Cutting Garolite (G10)
Cutting Garolite (G10)
I posted here a while back when my glass bed failed. One of the suggestions was to replace with Garolite or G10. My sheet finally arrived and i set about cutting it down to size.
...
Within 4cm, my basically unused jigsaw blade was worn flat, and by the end of the first cut (20cm), there is basically no more teeth.
For the second side, I tried using a multitool cutter, and within a few millimeters it was visibly blunt (plastic and metal tools). Finished it off with a standard wood hand saw, which seemed to go better.
So warning to anyone considering garolite, dont use power tools, it will fuck them up.
Yeah, usually you use a cutter to score where you want the cut and just break it. That always worked for me, though I have never tried anything thicker than 2.5mm. Also, cut in both sides for optimal performance
I have a 3.5mm piece. Scoring and snapping might have been smart.
Fwiw, it cut very cleanly. Very straight edges.
I milled G10 the other day. Maybe use a router if don’t have access to a mill and don’t wanna have a local shop do it for ya. Wear a mask
Didnt dull any of your bits? What kind of bits? Im guessing my jigsaw blade is just steel?
I used tungsten carbide end mill bits, 4 fluted, at low depth of cut and low feed rate but about 800 rpm, on a mill
For fiberglass cutting, you'd typically use a carbide, diamond toothed bit / burr. . Note that this doesn't refer to the cutting surface being coated with artificial diamonds (different purpose), but rather the tooth shape further up the tool shank. These burr-type tools exist with different cutting tips as well, I typically use a regular endmill type.
Here is an overview: https://carbideprocessors.com/ata-tools/fiberglass-cutting/
Note that up- and downcut bits exist, if you're cutting thin plate stock, you often want to use a downcut bit to prevent the cutter from trying to tear the stock upwards during cutting and ripping bits and pieces out, or tearing the stock out of its fixture.
I assume this is will be a one time job, so just get a cheap import bit - it will only be good for a handful of cuts, but will also only cost a few bucks. If you want some mid-range, decent cutters, you can look at
https://bitsbits.com/product-category/whiteside-router-bits/straight-cat/fiberglass-router-bits/
If you're doing this freehand with e. g. a router, do yourself a favor and go outside. In any case, even outside, wear a proper mask (at least N95 rated) - you'll produce fine epoxy dust, and breathing that in is linked to all kinds of lung diseases, plus cancer. No joke, overexposure to that stuff really turns your life into a miserable shit show.
If you have a CNC, I assume you know what you're doing, have proper dust collection etc. Even if so, still wear a proper mask if it's not an enclosed machine with certified dust collection.