Re: Any tips for plastic working.

["Mik Griffin" <panheadscrew@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, Stuart Grimshaw
<stuart.grimshaw@g...> wrote:
> I have an LCD display that I bought years ago, that I would like to
> mount in a plastic single backbox faceplate. I have a Dremmel
(well, a
> cheap equivelent, does that same job) and various saws, but what I
> always strugle with when doing anything other than drilling holes
is
> keeping the lines straight.
>
> Does anyone have any tips for cutting a straight line in plastic?
What
> do you use to do it?
>
> How do you smooth off the edges so that they remain straight, I
find
> that the dremmel melts the plastic and leaves a non-straight edge,
a
> nasty black burn mark and a nasty smell too.
>
> --
> -S

I made a whole load of faceplates with a monitor D-type and some BNC
and phono outlets a while ago.  I used a dremmel with the tile
cutting attachment to cut the D-type hole - which, when run at slow
speed doesn't melt the plastic and leaves a very neat edge that
needs little finishing.  To get the hole exact, I used a metal jig
made from an old equipment case which had a machine cut hole in it.
If you don't insert the tile cutter all the way into the chuck and
leave a bit of the blank shaft exposed, it won't eat the jig.  I
have also done the same thing with perspex sheet (leave the plastic
cover sheet on it until after you have cut the holes to avoid
scratching the surface or cover it with selotape first) and also
used the same technique to cut holes in a bath.  I have an old iPAQ
in bits at the moment and am mounting that behind a light switch
(although I am struggling to squeeze all of the guts of it into the
back box)

Cheers

Mik