Cutting up a large sheet of acetron gp

[TT350]

I have a large sheet of Acetron GP 2'x4'x2in thick that I need to cut into strips.

I normally cut this stuff with a band saw but this sheet is so big and heavy
it would be to hard to handle and my table on my band saw is to small to support it.

I have a panle saw in the shop that we cut plywood on, do you guys think
it could be cut with this type of saw?


Chris

[Geof]

Yes but the best thing to use is a 'Triple Chip' carbide blade. This will be labelled for cutting plastics and non-ferrous metals.

These blades do not have the teeth with a set alternating to each side. They have two styles of teeth; one is square across the top then the next has the corners chamfered then square, etc.

Now you can get them with curly slots cut in the blade and filled with a polymer to dampen vibration. These cut like a charm with very little noise and almost no blade wander.

EDIT:
Thought about the thickness a bit more and came up with a caution. You can get quite a lot of heat build up cutting plastic because the plastic is a poor heat conductor. Normally you can get over this by feeding fast so a lot of the heat gets carried away by the chip. Feeding fast on 2" thick might not be possible unless you have a very powerful saw.

If it is possible I would drop the blade speed down to around 1000rpm for a 10" blade. I would also rig air nozzles to have a strong air blast on the blade to provide some cooling and also makes sure chips are blown out of the gaps between the teeth and do not get carried into the cut again.

You should be able to work something out and will probably never go back to the bandsaw.

[TT350]

I've used a triple chip for aluminum and there work well.
The saw has a 7 1/4 blade, I'll check McMaster.

Thanks
Chris