method of drilling holes in plex to make these starter holes, but it seems like you'd be getting into a complex process tho.

"you sound like it doesnt take very long to do this"

once you've got the piece set up it goes by quick. just make sure you clamp down the plex so it doesn't move on you once your've started, this is key. you'll have to move a clamp from time to time to make way for the router, just make sure you always have at least one clamp on the panel at all times. it's also a good idea to use a piece of scrap wood under the clamp to keep it form marking the plastic. sometimes i clamp the top down, route a couple button holes then insert and tighten a couple buttons in them to keep the plex moving around. usually i don't do this, i route the outside, then switch to the panel pilot bit and do the buttons. again keeping the plex clamped and locked in place throughout the process is the most important thing, the routing is all most idiot proof.

"so if you can, give me some product links or something at home depot or any other hardware store as to what to get"

here's a link to the set i bought at harbor freight. they have it onsale for $35.00 right now, we've got a hf store here in town and i was able to get it for $28.00. 15 pcs, including a flush trim and a panel pilot.

harbor freight bit set

here's a pic of the bits i use if you'd like to look for them elsewhere. note i'm using a 1" flush trim instead of the one from the set.



one more tip, when your routing the button holes, make sure to clean off the little plastic slivers that tend to accumulate on the work surface after each hole is finished. if you don't, they will get stuck between the router and the plex and will eventually slice through the protective cover on the plex and can damage the surface. it's not a big deal, just route the hole, turn off the router, wipe off the slivers, move on to the next hole. some markings on the protecteve cover is inevitable, but as long as you keep the surface clean the underlying plex will be safe.

[flampoo]

I used the same method Paige described for cutting the plexi on my most recent cab. I scored it a few times with an exacto knife, put it between two boards and it snapped off along the line. You have to be a bit cautious, but it works.
I would recommend giving yourself an extra 1/8" then just sand it down and it will fit perfectly. But TAKE YOUR TIME and SCORE IT WELL!

[andrewonawall]

So the scoring and breaking off the table edge method, that won't work for rounded edges, will it?

Also, for button holes. I have heard that running a hole saw in reverse will melt a nice clean hole with no cracking. Does this really work well?

[abrannan]

Well, since everyone else is chiming in, here's what I did.

1. Use the x-acto knife/box cutter method to cut the general shape of my plexi (add about 1/2"-1" in each dimension to give you some "fudge" room)

2. sandwich and clamp the plexi between the pre-drilled MDF top and antoehr piece of scrap wood (MDF, plywood, whatever)

3. turn the whole assembly over, so the pre-drilled MDF control panel is on top

4. Using my forstner bit at high speed in my drill, drill out the holes in the plexi through the holes in the MDF control panel.  This gives you holes drilled EXACTLY where you need them.

5. remove the scrap wood backing and turn the assembly back over, now you have the plexi on top of the Control panel.

6. Use a couple of buttons through a few of the holes to "clamp" the plexi to the control panel.

7. Using the flush trim bit in my router, clean up the outside edges of the plexi top.

8. If needed, run the flush trin bit inside the holes to clean them up as well, just move the button holders as needed to give you room to work.  

That method gave me no cracks, no scratches, and most importantly, no problems.

[spystyle]

I wouldn't cut it with a jig saw either.  I think that it would probably crack.  However, you could try a practice cut on a scrap piece to make sure.  I cut my lexan with a circular saw.  When I tried a jig saw on a scrap piece, it cracked!

I always cut my plexi on my table saw, it works like a dream.

I adjust the hieght of the blade so it is flush with the hieght of the plexi (1/8")

In other words I cut it on the table saw with the blade only 1/8" high

works flawlessly

then I do the rest of the cutting with a router

I've never cracked a piece with this method, just keep allot of pressure on the plexi so it doesn't vibrate

(p.s. if you have to drill it use regular drill bits and holesaws in reverse @ your drill's highest speed)

Dig it?
Craig

[hulkster]

well ive since made progress....and decided not to even use plexi or lexan or any covering for that matter.  im buying art form classicarcadegrafix.com and its going to be sealed with a really tough vinyl so that it wont need any covering.  its a little pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

[Tahnok]

Hmm... I remember back when I was trying to cut some plexi for the window on my computer I used a jigsaw without any problems. I left the normal covering over the sheet of plexiglass and also taped both sides of my cut line with masking tape. The cut has no cracking, splintering or spidering. The only problem I have ever heard of from people cutting plexiglass was when someone tried going very quickly and melted their blade right into the plastic.

[Sasquatch!]

well ive since made progress....and decided not to even use plexi or lexan or any covering for that matter.  im buying art form classicarcadegrafix.com and its going to be sealed with a really tough vinyl so that it wont need any covering.  its a little pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

Just so you know, the thicker CPO that classicarcadegrafix.com is thick.  I mean, it's thick in a good way in that it's tough and durable, but you're still going to need to cut it to the shape of your control panel.  And it's thick enough that you'll probably want to use a router with a flush trim bit.  A knife is NOT going to cut through that material.

[hulkster]

crap!   i cant use a box cutter/exacto knife on this thing?  what is the best way to cut this....as in method of cutting with the router?  lay it over the cp and mark it on the underside where i want it to be?  thats going to be difficult.  surely i can cut this stuff with some pressure from an exacto knife.

[hulkster]

 

[Sasquatch!]

I had one of the thick CPOs from classicarcadegrafix.com, although I didn't end up using it.

In this thread pfriedel has the thick CPO and he said:

"Hint for the thick stuff, if you don't have a router to trim it back with - cut _close_ with a razor, then sand it flush - trying to cut it exactly is _begging_ to mess it up."

So I'd suggest using a router, or doing with pfriedel's suggestion.

[hulkster]

okay, well im not quite sure how to go about this.  do i lay the artwork over the cp, and draw a line of where i want it lined up and then cut it?  i dont want to just lay the artwork down and go ahead and stick it to the cp and then just pull out the router and start chopping away.  or do i?  if you can, give me a better explanation as to how i need to cut this.

[kahlid74]

For my control panel, I lined up the plexi glass with the control panel, used wood clamps and then used a dremmel.  I liked using a dremmel better because I felt I had more control versus a router, the dremmel was also smaller and easy to manipulate.

[hulkster]

hmmm, well ive never used a dremel before.  how much are they?  .............maybe im just picturing this wrong, but im picturing laying down the artwork and sticking it to the cp, then take a router or dremel or whatever and cutting as close to the edge of the cp as i can get, and then sanding it down to where it fits properly.....is this vinyl stuff THAT durable?  im thinking durable, but not like wood or anything.  somebody fill me in here.