Q&A for How to Cut Plexiglass

Use a dry dust microfiber cloth to dust the surface very softly—this specialty cloth attracts dust like a magnet. Then, fold your glass microfiber cloth into 4, spray your glass cleaner directly to the surface, and wipe. Remove any marks or streaks with the dry side of your cloth.

Cut plexiglass to shape (ie: for the backing on shaped puzzles) by using a Dremel tool with grinder blades. It literally melts the plastic instead of cutting it and prevents the risk of it splitting.

It would be much easier with a circular saw if you have one. Scoring clear plexi will take a longer amount of time and effort.

Yes, but your chances of scratching it increases by tenfold. The best is to leave the plastic or paper protection on the piece and cut it with the protection still on. An additional plus is that you can use the protective covering to draw your cut lines on, thus making them invisible once the piece is done and the plastic is removed.

I cut Plexiglass all the time on my band saw; works good so far, no cracks. Feed slowly with the protective coat still on. I cut strips using my saw guide to keep them square.

Run the drill in reverse to melt a hole. It will most likely catch and crack if you try drilling in the normal direction.

That sounds dangerous. Just try cutting it the regular way.

Personally, I position the drill as close to vertical (90 degrees) as I can, and just drill slowly through it with the drill running clockwise. I always start off with a small drill bit and then increases the size of it, until I reach the desired size. Also, I always use metal drill bits as they are better suited for the task. The best drill to use with this method would be a Bench Drill/Drill Press Table. Others say you can run the drill counter clockwise and thus melt a hole through it. I personally don't know much about that, but I can only imagine there would be a lot of cleanup to do and potentially uneven holes.

Yes, but you would need to use a primer with it.

You would need to have exact measurements and use a jigsaw to cut the irregular shape of a vehicle's window.

Bent or warped plexiglass can still be cut. If it's thin, you can score and snap it. For thicker plexiglass, use a circular saw.

Use a jigsaw to cut curved shapes from sheets of plexiglass. You can sand down the melted edges with sandpaper.

Mark the shape on the sheet of plexiglass to use as a guide and use a jigsaw to cut a rounded shape.

Use sandpaper of hard grit, which will take the excess acrylic off in no time. Use a finer grit to clean up the job, then use a cream to polish it. This is much easier with a sanding machine.