# Trouble Cutting Acrylic Blanks



## ladycop322 (Jan 25, 2014)

Good afternoon,

I own a Craftsman Scroll Saw and I am having a difficult time cutting acrylic blanks.  I have tried different types of blades but to no avail, I'm not getting a straight cut.

I have had someone swear by the Dremel Max Saw and suggested I purchase that to cut them.

Can anyone out there please give me some advice on the correct tool I need to cut acrylic blanks successfully?  I do not have much room.  Just a small screened in porch.

Thanks so much :laugh:

Michelle


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## Jim Burr (Jan 25, 2014)

Do you have the option for a bench top band saw? Another idea may be a miter box.


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## gbpens (Jan 25, 2014)

A scroll saw has a flexible blade which is the source of your problem. Also, scroll saws are usually hand fed without a guide which makes straight lines more difficult to cut. A fixed blade which would be on a table saw, or cutoff saw works best especially one with carbide teeth. Small cutoff saws with about a four inch blade are available on the internet.


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## dtswebb (Jan 25, 2014)

Best I've come up with is a small cut off saw and a carbide blade.  I clamp the heck of the blanks - learned the hard way that they can fly if not secured properly.

And I use a disc sander for squaring up the ends - pen mills would crack the ends for me.

Good luck.


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## Dan Masshardt (Jan 25, 2014)

I use a band saw - no problem.  A table saw with a sled or a miter saw are good options as well.


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## Jim Smith (Jan 25, 2014)

If you're trying to make straight cuts and money is not an object, then I would recommend a Byrnes mini table saw.  Byrnes Model Machines - Table Saw  They are extremely well made tools capable of making precision cuts as smooth as if you sanded the cut surface.  They only take up about 18 inches square and are very quiet, but they are expensive.  I have one and absolutely love it.

Jim Smith


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## KenV (Jan 25, 2014)

I cut many a blank once upon a time with a small miter box.  I have also used a pull saw and a straight line marked on the blank.  

The cuts do not need to be perfect -- just a little long as you are going to square the end after drilling an installing a tube.  

Have used the scroll saw because is it fast to get going -- and I need a pencil line to guide the cut.  I use a big thick blade for thick wood when I do that .

Unless you are doing lots and lots of cutting, put the money into your drilling gear instead of saws.   That scroll saw will let you do some neat blanks along your path --


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## Cmiles1985 (Jan 25, 2014)

I simply use a miter box and hand saw for all of my blanks. I tried with the scroll saw at the beginning, but couldn't get straight cuts even after making a fence on the table. I tried my 10" table saw, but learned quickly that it's nowhere near as safe as the hand saw. If I was cutting more than maybe 10 per day, I'd hurry and buy a band saw or mini cut off saw, but a 3/4" blank only takes a few strokes to cut, and it's a pretty square cut for about $15!


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## thewishman (Jan 25, 2014)

I have used a cheap miter box and a Stanley Max (or is it Fat Max) hand saw for thousands of cuts. I'd love a band saw but don't have one yet.


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## Pjohnson (Jan 25, 2014)

Michelle - Let me be the first to welcome you. This was your first post.

As others have said a slighly askew scroll saw cut is ok, as long as you square it after you glue in your tubes. 

Hope that helps.


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## randyrls (Jan 25, 2014)

Michelle;  If you are not cutting lots of blanks each week, This is a hand powered, quiet, and acceptable hand miter saw.  I mounted the miter box into a block of wood and clamped it in my bench vise.  A C-clamp will restrain the blank while cutting. You should use some kind of sanding jig to flatten / true the ends after gluing in the tubes.  A pen mill can crack some kinds of acrylics and will have a tough time cutting others.


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## ladycop322 (Jan 29, 2014)

*update!*

Thank you all for responding to my post. I just left Home Depot and purchased a band saw. I also bought the blade size 15 TMI. Is this right?


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## Pjohnson (Jan 30, 2014)

Congratulations on your new purchase!!


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## TimS124 (Jan 31, 2014)

I use a dozuki and a bench hook to trim my blanks.  A typical Woodcraft dozuki will cut TruStone, acrylic, and anything else you throw at it. Much cheaper than a bandsaw, table saw, etc…

With a bit of practice, you should be able to slice off whispy-thin sections to fine tune how much your end mill will have to deal with after the tubes have been glued in…

Make your own bench hook from a couple scraps. It's an old woodworking tool and well worth the effort to whip one up.


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