Segment from "WebTogether" See more on the blade speed animation on my website at: joneakes.com/j... VISIT my website; www.joneakes.com LIKE my page on Facebook; / askjoneakes FOLLOW me on Twitter @JonEakes
Jon, I tried the 7 1/4" Irwin #21830 circular saw blade (120 tooth) intended for cutting vinyl siding in my 10" table saw to cut 1/8" thick acrylic. It worked like a charm and made a nice crisp cut with no chipping. Thanks for the excellent advice and for the cost savings of using a $10 blade!
Be good to see a demo of the circular saw at work. A dedicated Diablo Acrylic Jigsaw blade is best for this when you need to cut curves. Making sure the sheet is flat and braced so it doesn't vibrate is super important. Lining the cut line with painter's blue masking tape will add extra protection for the surface of the acrylic from the foot of the saw. Spending $10 on a new sharp acrylic Jigsaw blade to cut a $50-$200 sheet of Acrylic is a good investment. Also newer oscillating work tools will cut thin acrylic well with a 3 quarter circle blade.
Great and very clear advice from a real pro! Okay, before I saw this video I tried to make a long, straight cut on the 12" long side of a 36" piece of 1/4" plexiglass with my jig saw. Despite my best efforts at controlling the blade speed of the jig saw, it melted the plastic and wandered off my straight edge guide repeatedly. Nuts! Then I jumped on RU-vid and looked for how to cut plexiglass with a circular saw blade, preferably with my DeWalt sliding miter saw. Thanks to Jon I'm heading over to Hope Depot to get the right blade and then I'll try again.
Thank you for the illustration on the blade speed. Something I've understood, but have had difficulty explaining to my friends. I will be telling them about this. Thank you.
I just cut 5mm matt black plexiglass to a precision rectangle with 5 perfect holes using a 10 watt diode laser. You gotta love how technology is moving so fast.
Hi. This was very educational. I want to see if I got it right. Are you saying I can insert circular saw blade into a table saw ? Please advise. Thanks. How about for making a circle?
Mr. Eakes, I thought your point about linear tooth speed was very interesting...I had never before considered that. You further stated that using a smaller diameter blade on a larger saw would yield a better cut (I assume you meant for plexiglass). So if I were to mount a 6" plywood blade on a 7-1/4" saw AND reverse the blade, would that yield the best cut for that material?
For lots of detail on that blade speed, check out this article on my website: joneakes.com/jons-fixit-database/2226-at-what-speed-should-my-saw-blades-spin-
This was a Zoom webinar (with a green screen shop) recorded back before many people even knew what Zoom was. I am setting up a studio shop now, so yes, this is on the list. Jon
I've cut a lot of plastic and I usually just double stick the plastic or plexi to a scrap piece of wood and use the wood as a backer. I cut very small cuts and go through the plaxi in about 3 or 4 cuts and I get a fine cut with a normal table saw blade.
You always have to be very careful to not overheat a saw that is not made to be run on variable speed. A dimmer speed control can just burn out your saw -- and electronic speed control may work but watch the temperature of the windings.
Circular saws are optimized for one blade. Put a smaller blade on that saw and the teeth will be moving slower - hence less risk of burn or melting Plexiglas.
You’re right. The video was terribly unhelpful, but fortunately for us your comment saved the day. Such detailed instruction and all without hypocritical complaint is most appreciated!
You may not care, but the material you cut certainly does. Move a Tooth through any material too fast, or too slow and you get a poor cut. Run a circular saw blade too fast and you can throw off carbide teeth. Here is more detail on tooth speed: joneakes.com/jons-fixit-database/920-Saw-blade-safe-rotational-speeds.