so started actual work on my sump this weekend.. and omg... i hate acrylic! is there some secret to cutting it? im just trying to cut some 18x24 sheets into 17" x 12"s... my husband scored the sheets down the middle and snapped them in half. then ive been snipping the edged down and fileing them with a rasp since getting a clean snap on 1" was impossible with the tools we have.
I would just like to say.. i hate cutting acrylic!
- Thread starter MonsterMinis
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Tools would be the problem. A jig saw with a blade for plastic would be best in your case. I am surprised the pieces didn't crack on you. Every piece I have ever bought from the home center is junk. How thick is your acrylic?
its actually pretty thin about 1/4 im not sure its going to do the trick.. but this is my first sump build so deffinately learning. my dad has alot of tools and is letting me borrow whatever wede like but he doesnt have a jig or a dremel ( supposidly these work well to? ). scoring the peices works okay.. and my husband was surprized it didnt shatter as well. ive found if i score the line i need o. the 1" and use a pair of wire cutters i can control the break.. then file to smooth it out. works well just very time consumeing.
deffinately going to invest in a jig or circular saw blade for acrylic if we do any major acrylic work in the future. just didnt want to buy something to cut a few small peices.
deffinately going to invest in a jig or circular saw blade for acrylic if we do any major acrylic work in the future. just didnt want to buy something to cut a few small peices.
I'm able to buy acrylic sheets up to 24"x24"x 1/4" at Lowes, but home depot doesn't carry it. Whenever I'm working with it I use a dremel and a cutoff wheel to cut the pieces down to size.
I've always sprayed a little water (note "little") from a spray bottle on line
and cut it with jig saw with a normal blade for wood like plywood and it cut pretty easy
but if you go to fast it will shatter and to slow it melts, and the thinner it is the harder
to find the cutting speed. The water provides a little cooling and lubrication
and cut it with jig saw with a normal blade for wood like plywood and it cut pretty easy
but if you go to fast it will shatter and to slow it melts, and the thinner it is the harder
to find the cutting speed. The water provides a little cooling and lubrication
So far this is where we're at i'm not sure if I want to drop the pump in and call it a day or finish off the other side and build a "refugium" type set-up... nice big micro sock going in there.. and hard to tell but i do have the acrylic dropped down 1/4 an inch at top incase of over flow. I was thinking of just filling the large chamber with pot scrubbies since the return pump has a sponge on it. we do have power outtages so after alot of thought i'mnot sure wet/dry configuration is going to work for us. But i also need a lareg bio-capacity.... Thoughts?