How To Cut Styrene Plastic Sheet

Unlike wood or other materials polystyrene parts are joined by bonding with a solvent.

How to cut styrene plastic sheet.

You might need to use a piece of sheet metal or wood as an auxiliary fence to keep the thin styrene from sliding under the table saw fence. The secret is to buy the styrene sheets with the lines already scribed into them. Just a few tips and tools to use when cutting styrene sheet stips and tube. Thin plastic sheets can be cut by hand using a scoring knife or a dremel tool.

Midwest model railroad missouri pacific sedalia subdivision. Use a flat board and clamp each end to the table to hold the entire sheet of plastic flat and to provide yourself with a straight edge. Score polystyrene sheets with a sharp razor knife on one side and break the sheet on the scored line. Thin sheets and strips can be cut through with a very sharp knife or single edge razor blade.

Can you cut acrylic plastic. Then push the built in cutter across the sheet you are cutting and presto clean cut no burrs no ridges i got mine at jo anns fabricks store. There is a much simpler way to cut precisely parallel lines in styrene sheets and it doesn t require any special tools other than your basic 11 x acto blade with a regular handle and a gentle touch. To cut thicker plastic sheets it is best to use a saw hand saw or power saw with a carbide tipped saw blade.

Yes the recommended way to cut acrylic plastic is with a high quality table saw with a carbide tipped saw blade. In this first video i cover some techniques for cutting styrene. It will take sheet plastic up to 22 wide lay your sheet plastic in the cutter lay the attached ruler on top of the sheet. Using a few hand clamps will help keep the plastic steady as you are making your cuts.

If you have access to a table saw you could cut the styrene very easily provided you use the correct blade for the material. This is the first short on how to work with styrene. Depending on the thickness of the styrene you may be able to cut completely through in one or two passes but the basic best practices are all the same. Mount a new sharp blade in your hobby knife.

Cutting thick sheets of plastic to make straight cuts on thicker sheets of acrylic and polycarbonate plastic greater than inch thick you ll need to use a table saw or circular saw.