Cutting Plastic

[Dorot29701]

I am interested in a new product for covering windows when hurricanes are coming. It is 3/8 in. thick plastic - not solid ...it looks like corrugated cardboard but it's plastic. You can see it at www.storm-stoppers. Anyway, they say cut it with boxcutters. One of my neighbors got a sample and we tried cutting it. It was very, very difficult . Other than that, it is much lighter weight than plywood and I would really like to be able to use it but don't want to spend a lot of money on it without being pretty sure I can cut it. We are all over-the-hill and not too strong...does anyone know of anything, a particular kind of saw blade, that could be used on plastic instead of utility knife or boxcutters. Thanks.

[Luke]

A jig saw with a plexiglass blade, or a knife-edge blade? I'd think that if it'll cut with a utility knife, most any fine-toothed jig saw blade will work, though the edge might be a bit ragged. Or, a hand operated plastic cutter like this:

the Despot, I think I've seen similar there.

[SQLit]

I agree especially at the "$3-$4 a square foot price"

[Pop]

Took a quick look at the site; I think I'd want to see that stuff before I bought it, but that's not what you asked.

I imagine the referene to using a box cutter is possibly a score & snap operation, similar to what you'd do with plexiglass. Since it's corrugated, you cut the one surface, bend it back and it either snaps off or breaks & lets you cut the back part.

Contact them and find out.

Pop

[Richard J Kinch]

You are being swindled if you believe that. Strength-to-weight does not favor plastics over wood. If this product is lighter than plywood, it is only because it is made thinner and weaker.

[Art Todesco]

[Darro]

I've successfully cut 1/8" Coroplast with a utility knife, but would suggest a fine-toothed jigsaw blade at low speed, or a fine-toothed handsaw (excluding a backsaw style) for the 3/8" thickness.

I'd want to check out the longevity of the adhesive used to stick the

3M Dual-Lock fasteners to the window frame. Would the adhesive break down over time in strong sunlight and fail under the stresses of hurricane winds?

[Dorot29701]

I have seen the sheets of plastic - my neighbors (two of them) have ordered it but have not cut it yet. We practiced on the sample. It does not snap off after scoring . We were using new utility knife to try to cut.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

[Rick]

hurricanes

Possibly a circular saw with plywood cutting blade installed backwards...

[Ulysses]

Score and snap would probably work, but it may require a plastic cutting blade instead of a regular razor blade. A plastic cutter is sharpened on the trailing side and not the contact side. The idea is to score in exactly the same place 3 or 4 times (depending on how hard and thick the material is) along a straightedge and snap (if cutting short pieces) or "run" the break along the cut (if longer pieces are desired). Here's one

but if you shop around you can probably find one for less. This type of cutter may not work if the plastic is too soft or pliable but you said it was really hard to cut so I suspect it will work.

I you use a jigsaw it might work fine on some plastics but on more brittle materials it may craze and crack where you don't want it to. A table saw with a veneer blade (fine tooth smooth cut) generally works great on plastics.