Cutting curved acrylic sheet.

[petem]

I am making a new curved windscreen section for a motorboat. I used the old one as a template, make a buck using ali sheet and grp, with a hot air gun I mould the new sheet over the buck.

So far so good.

Now I need to cut out the exact shape of the screen from the big sheet I've moulded.

A multi tool with an abrasive cutter makes a gooey mess, as does a toothed cutter.

Jigsaw makes a gooey mess with coarse, medium and fine blades.

A hacksaw blade by hand works, but will take me days.

A grinder with a 1mm slitting disc makes a sort of hot melting plastic candyfloss fly everywhere.

A grinder with a 36 grit flexible disc works on the edge, which might be ok for final trimming. But I have a lot to remove.

Any suggestions?

Couldn't you have cut it on a laser before curving it?

 

[Daydream believer]

Couldn't you have cut it on a laser before curving it?

Melt the edges?

 

[Poignard]

Might be a good idea to see the episode of Wheeler Dealers - the Messerschmitt. Ed was cutting the final shape of the new perspex cover using a jigsaw and, despite care, the cover cracked ruining it at a cost of £1k. With a second new cover he ground the cover to shape - at great time.

I saw that episode. It was pretty hair-raising!

I remember thinking there must be a better way, although I have no idea what it is.

 

[rogerthebodger]

There was a episode of CarSOS where Tim Shaw was cutting a perspex with a cutting disk in an angle grinder

I have also done that ensuring you cit slowly

I have also trimmed Perspex down to a size using an electric planer with a TC blades

 

[burgundyben]

Couldn't you have cut it on a laser before curving it?

I dont think so, I have no way of know that flat shape.