How I Cut & Drill Clear Acrylic (aka Plexiglass)

This video shows the method in which I cut Acrylic Sheets (aka Plexiglass) with a table saw and also how I drill holes to attach hinges, as I make windows for deer hunting blinds. Using a high-speed drill and clamping your material down before drilling is highly recommended. Results with cutting and drilling Polycarbonate (Lexan) in this fashion may differ.
As always, use common sense, wear necessary personal protection and cut and drill acrylic at your own risk!!

[@MrRunner]

If I may. When drilling Acrylic, use a corded drill, not a battery powered one. The reason is that the drill speed for a 10mm hole is 3000rpm. Cordless drills usually max at 1500rpm. I have seen many holes drilled as you have shown, without an apparent problem, but I can assure you, over time you will see micro cracks. High speed low feed as you demonstrate. Secondly, use a very sharp drill, web thinned if it is a large diameter. Web thinning is done to reduce the thickness of the land between the flutes. Hope this helps Thanks for the video, very well explained

[@UncleBucks]

Great info & makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

[@DawidhabdArup_N7]

Thank you for sharing matey! I believe, “Our World is a Shared Experience”!!! Remember, *_Life_* is *_Short_* so, *_Live Long_* and *_Prosper_* … 🖖🖖🖖

[@davidt8438]

Lean your blade. All that buildup from previous cuts just causes rubbing and heat. A clean blade is sharper as well. Your technique is great. Slow and steady is the name of the game.

[@1rustytree]

Good info! I think your right about getting acrylic !

[@fatfreddie08]

Nice work Brett.

[@SteveH-TN]

Thanks for sharing this video and information very helpful for me

[@Makete100]

Great video and instructions. I'd like to know how to remove scratches and clean the plexiglass.

[@UncleBucks]

Not sure about scratches but a microfiber or nanofiber towel and a little dish soap and water for cleaning it. Not paper towels and windex!

[@peace4all92]

Thanks, it was very helpful.

[@blackcat31w]

I tried doing this on my table saw with a fine tooth plywood blade. It was hard to push through the blade and I got the cut all crooked. The plexiglass just melted back together. I aborted and used a jig saw and that was a struggle with the cut melting back together. It never occurred to me that that a plain carbide blade on the table saw would work so good. Oh well, next time I'll know.

[@UncleBucks]

I initially experienced a similar situation with a plywood blade, and after some experimenting, learned the construction blade worked much better. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@gordonanderson2277]

Brett, do you use the .220 Acrylic sheet from Menards? When cutting slots / tracks for the sheets, do you make them .250? Also, how deep do you cut your tracks on the bottom ~ 1/4, and top ~ 3/4"? I would like to be able to remove them if it is warm, so I was wondering how much clearance is required. How much gap do you leave between your tracks, and do you put anything like velcro at the ends, to help seal between the two sheets? I have made my windows ~ 22" high by 46" wide, and I plan on using something like plastic wood to prevent swelling fro my tracks. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[@UncleBucks]

Hey Gordon, yes that's where I got it. I made hinged windows, not sliders, so I can't help you a whole lot with answers here, but if I ever did build sliders, I'd use 1/8" Acrylic (or possibly .110?) instead of .220 and I'd use vinyl lattice tracks, not wood.

[@UncleBucks]

Here's the track I refer to: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWXdqZKri850oqcsi=rsmxJG5qJGGgHB4B

[@UncleBucks]

Here's how I made hinged windows using .220 acrylic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4DKpKegj9h4baMsi=W76K-XxqJvyKDzWs

[@richardk7379]

Is there a reason you do not turn the blade around? Other videos have said that works perfectly. Thanks for the video.

[@UncleBucks]

I used to, but I eventually tried leaving it in the normal direction, and it worked just fine that way, so I didn't see a reason to turn it around anymore.

[@cymeriandesigns]

I tried it that way at first, but the forward blade works just as well or better. I use a 60-tooth blade.

[@andrehawk100]

How do you cut a curve in 1/8" acrylic? For Redwood table top.

[@UncleBucks]

I've never tried. If I did, I'd use a bandsaw or a quality jigsaw with a fine tooth blade, with the acrylic clamped very well. Maybe a router if you are following a table top edge. I'd suggest using a scrap of acrylic to test out some cut methods. Perhaps someone else who reads this can offer some helpful insight based on their experience with it...

[@MrRunner]

Draw a curve using a suitable compass or curve on card. Cut out the profile using scissors or a Stanley knife and then transfer it to the Acrylic using a pointed magic marker. Place the sheet over some thing MDF and clamp. Use a jig saw fitted with a blade specifically meant for Acrylic Bosch make an excellent one.. Put painters tape on the saw feet to prevent marring. Hope this helps.

