Can I Cut a Sheet of Acrylic Glass With a Utility Knife?

Marking

• Use a pencil or grease pen and a ruler to indicate cut marks on the acrylic glass. This ensures a straight line. Gather your utility knife, a clamp for holding the piece of acrylic glass in place and a pair of work gloves. Wear safety goggles to keep any fragments and debris from hitting your eyes.

Cutting

• Use the clamp to attach the piece of acrylic glass to a flat surface like a workbench, table or sawhorse. You can also hold the piece of acrylic rigidly under the ruler, if you don't have a clamp. Cut along the cut marks you made seven to eight times to penetrate the material. Apply downward pressure along the cut to break the material in two. The acrylic will pop in half along the cut edge.

Cleaning

• Sand the material's edges with a piece of 220-grit or higher sandpaper. Wet a soft cloth or towel with water and wring out excess. Wipe the material with the damp cloth or towel to remove any dust and debris. Do not use glass cleaner, acetone, paint thinner or any other abrasive cleaner/solution to remove debris from your acrylic glass. These chemicals can damage the material.

Thicker Acrylic Glass

• Use a circular saw with a hollow ground, high-speed blade to cut pieces of acrylic glass thicker than three sixteenths of an inches. The blade should have at least five teeth per inch that are of a uniform height and shape. You can also use a blade that is designed for cutting acrylic. Set the circular saw’s blade one-eighth inch above the piece of acrylic glass when cutting to keep the edge you are cutting from chipping. Apply water or drilling oil to the blade to keep it cool while cutting.