Lexan or plixiglass table tops?

[John W. Fawcett]

We've got a nice table base that is currently topped by a 18" round glass. We're buying a restaurant and lounge and would like to put this table into the bar, but are worried about having glass in a place where people might not treat it as nicely as they would their own stuff.

My thought was to simply replace the glass top with a lexan or plexiglass one. However, a search through Google and Yahoo didn't reveal anyone that sells these kinds of rounds. I know that I can go down to the Borg and get a square, then use my router to round it out, but I'm not really sure how to finish off the edges then.

Does anyone know of a source for lexan or plexiglass rounds? Alternatively, anyone know how to nicely finish off the edges of cut lexan or plexiglass?

Thanks, John

[Steve Dunbar]

...

It can be flame-polished with an oxy-hydrogen torch. Go to dejanews.com and search for postings on this subject in rec.crafts.metalworking.

I suspect that a plastic table top like you're thinking of will get scratched up and look really bad in a short time.

-- Steve

[John W. Fawcett]

[CW]

Look in the phone book for a plastics shop. Most towns have one. They will cut a round and finish the edges to order.

[Michael Daly]

As others have said, plastic will scratch a lot. Lexan's tough, but not hard. It'll have to be thicker than the glass it replaces, as it's not as stiff as glass.

I've never done anything as big as a table, My experience is with 1/4" plexiglass.

I just sand the edge until it's smooth and then switch to polishing with successively finer grits. Eventually, it's clear as glass. Elbow grease then a Dremel with buffing wheels.

Mike

[Dave]

Have you thought about either a clear epoxy or polyurethane finish? Do a search on this group for bar top finish. It will be a more permanent solution, but it will be extremely durable.

[j]

Firt of all realise that it is not lexan or plexigladd it is Lexan a registered trademark of Rohm & Haas Corp and is acrylic and Lexan is a regitered trademark of GE Plastics for their polycarbinate. For you purpose given those choises I'd go for the polycarbonate. It is much harder than acrylic. That said I second another poster and say use glass. some sort of temered plate glasss will be better and more customer proof than polycarbonate, IMHO

jw

I think your best bet is to look in the Yellow Pages or better yet the B2B pages under plastics

jw

[Jay Windley]

Definitely go with glass. Lexan(TM) is good when you need transparency in the visible spectrum and lots of shock resistance (hint: it's what we make space helmet visors out of). It scratches badly, which is why space helmet visors need protective covers when not being worn. If you use it as a table top in a bar it will be trashed after about two months' worth of car keys, cell phones, glasses, shirt cuff buttons, and all the other ill treatment you anticipate. Glass will hold up much better in those circumstances.

[George M. Kazaka]

As everyone has told you Lexan or Plexi will look like crap in a short time You should not have any trouble with the glass top you alrady have, however if your hellbent on using the Plexi/Lexan it is eady to do the edges, after cutting wet san down to 220 with wet or dry paper, you can go finer if you desire then just take your torch that you solder copper pipes with and just heat the edges it is easy to do No special gas or special torch is required. The finer you wet sand the less torching you will have to do. Keep the torch is motion slowly and deliberately do not stop at any point all this is done just a few inches away. Try it on a scrap peice until you get the feel. after the first time that you do it you will feel like a pron and will then ruin some stuff About that time you will be apro.

Good Luck, George

[John W. Fawcett]

Thanks to everyone who replied. After reading your thoughts and talking it over with the guys at the glass shop, we've decided to go with the

1/2" tempered glass. The thickness should help prevent break> We've got a nice table base that is currently topped by a 18" round

[Xane "MegaWolf" T.]

Make sure you're careful about sudden temperature changes. While we have tempered glass trivets in the kitchen that we routinely put hot pots and pans on, that have never shattered, I do have a friend who owned a tempered glass table in a metal frame on their back patio. Recently, it exploded right as the sun went on it. Google revealed that metal directly touching certain tempers of glass will cause it to act like it's been shot with a gun. This can happen to car windows in certain cars when it's cold outside and the heater is on inside. It happened to the rear window of our old Mercedes Benz 300D during a snowstorm in Alabama, although my family /insists/ we were shot at while on the highway.