I need something to cut my plastic because hand cutting everything is not working very well. So what is the best cutter to use?
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Because I’m on team DeWalt (go big yellow), I can recommend this saw:
For what I do, it’s wonderful, but at $399 it’s a little pricey for what you are doing.
A lower end model would be this one:
You didn’t say what you are doing to hand cut the plastic. For a hand saw I can recommend this model of hand saw.
Pro tip is to sandwich the plastic in plywood so that where you are not cutting is firmly held along the edges. And of course using a vice to hold the plywood/plastic/plywood sandwich. If the plastic is wobbling as you cut it, it’s not going to be fun.
I like the spiral cut blades for plastic, I think I get better cuts and I don’t get any burn from the side of the blade rubbing on the plastic. YMMV.
These saws are NOT designed to cut VEX metal. Wear safety glasses.
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We have Glowforge laser cutter and use it to cut Delrin sheet for custom plastic parts.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are going to use a laser cutter to cut plastic, you need to do your research and have proper safety precautions, including proper ventilation. Certain materials are not safe to cut on a laser cutter as they can produce harmful gases (particularly PVC and ABS). Polycarbonate does not tend to cut well on a laser cutter.
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We use a JET brand band saw. It gets the job done and is very quick. Then we use our benchtop grinder or belt sander to clean up the edges. We have also used our shapoko CNC for our FRC team and have thought about it for VEX, but it takes way longer then a band saw and we don’t need to be too accurate. I did our hooks this year with a hack saw and that worked fine too.
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Try tin snips: VLOCEMON Metal Sheet Cutters for Left and Right Hand, Straight Cut Tin Snip (8 inch) : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
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Dremel makes some nice handheld tools with a wide variety of tips for various applications.
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