How to cut polycarbonate: stationery knife, electric jigsaw and other tools, video and photo

Polycarbonate is cut quite simply, for this you can use a different tool

Don't know how to cut polycarbonate at home? Are you afraid to spoil the material? I will talk about cutting methods that I know, all of them are suitable for inexperienced craftsmen and provide high quality work. The main thing is to follow all the recommendations below.

Even ordinary construction knives are suitable for cutting polycarbonate

Content

Main work options

Let's figure out how to cut cellular polycarbonate at home. The most commonly used tools are:

construction knife. You can use the usual options, but they must be very sharp;
Scissors big size;
Bulgarian or circular saw;
Electric jigsaw;
Hacksaw on wood.

Let's analyze each of the options separately.

Option 1: cutting with a construction knife

This is the simplest and most popular option for the work. You will need a construction knife with blades 25 mm wide.

The blade of the polycarbonate cutting knife should be well fixed in the structure

You can use designs with a trapezoidal blade. This option is more durable, which means it is more convenient for them to work.

Trapezoidal blades are highly rigid and well suited for cutting polycarbonate

Don't forget to get spare blades as they tend to break under stress.

The workflow looks like this:

Illustration	Stage description
	Material is marked. To do this, use a tape measure and a flat rail or a long level. First, marks are applied to the sheet, after which a line is drawn with a pencil or felt-tip pen to create a clear guide along the entire length of the cut. It is very important not to make a mistake at this stage, as incorrect marking will lead to damage to the polycarbonate.
	The initial cutting of the material is carried out. To do this, a guideline is applied along the line (a metal ruler is best suited for these purposes). The knife is placed on the edge and is driven with force along the surface. The blade must enter the material by 2-3 mm in order to completely cut through the top layer along the entire length. It is very important to hold the ruler securely.Most often, polycarbonate deteriorates when cutting in cases where the ruler slips and the blade goes to the side.
	When using a conventional knife, you can press the surface strongly. In it, the blade is strong, and you will not break it even with great effort. For reference, it is most convenient to use a wooden block.
	The material is folded along the notch line. You need to bend it to the back, the plastic breaks very evenly if you cut through the outer layer well. Small pieces can be bent on their own, it is better to bend whole sheets with an assistant so as not to damage the material. If the material has not broken, then on the reverse side it is cut with a knife along the bend line.
	The knife cuts especially well along voids. If you need to cut the material along, then the honeycomb will serve as a guide, the knife cuts through them very quickly. If the end turned out to be not very even, it can be corrected with a knife, carefully cutting off all the excess.

The knife is well suited for material with a thickness of 6 mm. It is very difficult to cut thicker sheets in this way, and the quality of work is not very good. Remember that a regular clerical knife with a narrow blade is not suitable, you need a 25 mm wide option.

The main advantage of this method is the low price of the tool.

Option 2: cutting with scissors

This method is used for polycarbonate with a thickness of not more than 6 mm. For work, you need tailor's scissors or metal scissors. The main thing is that the tool is sharp, otherwise the ends will be damaged.

Before cutting polycarbonate, find large scissors

The work instructions are simple:

Illustration	Stage description
	Markup in progress. All the required dimensions are set aside with a tape measure or meter, after which a solid, clearly visible line is drawn along the entire length of the cut.
	The material is cut along the line. With one hand, you need to carefully cut the polycarbonate, and with the other, bend one edge so that it is convenient for you to work. It is worth pressing the scissors hard so that they clearly cut the plastic, and do not jam it.
	Cutting with scissors for metal is done in the same way. If, after finishing work, there are small flaws on the ends, then they are removed with a construction or ordinary knife.

Option 3: cutting with a grinder

Considering the question of how polycarbonate is cut, it is impossible not to talk about the option with a grinder. It is characterized by high speed of work and good cutting quality.

You will need a small grinder (for a disc 115-125 mm). It is small and comfortable to hold, unlike larger options that weigh a lot and therefore are not very convenient in our case.

The grinder does an excellent job not only with metal, but also with cellular polycarbonate

For cutting, use cutting discs for metal with a thickness of 0.8-1.0 mm. They cut the material much more evenly, and less debris gets into the honeycombs, which is also important.

