How To Cut Acrylic Sheet with Table Saw? A Quick Guide

To figure out how to cut acrylic sheet with table saw, you should have a fine-toothed, carbide-tipped cross-cut saw blade and a push block. After all, acrylic is a pretty versatile and useful material for your professional or DIY projects!

It is a cost-effective, shatterproof replacement for glass in various applications, from picture frames to tabletops. Many do-it-yourselfers favor acrylic because of its lightweight and durability, not to mention the fact that it can be cut and molded using basic workshop tools.

Step 1: Choose Your Tools

While cutting acrylic sheets using a table saw, you’ll need a few extra items that you wouldn’t need when cutting wood.

The most crucial component is a unique blade intended to cut through plastics.

Secondly, keep in mind that not all acrylic sheets are created equal, so make sure you’re using the type of sheets that can be directly cut using a table saw, as certain sheets can’t be cut without considerable melting.

Acrylic sheets come in two varieties:

• Cast Acrylic
• Extruded acrylic sheets

When most people think of these sheets, they think of cast acrylic. They’re tough and, with the correct blade, can usually be cut without melting. However, cast acrylics are also substantially more expensive than others.

Nevertheless, extruded acrylic sheets are softer and melt at lower temperatures, and because of that, they should not be cut with power tools. When working with this type of plastic sheeting, it’s usually best to score and snap or use a plexiglass knife. Extruded acrylic sheets have the advantage of being able to be molded with heat.

Another type of plastic sheeting is polycarbonate. Using great caution, polycarbonate sheets can be cut with a table saw. Because they are a softer material than cast acrylic, it may take some trial and error to figure out which blade to use and how to feed the sheet through the table saw.

In other words, ensure that you have the correct material before you start cutting the sheets.

Next, while any table saw will cut through acrylic if the proper blade is mounted, it is advised that you use one with at least a 10-inch blade and a 2-horsepower motor.

Learn more about Horsepower, Watts, and Table Saws here!

It would be advisable to have your blade spinning at around 3,450 RPM, but if that’s not achievable, that’s fine too.

Step 2: Safety First

If you’re going to use a table saw, be sure you have the proper safety equipment. You’ll want to keep yourself safe from any injuries or accidents when cutting acrylic because of the potential dangers.

To safeguard your hands and eyes, make sure you have work gloves and goggles. When working with a table saw, it’s also a good idea to wear a long-sleeved shirt because plastic fragments can fly in all directions as you cut.

Step 3: Measure the thickness of the acrylic sheeting

Using a tape measure, determine the thickness of the sheets you want to use. Table saws should only be used to cut sheets that are 14 inches thick or thicker.

Because of the friction created by the saw, anything thinner will chip or melt.

Step 4: Choose the Right Blade

We all know that a table saw’s main purpose is to cut wood and metal sheets, or at least that’s what most people think.

While the blade used to accomplish this can be used to cut acrylic sheeting, the end result will not be as excellent as cutting wood or metal. You’ll get chipped edges, and occasionally it won’t just be the edges; you’ll get deep fractures in the plastic material’s surface.

So, what’s the best way to avoid it? For starters, because acrylic sheets are made of plastic, you’ll need to choose a saw blade that can cut them.

Saw blades built particularly for cutting Plexiglass acrylic sheets typically feature 60 to 80 carbide teeth rather than the 24 teeth typically seen in wood-cutting saw blades. To appropriately handle the thickness of your plastic material, look for a 10-inch diameter blade with carbide teeth.

Moreover, you’ll also need to be careful of the thickness of the blade you choose. For this, we recommend learning more about how thick a table saw blade should be to decide which would fit this project best.

Don’t try to fix minor mistakes using a jigsaw after you’ve made cuts with your table saw blade. It won’t matter if your jigsaw has the correct settings; it’ll only make things worse. Although your finished cut may have some visible edges, you must be confident that it is the finest you can obtain.

Step 5: Measure the length of the cut you wish to make

Make a mark on the sheet with the size of the cut you want to make.

Note: When setting the fence to hold the plastic in place, keep the width of the saw in mind because it will take up a little amount of space and cause your measurements to be slightly wrong.

Of course, you can adjust the fence so that it works properly. Check out this guide on how to do exactly that – adjust a DeWalt table saw fence!

Step 6: Use a push block

Hold the acrylic sheet with a push block and push it through the blade. For any table saw operations, this safety device is essential. It aids in moving the sheet securely through the blade while keeping it flat against the barrier.

The push block applies three-dimensional force to the material you’re working with, preventing it from vibrating on both sides of the blade.

The plastic is held in place by a downward force, a side force to keep it against the fence, and a forward force that keeps it moving further by the push block. This is critical since uncontrolled vibration can result in harsh edges, which you don’t want.

You don’t need to purchase a commercial push block. They’re easy enough to build by yourself, and there are plenty of tutorials on Youtube that show you how. If you want to keep all of your fingers, it’s worth spending the time or money to make or purchase a push block.

