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Best way to cut plexi?

1K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Treetop 
#1 ·
What the safest and cleanest way to cut the plexi lowers? I had them on, but had to remove them when I installed the extra headlights setup. They no longer fit, so I figured I’d just trim them down to clear the extra bulk of the lights. I don’t want to crack them though. Best suggestions?
 
#5 ·
I've had great success with a band saw on windshields, lowers, anything plastic. I use a fine tooth metal blade, tape on both sides. I've done probably 4 or 5 windshields, and have done a whole bunch of lowers for people....never an issue.

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#6 · (Edited)
That's what I used Jay. A 24 tooth metal blade. I don't have a bandsaw but I do have a very good Bosch variable speed jigsaw. I was even able to make my 1st set out of plexiglas with the jigsaw without shattering it. The locktite I used on the bolt threads started eating away at them and they eventually shattered.
 
#7 ·
Ok, so now we see there is more than 1 way to go about this. It all depends on your tools and skill level.

OTOH, chances are your lowers are in fact not plexiglas but to someone that wouldn't know better, like me when I first made mine, a person would assume that's what the material is.
 
#8 ·
I've successfully cut plexiglass with a jig saw. You need a fine toothed blade and you have use a slow blade speed. If you go too fast you melt the plexiglass with the friction from the blade. That makes it difficult. Support your work near the cut so you don't crack the material, go slow let the saw do all the work and leave a little excess so you can sand the edge to the final dimension.
 
#10 · (Edited)
As was said previously, Plexiglas is brittle compared to Lexan, and Lexan is way more scratch resistant. Lexan is also more easily shaped with only a heat gun (for the thin stuff)
Best stuff to buy? Go check out a piece of storm window replacement at Lowes. (PALSUN Polycarbonate 12-in x 12-in x .236 Bronze Polycarbonate $15 Sheet) or you can buy the really thin clear lexan for about $5.
One word of note: don't overspend! You don't need a piece big enough to have a lot left over unless you got a bunch of bikes to do this for.
One other thing, you can cut the thin Lexan with a box cutter knife! Just lay a straight edge on your mark and score it deep several times. the snap it along the scored line. works beautifully and leaves a perfect clean line.
 
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