Powertools: too much power?

[Spaceroach]

Okay, I've never cut into a steel side panel before today. The results shocked me. After making a pilot cut with my trusty Dremel, I slipped my brand new jigsaw into the cut and started it. It cut well for an inch or two, then it started to tear rather than cut. My side panel is visibly warped now, and the cut is so ragged I may have to cannibalize another case to replace it (o no!).

I've decided to go and get tin snips, as I've cut metal with those before and had few problems. At the worst I'll get a workout for my forearms.

But my recent errors with the jigsaw make me leery about taking it to my nice plexiglass I just bought - what if I shatter it? I can't afford to get more of this stuff cut - in fact, I can't really afford all these power tools I bought, and I plan on selling them as soon as I finish. Should I make cuts with the jigsaw, or should I be slow and steady with my Dremel?

[Chapel]

to be ultra safe use the dremel. But with the jigsaw, make sure your using the right blade, and its at the right speed. Jigsaw would be faster and can work well, but the dremel is more preciese at the sacrafice of speeds.

[Spaceroach]

The blades I have were included with the saw and are multipurpose. I bought blades for cutting metal specifically, but they are the wrong shank and will not fit in the tool. The packaging of the jigsaw explicitly stated that it can cut plastic. I'm hoping I don't need special blades to do it cuz I'm way over budget.

The plexi is 1/4 inch BTW.

[Malatory]

the problem you had with the jigsaw could be that your metal was not braced well and you didn't hold down the jigsaw or were trying to go to fast. those were my problems with using a jigsaw the 1st time plus you really should have metal blades. The multipurpose ones will work but tend to wear out fast with metal.

cutting plastic, you will need to keep the saw at a low power and less teeth per inch will help on the melting of the plastic (just around the edges)

[public_eyesore]

make sure the blade has 3 or more teeth always on the metal, your teeth might be too far apart.

[slaveofconvention]

I wouldn't reccomend trying the dremel on plastic - generally speaking dremels don't cut, they grind a very thin line which effectively does the same thing - with plastic though 1) It's gonna REALLY stink 2) Fumes may be toxic 3) Melted plastic will accumulate and may slow things down and spoil the edges. Great for metal, I wouldn't use anything else on case panels etc, but I have used a dremel on several plastics in the past and won't be doing it again

[Spaceroach]

I wouldn't reccomend trying the dremel on plastic...

Then how do you cut plastic? If I cannot use a dremel I'm down to using karate chops.


I'll try the jigsaw as per the advice on this thread and let you know how it turns out.

[Crimson Sky]

Then how do you cut plastic? If I cannot use a dremel I'm down to using karate chops.


I'll try the jigsaw as per the advice on this thread and let you know how it turns out.

Try using the saw blade bit on the Dremel for plastic--slow speeds will do the trick. High speeds make for gobs of molten glue, and lots of cussing when burned.

As stated by the others, you must use a metal cutting blade for steel side panels. also, use a metal cutting lubricant to prevent the blade from catching on the material and for overheating the blade--just a few drops as you cut.

[slaveofconvention]

IF you must resort to a dremel for plastic, I suggest undercutting then using coarse paper or a fine file to finish the cut - I really wouldnt suggest trying to cut to a line straight away.

If you are going to try a jigsaw on plastic, I'd suggest using the finest blade you can find, probably one meant for metal - the fine teeth will reduce the chance of chipping or even shattering that might occur otherwise

[Spaceroach]

Yeah, looking at the blades I have, they're pretty coarse; I'll head down to the hardware store on Friday to see what I can get...

Edited for spelling.