Step 7: Cut the Sheet

Cutting an acrylic sheet is comparable to cutting wood in terms of the overall procedure, but there are a few minor things to take in mind to ensure the quality of the finished product and your safety.

Change your table saw blade to one that is suitable for cutting through plastic and the type of plastic you are cutting, as specified in Step 3. Then set your blade’s height to only a half-inch higher than the piece of the acrylic sheet you’ll be cutting.

Make sure you’ve measured and marked the sheet for your cuts as instructed in Step 4. The protective shield on the plexiglass should not be removed; this will assist in preventing it from being scratched.

Place the acrylic sheet on the infeed table of your table saw with the protective film side against the table saw table, then set up the table saw as if you were cutting wood, i.e., get your fence in place and your workpiece snug against your fence.

Turn on the saw and slowly and gently push the acrylic sheet through the blades. If you use too much pressure or move the sheet too quickly, the edge will chip. The push block and fence will ensure a precise cut and that all of your fingers remain in their proper places.

Throughout the cutting process, keep the acrylic sheet firmly against the fence. If the edges start to chip, switch to a blade with more teeth; if the plastic starts to melt, switch to a blade with fewer teeth and slow down as you push the acrylic sheet through the table saw.

You can save time by stacking acrylic sheets on top of each other and sawing them all at once. To keep the sheets from moving, use clamps.

Step 8: Finish The Cut And Sand The Edges

Finish the cut before sanding the edges, which will be a touch rough. Additionally, because the table saw generates heat during cuts, the edges may be glazed. To get a smooth, polished acrylic edge, sand as follows.

• Get a sanding block and fine-grit waterproof sandpaper.
• Begin with coarse-grit sandpaper and work your way upwards to finer-grit sandpaper as the edges become smoother.
• Use 600-grit sandpaper for a smoother finish.
• If you have an electric drill and a buffing pad, you can obtain an extraordinarily smooth finish with these as well.

Additional Things to Keep in Mind

Approach the cut at the appropriate speed

If you are utilizing a table saw to cut your acrylic sheet, be sure you go at the proper speed. Do not press the material too hard or too quickly toward the blade.

While acrylic sheets are simple to work with, they are also simple to make a mistake with if you don’t take extra precautions when cutting them.

When learning how to cut acrylic sheets on a table saw, remember that the cut should always be approached with a steady and slow push into the blade.

After the cut, you’ll have flawless edges, thanks to this method. If you push the sheet too hard, it may easily crack, or the edges will be rough and uneven.

Remember that the thinner the acrylic sheet you’re cutting, the slower you should push it toward the saw blade. This is because thinner sheets tend to vibrate a lot more than thicker ones.

Apply Pressure

When cutting wood, you don’t have to use a lot of force. However, because of the nature of the material, you will need to apply pressure when cutting acrylic sheets.

This is because these sheets are thin as compared to wood. Thus, when placed on the table saw, they will cause more vibrations.

The vibrations can cause the acrylic to shift, causing you to lose track of your work, as well as cause kickbacks, which is even more dangerous. Kickback can force a piece of plastic towards your face or drag your hand into the blade, which is harmful.

To get the best results and avoid accidents when cutting acrylic with a table saw, apply pressure to the material during cutting. Using a push block is the best approach.

Crosscutting

While crosscutting acrylic on a table saw, the corners will chip because that is where the sheet’s weakest point is located. While it can be detrimental to your work, you can avoid it by doing crosscuts in two steps.

Also, to avoid chipping, start your cut on one end of the sheet and then turn the sheet to finish the cut on the opposite side.

If you’re missing a crosscut sled, though, but want to try out this part of the process, check out our guide for creating a crosscut sled.

FAQs

What Is The Best Way To Cut Acrylic Sheets Without Melting Them?

When the blade overheats, acrylic sheets are prone to melting. The plastic melts or warps as a result of the heat delivered from the blade to the sheet.

Take the following steps when cutting to avoid this.

• Have some water on hand to squirt the blade if it gets too hot.
• Do not take a break from cutting without first turning off the blade.
• Before you feed the sheet to the saw blade, make sure it’s running at the proper speed.
• Select the appropriate blade.
• Check to see if the tool’s capacity allows it to handle thick acrylic sheets.

Can you cut acrylic sheets without a table saw?

Now that you know how to cut acrylic sheet with table saw, it’s time to do it without one. Though there are multiple options you might want to follow depending on your needs. You can use a utility knife, a jigsaw, a circular saw, or even a Dremel grinder.

Of course, this requires an in-depth look into the process. We recommend checking out a Youtube video to see how the process of cutting acrylic sheets by hand (that is, without a table saw) can be useful:

Conclusion

When it comes to working with acrylic sheets for the first time, you shouldn’t be intimidated. With this guide on how to cut acrylic sheets on a table saw, you should be able to do the process with ease.

You can use your table saw to not only make straight cuts but cut acrylic sheets in various shapes as well. Learn  How to Cut a Hexagon on a Table saw with us, too!