[@neon_led4you]

Which table saw top with how many teeth do you use to cut plexiglass plate

[@UncleBucks]

Any construction blade or plywood blade with any number of teeth will work. The key is to keep the blade down to just barely cut through the sheet and feed the sheet through slowly. Not sure what you mean by which table saw top...?

[@neon_led4you]

@@UncleBucks how many watts with speed machine do I mean

[@UncleBucks]

@sign led bord if you have a table saw that is designed for electrical use, and plugs into a 110v electrical outlet, you should be good to go.

[@JohnPaul-nd3if]

Where do you get the acrylic?

[@JohnPaul-nd3if]

Like your video!

[@UncleBucks]

@@JohnPaul-nd3if thanks! I got this at my local Menards Home Center

[@JohnPaul-nd3if]

@@UncleBucks Thanks so much, we have Menards close. Nice stands how was gun season?

[@UncleBucks]

@John Paul It went OK. We had some days that weren't so terribly cold. I enjoyed many sits in different locations & had a number of small buck sightings, but I'm pretty selective with the bucks. Took a doe towards the end of the season. How about you?

[@JohnPaul-nd3if]

@@UncleBucks we had an enjoyable season! Nephew got one nice 8 and the other one took a small fork. Was nice weather hear after that cold windy opening weekend. We are by Black River Falls Wis.

[@runninggag1077]

Lexan isn't plexiglass. Plexiglass is acrylic. Lexan is polycarbonate.

[@UncleBucks]

The terms for these products are often used interchangeably, and also incorrectly. I'm just as guilty of that as the next guy. This video is a demonstration using acrylic, and I think I make that pretty clear. No pun intended.

[@glenpaul3606]

Not whatever...Plexiglass and Lexan are two completely different products with very different characteristics. Plexiglass is acrylic and Lexan is polycarbonate.

[@UncleBucks]

Sure, just as I mentioned in the middle of the video. Clear sheets (that aren't glass) are often called all of those things, sometimes correctly, sometimes not.

[@dougbreeze9393]

Good little serotonin boost for that guy.

[@Roonnam]

Dude why not start

[@raeventura]

Can I pay you to do a project for me? If so can you share your email to discuss?

[@UncleBucks]

Possibly... if you reply here with your email, I'll reach out. I can then delete the reply that contains your email address if you don't want it kept here in the comments.

[@sevenhubwerx8770]

all talk

[@UncleBucks]

So tell me, what were you expecting from an explanation video?

[@question_it_701]

At 3:38 you said acrylic is harder than Plexiglass. You've got some of your info mixed up. Plexiglass IS acrylic. Like a Kleenex is a tissue. Acrylic 10x stronger than glass. Polycarbonate (Lexan) is 200-250x stronger than glass, will NOT crack when you drill it. THIN (.09, etc) Plexiglass/Acrylic WILL crack if you drill too close to the edge with a regular bit. I cracked a piece last night trying to drill a 5/32 inch hole about an inch from the edge. So.... if you're drilling thin Plexiglass, don't just use any drill bit. I'd research it more. So for my project, now that the first sheet broke, I'm going to try it again but with Polycarbonate (Lexan is a brand name). It drills easy. Its about 40% more $ than Plexiglass/acrylic. Again...there are distinctly different kinds of plastic sheets that folks use for windows. 1. Acrylic (Plexiglass is a brand of acrylic) 2.) Polycarbonate (Lexan is a brand of polycarbonate).

[@UncleBucks]

Good info. Thanks. At 3:40 I misspoke. It happens. Used the word plexiglass instead of lexan. Didn't catch it. That said, this is a demonstration of drilling in the acrylic sheet as shown by the actual label. I've drilled dozens and dozens of holes in .220 acrylic and never cracked one - using the technique shown in the video. Getting closer to the edge, using a different product or one with a different thickness may produce different results. It's all subjective.

[@ulbuilder]

Not all bits are the same, some will cause cracks, they do make special bits for acrylic too. Polycarbonate (lexan) is by far easier to work with. You can treat it just like sheetmetal including bending and cutting it the same. The downside to Polycarbonate, it scratches easy but you can also get it with scratch resistant coatings. By easy to scratch I mean cleaning it with a paper towel will scratch it. I've used metal hole punches on Polycarbonate I needed to trim the edge of a piece by about 1/32" to make a perfect fit, used a handheld wood plane. I've used tin snips on it. I've cut really thin sheets with scissors.