Tips for cutting Lexan?

[Bomberman]

I cut a sheet of Lexan for my custom Tekken 5 stick, but it didn't come out as nicely as I'd hoped. I cut too far in on one of the rounded corners, and the bottom edges look a bit rough too. I think I could take care of the roughness with some fine sandpaper, but I'd really like to start a new sheet with fewer imperfections. I used a hand plastic cutting tool, BTW.

Can someone please instruct me on the best way to cut Lexan using a hand tool, or point me to a thread that details it?

[djfunkshun]

I build signs for a living and work with lexan every day. Really any thing you feel comfortable with is fine. I prefer a jigsaw(i have a steady hand) but a bandsaw is fine, even a circular saw will work. But hey it is all about comfort. If you dont have access to any of these you could just score it. It's all about having a steady hand though.

[Bomberman]

Thanks for the advice! I figured out just about the cleanest way to do it.

I cut a large rectangular section with the hand tool, making no attempt at the curves. Then, with the metal plate taped to the rectangle of Lexan, I used a Dremel cutting (saw) bit to cut the curves pretty closely. Finally, I used Dremel sanding bits (regular and then fine) to shave the rest of the plastic down smoothly. Looks great!

[vaioman]

a factory polish on some acrylic(lucite specifically) is accomplished by using a torch to heat the edge of the glass. I'm not sure how it's done, but this is something I just learned about at work.

When using a jigsaw at work, we would use masking tape in the area we would be cutting, in case you go that route.

For pieces that are all straight edges, we would just score though, as another poster mentioned.

[djfunkshun]

well the process that you speak of is called brazing. You need a cutting torch and a brazing tip would help greatly. All you have to do is run the torch along the side of the acrylic for a quick second and it willl clear right up. But be carefull because it is really easy to burn acrylic. As for curves you use about 80-120 grit sandpaper D.A. sander and you should be ok.