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nervous about cutting my plexi...advice? (yes i have searched)
Santoro:
--- Quote from: hulkster081 on April 29, 2004, 11:06:53 am ---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".
--- End quote ---
Is your CP really going to by 49" long? :o :o
SNAAAKE:
--- Quote from: Santoro on April 29, 2004, 11:09:53 am ---
--- Quote from: hulkster081 on April 29, 2004, 11:06:53 am ---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".
--- End quote ---
Is your CP really going to by 49" long? :o :o
--- End quote ---
Mine is 44".Bigger the better ! :D
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.
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