There is now a video on the Know How Now Channel showing how to cut 1/4 inch thick Lexan Polycarbonate with a circular saw. Here's the link: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iq2Yr9BrmMiXf8Y.html There are hundreds of videos at Know How Now, subscribe so you can always find the channel…. It’s free. I always respect your time and do my best to keep the videos brief, but informative. Check out the channel with this link: www.youtube.com/@Know-How-Now/videos

I just cut a sheet just now, first time I tried it. For 2-3mm sheets, what's worth it's weight in gold is one of those knives they sell for cutting plexiglass/acrylic - the one with a curved back to the blade. It displaces curled shavings and makes it easy to cut deep grooves. I was able to cut a groove about 80% of the way through the sheet in a very short time, and was then able to break it along the groove. A plain utility knife, I think, will just displace the material sideways instead of removing it from the cut. I didn't have any C-clamps handy, so I taped my steel rule to the sheet of Lexan with OPP packing tape, and I taped the sheet itself to a sheet of plywood. Held it pretty securely, and I was able to easily turn it around to cut in the other direction. I needed a 1 foot square piece, which I cut from a A2 sheet, so these were sizeably long cuts.

@Know-How-Now

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to write the detailed comment. It's encouraged and appreciated here. I looked up that type of knife and found it at Home Depot for around $5.50. It got mixed reviews, however, many times people don't use a tool properly. I'll put a link to the tool. If anyone else gives it a try, please let us know how it works. Again, thanks, I love when people share. www.homedepot.com/p/Plastic-Sheet-Cutting-Tool-GE-41/202038073?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=Shopping-BF-F_D30-G-D30-030_023_GLASS_SCREEN-NA-NA-NA-LIA-NA-NA&cm_mmc=Shopping-BF-F_D30-G-D30-030_023_GLASS_SCREEN-NA-NA-NA-LIA-NA-NA-71700000044150121-58700004608004196-92700038790561205&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7uRBhDRARIsAFqjulkyzyeNdrbV4p9iA4waSPTR7vhOcj7Ams9Rfg3yi-plUIkYImFV8ZcaAr_cEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks for showcasing all the different ways! Also, the way you talk reminds me of Jodi Foster 😄

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome. Many people have commented that I sound like Jodi Foster.

@jasonwoody8041

2 жыл бұрын

Damn your right she does, lol.

Thanks for the tips, I just needed a reminder because I did this years ago and forgot that it needn't be sawed but could almost be cut by scoring, like glass. BTW as of this date there are apparently 41 grouchy old guys (like me) who just couldn't stand that they were being taught this by a kid LOL. I gave it a thumbs up.

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome. It's nice to hear from you. You don't sound too grouchy to me. lol. Have a great day.

you literally saved my project, I was going to use a jigsaw to cut out all of the pieces I needed to make my terrarium sides, but jigsaws are imprecise and jank as hell when you're trying to be precise so when the battery died on me after cutting the third piece, i looked online for other ways to do it and now i'm done early and it looks great! thank you again!

@Know-How-Now

2 жыл бұрын

You are welcome, Nate. Enjoy the terrarium.

This helps so much, thanks! Just what I needed to find out. xx

@Know-How-Now

4 жыл бұрын

You are welcome!

Just what I was looking for!

Now I know how!!

great video, very detailed and to the point.

Perfect, just what I needed, thanks!

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome, Chris!

Very helpful, clear and concise. Just what I needed today. Thank you.

@Know-How-Now

9 ай бұрын

You are welcome.

Thanks for the video! I just bought a piece of Lexan, same as yours and am making it into a drawing board (for art) I think now I won't do much cutting. Just the corners with my Dremle tool. It really is strong.

@Know-How-Now

4 жыл бұрын

You are welcome, Tim. I agree, it's tough material and hard to cut if it is thick. I hope your drawing board project goes smoothly.

nice job. This will help me with my next project.

thanks for making this vid - very helpful :)

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

It's my pleasure to help. Have a great day.

Thank you. Yes, this was just what I needed to know.

@Know-How-Now

2 жыл бұрын

You are welcome, Delmonico.

Thank you....so much! I didn't know where to start

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome, it's my pleasure to help.

If you don't have the special scoring knife, don't waste your utility blades on this. Score it just a handful of times, then cut along the score with a back saw.

Very good. Thanks.

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome.

How can I clean the lexan sheet of a canopy without causing damage?

I liked it!

@Know-How-Now

4 жыл бұрын

Great! Have a good day... in our new weird world, James.

Hey, thanks for your help. Its been years since I worked with polycarbonate and I had to verify that thin film does not crack while cutting it. Question answered. I also took a quick look at the rest of your YT pages, but I couldn't find anything about you. If you're asking someone to subscribe, it may be a good idea to introduce yourself. Just a thought. Thanks again.

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome. it's my pleasure to help.

i dont know why, but if you splash acetone on polycarbonate, it is really easy to break, even thicker pieces. also i stuck two pieces of polycarbonate together with a clamp, and put acetone on it so it penetrated the joint, and waited a while, and the pieces of polycarbonate glued to each other quite strongly. also the polycarbonate regains its strength after the acetone has evaporated.

