Hi,
I have been given a pane of glass to replace a broken window but it slightly to big. I'd like to take off 3-5mm but is this possible? What is the minimum width of glass each side of a scored line that you need in order to cut it cleanly?
TIA
I'm guessing the cut edge will be covered by wood or putty ?
You could try a glasscutter to make the score then a pair of pincers or pliers to go down the score to remove the piece and hope you get all the way without breaking it . . ...I'm sure you won't get 3-5mm off in one piece in the normal way
You can take off 3-5mm - but it won't come off in one piece - you'll have to 'nibble' it off with a pair of pincers after making the scored line.
A glazier would probably take 5mm off in one strip no problem, but 3mm they might have to nibble off in sections. They make it look easy but then they do pay a lot for their cutters. Lubricate the cut with meths or similar, then one light but continuous score, tap the underside of the score line with the cutter handle until you see the break travel along the score. IME, if it's the only piece of glass you have, you're bound to bugger it up :-)
Depends how new the glass is - it cuts more easily when new.
A wet tile cutter works well, though.
Hmm, I'm going to file that one away for future use ;) That's my experience too - I always make sure I have a spare few pieces laying around "just in case"...
I know it's not a very 'DIY' answer - but, faced with that possibility, I think I'd go to my friendly local glass supplier and buy another piece - cut to the right size!
It's simply not worth the hassle (& cut fingers!) - unless it's a very unusual piece of glass (rather than bog-standard clear).
About the only 'tidy' way to do this is with diamond grinder used wet (I use one all the time for stained-glass work) - but it's a hassle by any other means - and potentially dangerous...
You could always bodge it - and take a router / chisel / stanley knife to the window frame - assuming it's wooden.... - but that's likely to be just as much trouble.
As another poster said, if the 'free' piece of glass isn't 'new' then it can be a mare to cut...
Adrian
try a tile saw if its not toughened: 3-5mm is easily achieveable.
But my experience of non toughened glass is you are lucky to get it in place at all without it falling to pieces, and toughened will shatter at the first touch of any tools.
a professional glazier could easily take 2mm off in one piece on a new pane of glass. if you are going to try you will have to nibble it, with the cutouts on the glass cutter.
If it's to go in a wooden frame you could try enlarging the distance from side-to-side (or top-bottom). It depends how much effort you are prepared to go to for the price of a window pane the right size.
Angle grinder. Not.
No, seriously though, provided it's not toughened it's perfectly possible to grind glass, in fact it's a standard way to bevel the edges after cutting. For smaller pieces there are bench tools to do this but for a window size I'd probably go at it with my powerfile on it's slowest setting. Oh, and support the glass well and wear gloves and glasses. Take your time and don't rush.
1-2 mm is do-able with a coarse corundum stone (cheap oilstone) used with water as a lubricant, the problem is holding it without cutting your arm off. So you could try it. Old blanket on the bench - sheet on top - blanket turned over so you can trap it in the fold, stone held in gloved hands - very thick leather ones, and go slowly. This is how you dress safe the edge of a glass sheet that's to be used for a tabletop. It the glass is toughened, not chance at all, all cutting must be done before toughening.
R.
If you _must_ try this - either make sure there's some water around where you're grinding (taking the usual precautions if the powerfile is mains-operated - or wear something to stop you breating in the glass dust....
Adrian
Yes you can, as others have said with a GOOD cutter (preferably oil- lubricated) and a nibbler.
Mary
maybe you'd know why a lot of localised chipping happened around the cut line, including a 1" x 0.5" lump coming off when I tried to cut a jam jar on a wet diamond table saw (a tile saw). I took it _very_ gently, but the result was still very poor.
cheers, NT
I had similar results with a tile saw and a wine bottle.
The grit on the blade on my lapidary saw (which works very well with glass) is much less coarse than the tile saw blade - I'm guessing that the very coarse grit causes the glass to shatter rather than cut cleanly...
The lap saw blade is also slower.... again, down to the finer grit...
Adrian
Angle grinder.
My local glass place makes it look sooo easy - untill you try it yourself.
Spoken like an expert :-)
What make of powerfile Calvin? I'm thinking of getting one.
right - cheers
NT
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