Prev: Tire suggestions for a 1978 Ducati 900 Darmah
Next: Custom fitting a steering damper
From: Futility Man on 29 Jun 2010 02:07
On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:03:06 -0700, sean_q_ <nospam(a)no.spam> wrote:

>what's the best way to drill and saw through it?

Drilling, use a slow speed, sharp drill bit. Keep the material cool with a
constant flow of water. Take your time. A dull bit will build heat and it will
either melt the material and grab the bit, and/or it will crack.

I have sawed windshields successfully by using a die grinder with a cut-off
wheel and making several passes, cutting a little deeper every time. Mark where
you want to cut with a magic marker. Make the first pass with the die grinder
and just barely score the cut, just enough to mark for the next pass. Make
another pass, cut just a little deeper. Keep repeating until it cuts off.

If you try to cut the whole thing in one pass, it will crack.

--
Futility Man
From: frijoli on 29 Jun 2010 05:29
sean_q_ wrote:

> TIA for any help,
> SQ
> cc rec.motorcycles

I don't have any specific help, other than joining this
Triumph site to find parts and advice.

http://www.triumphrat.net/
From: Mark Olson on 2 Jul 2010 16:52
Futility Man wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:03:06 -0700, sean_q_ <nospam(a)no.spam> wrote:
>
>> what's the best way to drill and saw through it?
>
> Drilling, use a slow speed, sharp drill bit. Keep the material cool with a
> constant flow of water. Take your time. A dull bit will build heat and it will
> either melt the material and grab the bit, and/or it will crack.
>
> I have sawed windshields successfully by using a die grinder with a cut-off
> wheel and making several passes, cutting a little deeper every time. Mark where
> you want to cut with a magic marker. Make the first pass with the die grinder
> and just barely score the cut, just enough to mark for the next pass. Make
> another pass, cut just a little deeper. Keep repeating until it cuts off.
>
> If you try to cut the whole thing in one pass, it will crack.

I have successfully cut acrylic windshields using a variable speed
saber saw with a coarse blade, run at slow speed. The coarse blade
keeps the teeth from clogging up, and the slow speed prevents the
material from melting. No problems with cracking. I put masking
tape on either side of the cut area to protect the shield from
being scratched by the base of the saw.
From: Futility Man on 3 Jul 2010 14:32
On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:52:03 -0500, Mark Olson <olsonm(a)tiny.invalid> wrote:

>I have successfully cut acrylic windshields using a variable speed
>saber saw with a coarse blade, run at slow speed.

I tried that but the shield I was working with tried to close up the cut as I
progressed, grabbing the blade.

--
Futility Man
From: Mark Olson on 5 Jul 2010 19:33
Futility Man wrote:
> On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:52:03 -0500, Mark Olson <olsonm(a)tiny.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I have successfully cut acrylic windshields using a variable speed
>> saber saw with a coarse blade, run at slow speed.
>
> I tried that but the shield I was working with tried to close up the cut as I
> progressed, grabbing the blade.

That's why I used a variable speed saw, and ran it at a very slow setting.
It is counter-intuitive, but using a coarse blade, with widely offset teeth
is exactly what you need to get a nice smooth cut which doesn't close up.
A thin fine-toothed blade doesn't work well. After making the cut with
the sabre saw, a little dressing with a file and/or a sanding block is all
I needed.

The Bosch website (I used a Bosch saber saw) has recommendations for the
proper blade for cutting acrylic sheet. The T101A blade is specifically
recommended for Plexiglas®. 14 teeth per inch, with ground teeth & taper
ground back.

http://www.boschtools.com
 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: Tire suggestions for a 1978 Ducati 900 Darmah
Next: Custom fitting a steering damper