@Know-How-Now

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to write the interesting comment. My cousins own a body shop. They told me that if your car headlights are cloudy, you can wipe the lens with acetone to remove the clouded layer of material. They said not to let the acetone on too long, just a quick wipe.

@LaszloBencze

3 жыл бұрын

The acetone suggestion worked like a charm. First I scored a line deeply with an exact knife. Then I daubed on some acetone which soaked into the line. It bent easily on the score line. However, it did mar the surface either side of the score. I applied with a bit of paper. There may be a more accurate way to just affect the score line; however, in my application the marring did not matter.

@LeDodgyLodger

3 жыл бұрын

I wonder if acetate would help with drilling holes or would it increase the chance of cracking around the hole.

About how flexible is this material, for both 1/32 and 3/32 inch thicknesses? I need to make a curved visor shape for a Mandalorian style helmet, and I need it to be able to withstand airsoft guns.

@Know-How-Now

2 жыл бұрын

Home Depot and Lowes sell it. You might check it out there.

Band saw with fine teeth is 👍👍

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Paugh, agreed, that is the preferred method, though not everyone has a band saw. I now have another video that shows how to cut a 1/4" thick sheet with a circular saw. It did a nice job. Here's the link: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iq2Yr9BrmMiXf8Y.html

Great content like all your stuff. I have a finished and beautiful piece of polycarbonate that I need to cut a tail piece off of. I don't mind finishing the edge a little bit with a fine file if needed however, have you had any experience using a 4-in cut off wheel on the lexan polycarbonate? Thanks for all, keep them coming

@Know-How-Now

Жыл бұрын

I haven't tried a 4 inch cut off wheel. The dremel with the cutting wheel did OK, but it was slow going. I later had to make a cut on a thicker piece of polycarbonate and used a circular saw (Made video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iq2Yr9BrmMiXf8Y.html ). If I remember from my research, one of the concerns was melting/gumming up. There were specific blades/tooth count for cutting polycarbonate. If I remember correctly, the blade I bought was for cutting aluminum. Also, slower speed would create less heat. If you try the cut off wheel, please let us know if it works.

I've gotta get a near 3/16" thick piece, so what would you recommend I use for cutting?

@Know-How-Now

Жыл бұрын

I've had good results with a circular saw. Here's a video I have on that topic: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iq2Yr9BrmMiXf8Y.html

Speed or friction cutting is ok but the heat and melting removes the temper of the plastic/polycarbonate. Using a dremel just melts to cut kinda like a quickie cut saw. So a file or cold cut saw is probably best. Hack saw, sawzaw something like that. Plastic like metal looses temper when heated. I'm not even sure if that's a real thing just something to consider. You got tempered steel, tempered glass, and if you melt acrylic it cracks pretty much instantly. So I cold cut my polycarbonate panels. You can also blow/vacuume them into bubble glass. Cool shit like that.

@Know-How-Now

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to contribute to the comments on the video.

I use my Dremel oscillating tool to cut plastic hurricane shutters.

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

That's a great idea, how do the blades hold up?

What if I have a thick large rectanglr piece and I need to cut a chunk out of the middle leaving an(n) shape

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

You might try an oscillating saw. If you have polycarbonate that is thicker than in the video, you will have a tough time cutting it without a power tool.

@johnrussell7385

3 жыл бұрын

@@Know-How-Now thanks :)

👍👍

@Know-How-Now

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Walkin' Man, nice to hear from you.

A bandsaw cuts it in no time, but I cut 1/4" to 1/2" lexan for different applications.

@daviddaniels4198

4 жыл бұрын

I've been using my bandsaw to cut polycarb, however; I'm still having issues with getting straight lines as my blade tends to veer off in a different direction. The other thing I can't seem to get down to a science is perfectly a round circle (I tried over and over to use the hole saw which is effective about 50% of the time the other half either the pilot hole is not dead center or the circle ends up lopsided...as for the bandsaw I've tried taping a circle template to the sheet and still ends up being slightly off by just enough to throw the piece off kilter

Hello, where can I buy polycarbonate strips? I'm looking for 1 inch strips at 3/32" thick. Kind regards.

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

I think some suppliers with do custom cuts. You will have to pay for the cost of the labor to do that.

@RememberToLove

3 жыл бұрын

@@Know-How-Now could you give me a supplier name?

@Know-How-Now

3 жыл бұрын

I've bought my polycarbonate on eBay or smaller pieces at Home Depot. You might want to do a search for polycarbonate sellers and check out their websites.

Thank you. About to cut my same kind of piece and I was about to get out the circular saw 🤦🏻‍♀️

@Know-How-Now

2 жыл бұрын

If it's thin and you don't have a lot of cutting to do this is a good way. I do have a video on how to cut Lexan with a circular saw: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iq2Yr9BrmMiXf8Y.html

helpful but incomplete, thanks

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

@Know-How-Now

4 жыл бұрын

Hi Rebecca. Have a great day!

skip to 2:15 you're welcome

@Know-How-Now

Жыл бұрын

You are welcome. It's my pleasure to help you for free and you in return write an insulting comment.... maybe someone does need to cut a thinner sheet of it. I guess you know everyone's needs. It is most effective to cut that with snips and the dremel is useful for a small cut in thick material.

1:05 is that .080 or .093? ok nevermind its .093