Finally getting round to sorting out a slightly taller aeroscreen on my F27,

got some 4mm lexan,in bronze tint, whats the best way to cut it? bandsaw??
or whats the best blade to use in a jigsaw and speed? dont want to fook it up

I used a fine metal blade and took it slow, so not to melt it as it cut, took a while but got there in the end.

Cheers

Rich

I cut mine with a jigsaw I would advise that you use an airline to blow the swarf away and also keep the blade cool. If you have no airline you will have to take your time as the lexan / polycarb wil start to weld together. I then used a sharp plane to true the edge and then smoothed off with wet and dry. If you need to bend it in any way use a hot air gun, dont get too close or have it on for too long as it will blister

the hoter the better like a hot knife through butter,,,,use a plastic cutting blade as thats what you need lol.
like this(there ultra fine tooth)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Jigsaw-Blades-ELU-35308_W0QQitemZ130372882711QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM?hash=item1e5ad45117

[Edited on 10/3/10 by thunderace]

Tap Tap plastics, the fantastic...........................plastic place

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/920876/how_to_cut_plastic_sheet/

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Originally posted by austin man
If you need to bend it in any way use a hot air gun, dont get too close or have it on for too long as it will blister

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Originally posted by norfolkluego

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Originally posted by austin man
If you need to bend it in any way use a hot air gun, dont get too close or have it on for too long as it will blister

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Can you bend that stuff, I've used it to glaze a greenhouse in the past and cut it like glass, score it and snap it over a straight edge. I'd love an aero screen, trouble is I'm not very tall so with a traditional (opaque) one I wouldn't be able to see where I was going, could I make one out of that.

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Hi

Sounds like the same stuff we use. For doing the job DIY a jigsaw would be best option. As mentioned dont get the blade too hot as it then becomes a right pain to get a nice clean finish on the screen afterwards. Speed not sure what speed i would use but not too fast Just enough so that you are making reasonable pace along the cutting line.

Wear glasses or eye protection the swarf is usually hot and sharp. Trust me it is very painful if it dose get in your eyes.

Cheers Matt

Ps oh yea you'll know if it's genuine lexan. Take an off cut and place it on a hard surface. Then hit it as hard as you can with a 4Lb ball ended hammer if you just about dent it. It's def Lexan.

or get a template made and get it waterjet cut....

I used a metal (fine tooth) jigsaw blade. As said just run the jigsaw for short periods. I also went at it like a man possessed and soon had liquid polycarbonate gluing my briefly seperated bits of sheet back together again. Which is annoying.