Steps
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1.Leave the protective film on
Keep the film on both faces while you mark and cut. Mark on the film or on masking tape, never on the bare sheet.
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2.Support the sheet fully
Lay the sheet on a flat bench or sacrificial board so it cannot vibrate or sag on either side of the cut. Clamp a straight edge as a guide.
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3.Use the right blade
A fine-tooth, triple-chip or plastics blade gives the cleanest edge on a circular or table saw. On a jigsaw use a fine metal-cutting blade at low-to-medium speed with the orbital action off.
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4.Feed steadily
Let the blade reach full speed before it touches the sheet, then feed at a steady pace. Too slow melts the edge; too fast chips it. Stop and let the blade cool if the swarf starts to clump.
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5.Router for shapes and cut-outs
For curves and internal cut-outs, drill a starter hole and use a router with a sharp single- or two-flute bit and a template, taking shallow passes.
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6.Finish the edge
Scrape the saw marks off with a cabinet scraper, then wet-sand from coarse to fine grit. A buffing wheel with plastics compound brings it up glossy.
Tips
- Practise on an offcut first.
- Do not cut acrylic with a coarse wood blade: it chips and cracks the sheet.
- Drill with bits ground for plastics, at low speed, backed by scrap timber.
Drilling acrylic
Use a drill bit ground for plastics, or take the sharp cutting edge off a standard bit with a stone, so it scrapes rather than grabs. Mark the hole on the film, back the sheet with scrap timber, and drill at low speed with light, steady pressure, easing off as the bit breaks through. Keep holes at least twice the sheet thickness from any edge, clear the swarf often on thick sheet, and step up to larger holes in stages.
Cleaning and removing scratches
Clean acrylic with warm water, a little mild detergent and a soft microfibre cloth, and blot it dry. Never use a dry cloth, abrasive pads, ammonia window cleaners or solvents, which scratch or craze the surface. Fine scratches polish out with a plastics polish and a soft cloth. Deeper scratches can be wet-sanded out, working from about 800 grit up to 2000 grit or finer, then polished back to a gloss with a plastics polishing compound.