Do-it-yourself cutting is done like this:

Illustration	Stage description
	Preparatory work in progress: The material is marked with a tape measure. A line is drawn on the surface for reference; In order not to damage the polycarbonate when cutting, a piece of plywood or a board is placed on the surface, on which you can put your foot or knee.
	A board or plywood is also placed under the bottom.. This is necessary so that the grinder disk does not touch the ground when cutting. The lining is located along the entire length of the cut with an indent of 3-4 cm from the cut line, its thickness should be at least 20 mm to ensure comfortable work.
	Cutting polycarbonate. Work starts from the edge, the tool is carried out exactly along the line. Due to the high RPM, plastic is cut very easily and quickly, the main thing is to keep the tool vertical and not deviate from the line.
	After cutting, the elements are moved apart for cleaning. You don't need to use them right away.
	Debris is removed from the voids with a vacuum cleaner. The photo clearly shows that the cutting chips fall into the honeycomb. To remove it, it is best to use a vacuum cleaner with a special crevice nozzle. Just shaking it out will not work, the particles stick to the internal cavities.

Remember one simple rule: the protective film is always removed after cutting the polycarbonate immediately before its installation. It doesn’t matter how you cut the material, it’s worth removing the protective layer only after finishing work.

Cutting with a circular saw is carried out in the same way as with a grinder. The difference is that cutting is done using a disc with fine teeth, and the tool itself is more convenient to use due to the design that fits snugly to the surface. Some versions of the tool have a special guide and a vacuum cleaner that immediately removes all debris, which is very convenient.

This power tool is good because it can be used to make even cuts.

Option 4: cutting with a jigsaw

An electric jigsaw is great for cutting polycarbonate of any thickness. You can quickly and accurately cut a fragment of any shape.

The electric jigsaw allows you to cut polycarbonate into pieces of any shape

For work, purchase canvases with a small tooth size. This affects the quality of the cut.

Electric jigsaw blades should have a fine tooth for a clean cut of polycarbonate

The workflow in this case looks like this:

Polycarbonate sheets are marked. If you have curved lines, then the easiest way to mark up is to attach the element on which the material is cut, and draw a markup along it. So you definitely won’t make a mistake and perfectly mark the polycarbonate;

The easiest way is to attach a structural element and mark the polycarbonate cutting line on it

A polycarbonate sheet is laid out on the surface and fixed. At the same time, it is very important to position it so that there is an empty space under the cutting line, since when cutting, the blade of the jigsaw drops down by 5-7 cm. The sheet can be fixed with a load, but not very heavy so that it does not deform the material;

The material is placed so that there is an empty space under the cutting line for the movement of the electric jigsaw blade.

The jigsaw is installed on the edge of the sheet. It is necessary to place it at the starting point of sawing, after which the tool turns on. Set the highest speed - the faster the cutting blade moves, the higher the quality of the cut;

The jigsaw is neatly positioned on the line and turns on at the highest speed

Sawing is done with moderate pressure. Just guide the tool along the line, turning in the right places. The most important thing is not to deviate from the line and carefully monitor the mark on the jigsaw platform, which determines the polycarbonate cutting line;

Cutting polycarbonate is not in a hurry, constantly monitoring the sawing line

After cutting, the ends are cleaned with a vacuum cleaner. The picture below shows that chips fall into the voids, which must be removed immediately after work.

Chips get into the ends, which must be removed with a vacuum cleaner

Option 5: hacksaw cutting

For work, you can use a regular hacksaw for wood. The best options are those with small teeth, they damage the ends much less and fit better into the plastic. The hacksaw must be sharp.

The smaller the tooth on the hacksaw, the better it will cut polycarbonate

The workflow is simple:

Illustration	Stage description
	The sheet is marked and laid on the surface. There should be a void below the cutting line so that you can cut the material with a hacksaw. You also need to fix the element as much as possible. If the sheet is large, then an assistant can hold it.
	The hacksaw is installed along the cutting line. You can lightly draw it 1-2 times to outline the cut and not get off the intended line. On the second side, the polycarbonate is pressed by hand so that it moves as little as possible. The better you press the sheet, the better the cutting will be.
	You need to cut with neat, clear movements.. Do not press the polycarbonate very hard, apply moderate force. The sawing speed should be as high as possible, so cutting is much faster and easier.
	In the end, you need to work especially carefully. The photo shows how the teeth of the hacksaw lift the polycarbonate. It is better to move your hand and press it closer to the cutting point.
	The cutting quality is not very high. Burrs are clearly visible in the photo, which it is desirable to remove with a knife. After finishing work, the cells are cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.

Conclusion

Now you know how to cut polycarbonate at home. Choose one of the five methods and do the work in accordance with the recommendations. The video in this article will help you understand the topic even better, and if something is not clear to you, ask in the comments.

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