Best cutting tool (large sheets with curves)

aplant92

Full time elf
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
146
Location
Melbourne
Hi all,


Had a go at making a Coro candy cane yesterday and absolutely loved the results. The only problems I had were the ease at which I could cut the plastic, how long it took me, and the cleanliness of the cut.




I was using tin snips, but I'm now wondering if there is a better way. I was thinking about using a jigsaw, but not sure if sitting the sheet down on a table and hoping it stays rigid enough to saw through will be more effort than it's worth, and whether the risk of melting excludes that. I was also thinking about a bandsaw, but most I've seen have a vertical pillar on them which would prevent feeding the large objects through that I'm planning on making.


Does anyone have any suggestions for how to obtain an easy, quick and clean cut through this stuff, especially going around corners? This would be going with and against the flute.


--UPDATE--


Going with the jigsaw yesterday, I got much better results, but still room for improvement. Using the jigsaw gave lots of little 'chips' on either side of where the blade cut, and while it's easy enough to sand them off, I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for preventing this (be it a specific blade, or other tips in general to prevent chipping).


Thanks,


Alex
 

djgra79

My name is Graham & I love flashing lights!
Global moderator
Generous elf
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
2,161
Location
Cranbourne West
I used a stanley knife. Need to make sure the blades are nice and sharp. It's not super perfect but at night and from a distance, general public won't know ;)
Possibly a Dremel with a cutting disc might be OK? I have one but haven't tried it myself yet...
 

aplant92

Full time elf
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
146
Location
Melbourne
djgra79 said:
I used a stanley knife. Need to make sure the blades are nice and sharp. It's not super perfect but at night and from a distance, general public won't know ;)
Possibly a Dremel with a cutting disc might be OK? I have one but haven't tried it myself yet...


Thanks for the suggestion! I did try a Stanley but was worried about the accuracy of the cutting. Ended up going with a jigsaw, pretty happy with the results! It does leave a little bit of frayed plastic around the cut, but sanding for a few seconds seems to fix that up!


I'm considering buying a different blade also, as there are a few with high TPI counts than the one I currently have.
 

aplant92

Full time elf
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
146
Location
Melbourne
smartalec said:
I clamped a couple of sheets together with clips,
then used the electric jigsaw to cut them out.


Which blade did you use? Realised while the one I have now is high TPI, it has a wavy design which I think is the main cause for the fraying around edges
 

djgra79

My name is Graham & I love flashing lights!
Global moderator
Generous elf
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
2,161
Location
Cranbourne West
MacArthur St Light Madnes said:
Out of curiosity where are you getting the coro? Bunnings?
yes, but pretty sure you could find it cheaper. I had large pieces donated by another member last year ;)
 

aplant92

Full time elf
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
146
Location
Melbourne
MacArthur St Light Madnes said:
Out of curiosity where are you getting the coro? Bunnings?


Same here, just grabbing the large 5mm sheets from Bunnings!
 

Habbosrus

Back again
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Messages
758
Location
Swansea, NSW
I bought my corflute sheets from Specialised Wholesale & Plastics in Newcastle a couple of years ago. Decent range and decent price. For Victoria, contact Corex (www.corex.net.au) and ask for local distributor or see if they will sell direct. AllPlastics in Sydney stock a great range for any Sydneysiders (www.allplastics.com.au)
I use a craft knife and Stanley knife. I found putting the sheets in the sun for a while and warming the blades by sitting them in hot water for a moment really made a difference, especially when cutting curves.
 

aplant92

Full time elf
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
146
Location
Melbourne
Fasteddy said:
I use a coro cutter for any cuts along the flute as makes it easy to cut and also its great if you only want to cut one side so you can make bends in the coro
something like this
http://www.rtmediasolutions.com.au/products/corflute-cutters/coro-claw-corflute-cutter-5mm


But when doing curved cuts in coro then the jigsaw is a good method


I figured I could get around having to get the cutter by having a utility knife that locks in when you release the slider for the blade, so you can essentially create your own (albeit cheaper a bit more risky) cutter.

But yes, cutting against the flute proved extremely difficult using anything but the jigsaw! Just bothers my that it leaves so many chips where it cut. I've read on a few forums that placing masking tape will help, but that was more for acrylics, so not sure if the theory behind it will carry over to corflute...


That being said, I'm pretty happy with the jigsaw at the moment, just annoying having to sand each shape out after cutting them!
 

Fing

Full time elf
Generous elf
Joined
Dec 31, 2014
Messages
405
Location
Muswellbrook
I used a scalpel - nice clean cuts found it better than a stanly knife as the blade was thinner.


but I really want a friggen shark with a laser on its head like Heath :p :p :p
 
Top