How Do You Cut Poly.

[Old Navy]

Hi, Iam making a poly maul.I bought a ft. long piece of white poly.I cut it with a sawsall which got hot and melted it a little in the saw cut.How do you cut yours?Thanks,navy

[dirtclod]

I'm like you i haven't had much luck getting a clean cut. A regular Skill saw works but it's hard for me to get the cuts lined up because the blade won't cut all the way through. I'm going to try it on my table saw and see if that works. Or maybe try a nylon string like builders use. Don't laugh i know you can use it to cut a plastic pipe into. I've done that a few times.

[radar67]

Slow the blade down to keep the poly from melting.

[Big G]

Hi, Iam making a poly maul.I bought a ft. long piece of white poly.I cut it with a sawsall which got hot and melted it a little in the saw cut.How do you cut yours?Thanks,navy

you might be able to find someone with a wood or metal lathe that could cut to length. check with a local wood crafters store or a local vo tech school if you have one. if cut on a lathe you will get nice smooth straight ends

[Vikti]

Where would one get some poly at? I've entertained making myself a small maul also.

Damon

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Plastics require low speed, and generous kerfs when using saws. If the chips pack up they end up melting.

A band saw with a coarse pitch blade will cut it. The thin blade doesn't create as much heat as other blades do. To trim the edges I would put it in my metalworking lathe. Easier to do than with a wood late since a metal lathe has a 3 or 4 jaw chuck instead of a drive spindle. While it is in the late it can be bored out for the handle. When drilling plastic you have to go slow otherwise the drill might possibly grab, and get sucked into the piece. Again, slower speeds keep the heat down. I have also found that softer plastics like polyethylene ted to drill undersize. In other words, you run a .500" drill into it, and a .500" rod won't go into the hole. This is because the plastic pushes away from the drill some, and when the drill is removed it collapses back down some. A lot of times I will drill close to size, then bore out with a razor sharp boring bar.

[Old Navy]

Thanks to everyone for your answers.I know how to cut it now.I bought my poly here. McMaster- Carr- Plastics

Edited April 28, 2011 by Old Navy