Plexi count as woodworking? :)

[rooter]

I was thinking of replacing the metal coin door on my cab with a Plexiglas one.  I wanted to put some artwork/lights/etc inside the door for people to look at.  I still want the door to open, and not just cover the hole with plexi.  That means cutting 3-5 holes in it for coin entry/return and the lock.  Is this an insane thing to try?  I have heard nightmares about plexi chipping and cracking when it is cut.  I suppose I could cut windows in each side of the cab and put a square piece of plexi on each wall inside, but that reveals a lot more of the guts of the cabinet than I would like.

[selfie]

Hi Rooter,

I've been reading the forum for a while now but this is my first post. I am a plastic fabricator by trade and I work with acrylic all day everyday.

Once you know some simple techniques and cheats, cutting and drilling acrylic is easy.

Firstly if you were local to me, Australia, I'd happily LASER cut a door for you...

I will get around to starting a thread with more tips and how tos soon

Drilling

The key to to scrape not cut. Cutting is what causes the cracking. You need to grind the leading edge off the drill bit to look like this





Cutting

Use aluminium cutting blades for hacksaws and table/circular saws zero or negative rake on the teeth is what you are after.

With out knowing your skill levels, or contents of your tool stash, to get the best results I would recommend making an MDF version of your door and cutting and holes you don't have the right sized drill bit for or that are not round with a router and flush trim bit.

[rooter]

This is incredibly helpful.  Thank you!