What to do with Lexan sheets?

[atgcpaul]

I have access to several large, free sheets of 1/4" Lexan. Many are window
sized and there's one that's 4'x4'. I was thinking of making storm windows for
some of the rooms in our house with the larger sheets, but I'd hate to let the
smaller ones go to waste.

I'm not making a reptile aquarium. The only WWing thing I could think of was
a clear door for a future router station and a clear door for a router bit
cabinet. After that I've got nothing.

I suppose I could sell it on Craigslist, too, and market it to the aquarium crowd.

Any other ideas?

Oh yeah, how do you cut this stuff?

Paul

[cabinetman]

You can cut Lexan or acrylics with just about any cutting method for wood. On the TS, a carbide tipped blade 60T, TC, positive hook works good. Other tools like a jig saw may leave a gummy cut, but the edges can be cleaned up. You can trim the edge with a three flute carbide tipped trim bit.

Small pieces make good router bases. You could face join two pieces of 1/4" and make ZCI's, or router table inserts.
.

[SARGE..g-47]

Send me one and I'll make a bunch of TS gaurds for non-through cuts. When can I expect it?

[poolhound]

As CMAN said it is great for router bases. An offset base is always useful and you could also make a couple of different size trammel arms for cutting circles.

If you have plenty of smaller pieces I could use some to make guards for the X-cut and Miter sleds I have just built. If shipping isnt prohibitive to AZ I would be happy to take some off you hands.

Let me know.

[dbhost]

I have access to several large, free sheets of 1/4" Lexan. Many are window
sized and there's one that's 4'x4'. I was thinking of making storm windows for
some of the rooms in our house with the larger sheets, but I'd hate to let the
smaller ones go to waste.

I'm not making a reptile aquarium. The only WWing thing I could think of was
a clear door for a future router station and a clear door for a router bit
cabinet. After that I've got nothing.

I suppose I could sell it on Craigslist, too, and market it to the aquarium crowd.

Any other ideas?

Oh yeah, how do you cut this stuff?

Paul

What to do with it is pretty much dependent upon your imagination. Anything you want a clear door on. My Router bit case has a lexan insert in the lid. My Dad used to build Antique Automobile models with hardwood / lexan display cases. You can use it for shadow boxes you want to fully enclose, so if you are married for example, you could build a display box for bits from the wedding like the garter, and if she used silks, the Bouquet, enclosing it in Lexan and sealing it with Silicone will keep the dust off of it permanently. Lexan has a lot of automotive applications. My B.I.L. has a 1970s era Camaro Race car with shop built headlight, and turn indicator covers. I think the windows are Lexan as well.


How to cut it, FINE tooth finish blade on the TS works great. Scoring it with a utility knife and snapping it like drywall works as well.

[capncarl]

You can make all kinds of projects with it. Windows in guards, doll houses, jigs etc. It does cut reasonably well on the table saw, sliding miters, and band saw as stated. Beware though, it can get ugly quick. Ive had pieces of it nearly explode. On the table saw, I clamp it on the slider and feed it really slow. It makes a nice cut with a small bulge of melted lexan on the edge. On the sliding miter I have had numerous explosions, so I clamp it between 2 pieces of scrap lumber and cut slow. Don't even think about freehanding it. Edge clean up is easily done with a metal edge deburr tool.

capncarl

[Stytooner]

I don't know of anything that can be made from Lexan.

[thrytis]

Guards, jig parts (such as where you might use some thin plywood), windows in cabinets, solar kiln windows, ZCTI, router bases, glue two layers for a router plate. 1/4" is nice as it isn't available at your regular box stores. If you offer to local woodworkers, it probably wouldn't take you any time to get rid of it all.

Capncarl, were you cutting polycarbonate (lexan) or acrylic when it exploded? I could see that of acrylic, but polycarbonate is shatter resistant (the reason why it is used for guards).

[radhak]

And here I am, looking for 1/4" Lexan to make ZCTP and router bases.

I am assuming you are joking when you say you have more than you can handle, but just in case you are not, I call first dibs for them for the postage cost. Oh, ok, 2nd or 3rd dibs, you know what I mean.

[jon_ramp]

Use it to make a square router base. Design so that the distance from the bit to the edge is different on all 4 sides to facilitate cutting dados using with a straight edge as a guide. This way if the bit is smaller than the width of the dado to be cut, you can get the width you want in multiple passes without moving the straight edge for each pass.

[capncarl]

Eric

The material that I was cutting is definately lexan. It would pop out a sliver as large as 2 or 3 fingers and sling it across the room, the whole sheet would then crack or split and make a mess. This was 1/4 thick material, (not new) in as large as 4x6 sheets. On the table saw I now run the blade up about 1/2 inch and it seems not to be as bad. The lexan is a number of years old but shows no signs of aging or discoloration, maybe it has gotten brittle.

capncarl

[shoottx]

I have access to several large, free sheets of 1/4" Lexan. Many are window
sized and there's one that's 4'x4'. I was thinking of making storm windows for
some of the rooms in our house with the larger sheets, but I'd hate to let the
smaller ones go to waste.

I'm not making a reptile aquarium. The only WWing thing I could think of was
a clear door for a future router station and a clear door for a router bit
cabinet. After that I've got nothing.

I suppose I could sell it on Craigslist, too, and market it to the aquarium crowd.

Any other ideas?

Oh yeah, how do you cut this stuff?

Paul

I would only ask these questions after I had the stuff in my possession. But that may be why my shop looks more like a land fill than a shop.

Some one wanted to build display cases for footballs. Another great use!

[atgcpaul]

For all those interested in the Lexan, I'll pick out what I want to keep and
eventually post what sizes are still available--that's when I'll start taking
reservations. I probably won't break down the sheets. How would I even
ship these things? Between two sheets of cardboard? Smaller pieces
probably through US Postal and larger sheets through Fedex or UPS.