It didn't rain today so I got in some practice time this afternoon. No major injuries, so I would consider it a success!
I'm gonna share a few pics with you guys. Feel free to offer any constructive criticism or suggestions as you see fit. I'm here to learn.
(My "partner in crime" in these pics is my betta half, Gabe.)
The sheet was just too big to handle in the little woodshop so we drug it all into the garage. After we got all this stuff moved outdoors, Gabe mentioned that his skill saw and a new blade woulda been easier. So I think next time we will try setting up a simple guide and run a skill saw over the sheet.
Set up guides at both ends and tested with the blade down to see if the plexi would pull along it easily. Nothing bound up, and the sheet pulled easy enough.
Looks good. Ready to cut! Blade height at 1/2" for our 3/8" sheet.
Suprisingly nice cut, I think. I could just imagine the sheet shattering or the blade binding up! But it went pretty darn good.
Up close view to show blade marks. Its rought to the touch, but not as scarred as I thought it would be.
Another cut and shavings from the tablesaw. The shavings were not as thin and plyable as I expected them to be. They felt a little thick and...kinda crispy. I think my cuts were on the verge of being a bit too hot. Maybe I should have tried to move the material faster? I heard a guy say he soaped his blade and used water to keep the plastic cool?
Getting the feel of the router table. I got the wrong router bit from Home Depot. Hopefully the correct bits will come from Bellew Tools soon. (I ordered 2 bits from them about a week ago. My credit card shows a charge, but they have not shipped yet. Have you other Bellew shoppers got your bits yet?) Anywh0, Gabe assured me we didn't need the bearing bit to play around and make some peices for test-glueing. And he was right!
That was easy! Now my turn to try!
Much smoother. The router really makes that edge nice.
Oopse, spoke too soon. The last practice peices didn't go as well. At first I blamed the build up of shavings getting in the way for the bad cut. So I cleaned the table off good and went at it again.
What a nasty bump. Even with the table clean and with me being very careful with where I put pressure to guide the material... every once in a while the smaller (4"x8") pieces of material will lurch forward a fraction and the bit would gouge the edge. Do I just have learn to control it better, or is there a trick to smaller pieces?
These router shavings look much better than the ones offa the saw. These don't look they get hot at all. I'm fairly confident that the problem is not from the bit or router not cutting properly.
Ok thats all! I cut several small peices to try some weldon 4 on later. And I cut the sides and bottom for a 8 gallon box too. Should be fun!
I'm gonna share a few pics with you guys. Feel free to offer any constructive criticism or suggestions as you see fit. I'm here to learn.
(My "partner in crime" in these pics is my betta half, Gabe.)
The sheet was just too big to handle in the little woodshop so we drug it all into the garage. After we got all this stuff moved outdoors, Gabe mentioned that his skill saw and a new blade woulda been easier. So I think next time we will try setting up a simple guide and run a skill saw over the sheet.
Set up guides at both ends and tested with the blade down to see if the plexi would pull along it easily. Nothing bound up, and the sheet pulled easy enough.
Looks good. Ready to cut! Blade height at 1/2" for our 3/8" sheet.
Suprisingly nice cut, I think. I could just imagine the sheet shattering or the blade binding up! But it went pretty darn good.
Up close view to show blade marks. Its rought to the touch, but not as scarred as I thought it would be.
Another cut and shavings from the tablesaw. The shavings were not as thin and plyable as I expected them to be. They felt a little thick and...kinda crispy. I think my cuts were on the verge of being a bit too hot. Maybe I should have tried to move the material faster? I heard a guy say he soaped his blade and used water to keep the plastic cool?
Getting the feel of the router table. I got the wrong router bit from Home Depot. Hopefully the correct bits will come from Bellew Tools soon. (I ordered 2 bits from them about a week ago. My credit card shows a charge, but they have not shipped yet. Have you other Bellew shoppers got your bits yet?) Anywh0, Gabe assured me we didn't need the bearing bit to play around and make some peices for test-glueing. And he was right!
That was easy! Now my turn to try!
Much smoother. The router really makes that edge nice.
Oopse, spoke too soon. The last practice peices didn't go as well. At first I blamed the build up of shavings getting in the way for the bad cut. So I cleaned the table off good and went at it again.
What a nasty bump. Even with the table clean and with me being very careful with where I put pressure to guide the material... every once in a while the smaller (4"x8") pieces of material will lurch forward a fraction and the bit would gouge the edge. Do I just have learn to control it better, or is there a trick to smaller pieces?
These router shavings look much better than the ones offa the saw. These don't look they get hot at all. I'm fairly confident that the problem is not from the bit or router not cutting properly.
Ok thats all! I cut several small peices to try some weldon 4 on later. And I cut the sides and bottom for a 8 gallon box too. Should be fun!
