cutting 3/4 inch plastic

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  • d_meister
    Established Member
    • Feb 2009
    • 184
    • La Conner, WA.
    • BT3000

    #16
    I have not (knowingly) worked with Polypropylene flat stock before, and there isn't much that comes up on the web about machining it. It seems to be unusual to encounter in the wild. PP is what water ski ropes are made, so my guess is that it machines more like polyethylene than acrylic, especially since it has higher temperature thresholds. My best advice is to make a small scoring test cut, like about 1/8" deep. If you get nice dry flakes for swarf, you should be ok to work it like poly or starboard. If you get gummy balls, it'll work more like acrylic.

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    • capncarl
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 3564
      • Leesburg Georgia USA
      • SawStop CTS

      #17
      Now that the question of how to cut the material has been answered, how are you going to fansten it? High molecular weight plastics are known to be a pain to fasten with adhesives, their manufactures state that it adhers with limited success. (the next 10 posts will be from members that have had great luck glueing it down) High molecular weight plastics have expansions rates of 10 to 15 percent greater than most metals, so if fact they pull theirselves out of the adhesive. Loctite 30-30 and Bondit B4x are several adhesives that comes to mind that we have used to attach UHMW polyethelene to steel and alu. If the plastic strips can be 1/4 + inch thick I like to use a stamped countersunk washer (tinnerman type washer) slightly recessed below the wear surface and mechanically fasten the plastic down with flat head screws.
      capncarl

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      • LCHIEN
        Internet Fact Checker
        • Dec 2002
        • 20913
        • Katy, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 vintage 1999

        #18
        UHMW machines quite nicely on a table saw.
        You can drill and countersink for fastening
        UHMW is a specific version of polyethylene
        Adhesives don't stick to it all that well.
        You can find UHMW as cutting boards fairly cheaply. Dense white, slippery feeling plastic.
        Loring in Katy, TX USA
        If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
        BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

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        • lum747
          Forum Newbie
          • Mar 2013
          • 25
          • huntsville texas
          • ryobi bt3000

          #19
          cutting plastic etc

          thanks to everyone that answered my post, i have decided to buy the runners fron lee valley as they are suppose to fit the saw , but thanks again

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          • d_meister
            Established Member
            • Feb 2009
            • 184
            • La Conner, WA.
            • BT3000

            #20
            Good point, CapnCarl, about fastening the stuff. Also intriguing is the design overall. I'm thinking a fairly large sled that runs in two miter slots, like most of them. Is that the idea, lum747? Seems to me that 12" runners might be a little short. Butting 4 pieces creates it's own issues.
            Like both CapnCarl and Loring pointed out, nobody guarantees an adhesive for materials like that. Rule of thumb is that if it feels waxy, adhesives won't hold reliably.

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