# Cutting acrylic?



## Jung (Mar 17, 2009)

I need to make some covers for my tanks, and I found some acrylic sheets from homedepot, that I think will be ok for covers?

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/clear-acrylic-sheet-080-inch-x-18-inch-x-24-inch/924840#

how easy is it to cut acrylic? Can I just score it with box cutters/hobby knife and than snap off a clean straight line?


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

Yes, and no. 

If I were you, I would check out plastic world, or similar. They will cut plexi to size. Home depot is way over priced for plexi. Not sure where you are located as I am posting from my phone, but if you're in to, and need a hand with it, let me know. 

Posted from my Sony Eperia, using Tapatalk.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

It depends on how good your score is, and how big the piece you're breaking off is too.

Also, what thickness acrylic and how big are the tanks? Thin acrylic, especially the crap they have at Home Depot, will sag very quickly and be useless.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

There is a special score knife for acrylic. It's different from the ones for glass. So make you get the right one. The problem with using a knife is you can't keep it at a consisten depth when you cut. This creates strong and weak points that breakes off funny with you crack it.

Also just so you know, acrylic bends. The best cover is still glass. And you can also have them custom made at Luckys Aquarium. It used to be around $20 years ago, but might be more now.

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## Jung (Mar 17, 2009)

hey thanks, there's a homedepot a few blocks from my place, and if it's not much different than plastic, I think I can handle it.

Just need covers for a standard 24" 20gal and a small 12" cube tank. 

The sheet I linked to is 080 inch thick, so that's around 2mm. Is that thick enough to prevent warping? Will be using a duo 21W T5 normal output lamp over the cover, so not intense heat I think?


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

nope. I've had 1/4 inch warp. The extruded plastic "absorbs" the constant moisture with temps and warps....no way of getting around that. Glass is still the best choice.



> it tends to absorb water in humid conditions, thus causing the exposed side to expand significantly, causing bowing


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*acrylic*

im pretty lucky at work we use a metal shear to cut plexi it works so good 
edges clean and no shattering


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## adrenaline (Jan 17, 2011)

if you have a table saw buy a plastic cutting blade. rougly $20 at rona/home depot. they have thinner blades and far more teeth. i think 6-10 teeth per inch is rated for plastic. the more teeth, the smoother the cut.

I've tried scoring it with an ascrylic scorer... did not go so well my first few attempts. but i was using thicker acrylic.

I have made lids for 10 gallon salwater tanks using legs to raise them higher off the tank, renifored them and hung lights below it (mounted to the acrylic) with no sagging. but that was heavily reinforced to hang led lights and moonlights. I literally used the coralife mounting legs for flourescent fixtures which worked like a charm.

I also have a 1/4" sheet cut to fit for a 55 gallon tank (48" length by 14" width i believe). this thing sags consistantly. I constantly have to flip it over for it to return to normal, and then proceed to sag in the other direction. I've been meaning to reinforce it by adding cross sections of silicone, but never seem to get around to it. 

In all honesty, for a 20 gallon tank, your best bet might just be buying a glass lid from big als. probably much cheaper and far less effort. I made the one for my 10 gallon as i needed breathability for a marine tank. The one on my 55 gallon has cutouts for wires, filters intakes etc.


If you need to glue acrylic, use a product called Weldon. and I would recoment plastic world over home depot any day. my first acrylic purchase was at home depot, extremely over priced. plastic world is MUCH cheaper and as mentioned above will cut whatever sizes you need in whatever thickness or shade of acrylic you need.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

I just cut glass for tops. What size do you need? Maybe I could get into selling custom cuts.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Riceburner, what kinds of glass do you have access to ? Right now I need a new pane for a little 3 or 4 G tank that cracked. I've taken out the broken pane and scraped off all the silcone.. good grief, what a rotten job that is. So now I need a new pane, with a nicely finished top edge and the others smooth enough so I don't get cut up working with it, to rebuild it. Happens I also frame pictures. My usual glass supplier went out of business, so I need to find a new one.. be nice to find one with better prices .


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

Zebrapl3co said:


> There is a special score knife for acrylic. It's different from the ones for glass. So make you get the right one. The problem with using a knife is you can't keep it at a consisten depth when you cut. This creates strong and weak points that breakes off funny with you crack it.
> 
> Also just so you know, acrylic bends. The best cover is still glass. And you can also have them custom made at Luckys Aquarium. It used to be around $20 years ago, but might be more now.


I guess I can go to Lucky and ask but has anyone bought glass from them lately? I'll need one for my 40G breeder but the problem is I need corner cut for filters tubes, HOBs, and heater power cable etc, do they do that as well? Is it just me drawing the shape/size and they do it? For a 36" x 18" tank 2 piece top how much will it cost me?


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

If it were me, I'd do it in acrylic.

Yeah, it may bend a bit, but it shouldn't be that bad. It will be easier to work with for the custom cutouts you're looking for.

Just my $0.02


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## bioload (Oct 20, 2009)

Jung said:


> I need to make some covers for my tanks, and I found some acrylic sheets from homedepot, that I think will be ok for covers?
> 
> http://www.homedepot.ca/product/clear-acrylic-sheet-080-inch-x-18-inch-x-24-inch/924840#
> 
> how easy is it to cut acrylic? Can I just score it with box cutters/hobby knife and than snap off a clean straight line?


I have some clear acrylic lying around....what dimensions do you need? I've used it in the past and if you don't mind flipping it over when it bends, its not too bad.


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