Cutting glass with a glass cutter at home

How to cut glass at home?

Before cutting glass at home, the first thing to do is to determine the tool that will be used in this method. In most cases, a glass cutter is used to cut glass. There are the following types of glass cutters:

This process can also be performed with a soldering iron, an angle grinder or circular saw, nichrome wire, and even regular scissors.

  • Soldering iron. First of all, on both sides of the mowing line of the cut with a rasp. Then the entire cutting line is heated with a well heated soldering iron. The temperature difference on the surface causes the glass to tear, after which all that’s left to do is carefully chip it off.
  • with an angle grinder or a circular saw. To cut the glass with an angle grinder, you must use a diamond disc. First make a small groove along the mowing line with the diamond disc. Make sure that the glass surface is not too hot. To do this, sprinkle the surface with ordinary water. The tool used in this method must be undamaged and without any defects. Otherwise the glass will simply break.
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Wear respiratory and eye protection when working with an angle grinder.

  • Use of heating and cooling. A thread soaked in combustible substance, positioned along the mowing line of the cut and set on fire. After the filament is completely burned out, cool the surface abruptly with cold water. This temperature drop will destroy the glass on the cut line. Another option is to heat the material using a nichrome string connected to an electric current. No water is used for cooling in this technique. The temperature difference between the thread and the glass is sufficient to chop in the intended location.
  • Scissors. Thin glass of small thickness is cut with simple scissors, if it is done by dipping the scissors and glass under hot water. It is similar to cutting thick cardboard with a knife.
  • To drill round holes in glass, drill bits for ceramic surfaces are used, as well as diamond drill bits of various diameters.

How to use the glass cutter correctly

To qualitatively cut the glass with your own hands, it is necessary to follow the technology and sequence of operations.

Please note! The ruler should not be positioned along the bevel line of the cut, but a few millimeters away from it. This value corresponds to the distance between the point of the glass cutter and its side.

  • Smoothly cut from beginning to end with one motion and one force. And only once. If you run the glass cutter over the same spot several times, the glass will simply crack.
  • Produce a chipping of the cut piece. For this purpose the notch line aligns with the edge of the table. Causing a crack by gently tapping the notch with the glass cutter, and then breaking it in one motion.
  • If the bevel is uneven, the excess glass can be removed with pliers, or use special notches in the handle of the glass cutter. To avoid cracking, the cut line should be lightly moistened with turpentine or kerosene.
  • In the final step, the cut line is machined with sandpaper, a velvet file or a sharpening stone.

What to consider when working?

As in every case, when cutting a mirror at home, there are some nuances that must necessarily be taken into account. Before you begin, you will need to read the advice of professionals and study the technology of cutting. All this will help you better understand the process and prevent or reduce damage to the mirror.

There are some important details to be aware of:

  • during the cut, the tool must be kept perpendicular to the surface, a minimum deviation of a few degrees is allowed;
  • The table to support the glass must stand flat and firm;
  • the cut has to be made in one precise, quick and continuous movement;
  • it is highly not recommended to change the force during the cutting process, only about half a centimeter up to the edge of the mirror you can relax the force to avoid chipping;
  • the glass is cut from the far edge towards yourself;
  • The cut is made only on the front side of the mirror;
  • when using a roller glass cutter, if the cut is made qualitatively, there will be a dark trace on the mirror, if the mowing line is whitish, it is most likely that the glass is not cut completely
  • when using a diamond glass cutter, the mark on the mirror will always be white;
  • When using a long ruler to prevent slipping, you can put some strips of bicycle inner tubes on the edges of the ruler.

How to Cut Glass & Mirrors

Very important addition. Under no circumstances should you deepen a badly made cut, as you will not be able to repeat it exactly, and the following steps will only lead to the fact that the mirror will be spoiled and it will only be possible to cut an element of smaller size out of it.

Peculiarities of work with different types of glass

Before you use a glass cutter to cut through glass, make sure that the type of glass you are working with is the one you have in front of you. It does not matter if it is old or new. there must not be any traces of foreign substances and particles on its surface that prevent you from cutting it accurately and evenly. Tempered glass cannot be cut at home. Tempered, it is no longer machinable: it is easy to break, t. к. this glass sheet has lost the properties inherent to normal window glass.

Its unsuitability for cutting is connected with force of bend impact that exceeds analogical force of simple glass by 7 times. As a shatterproof glass, it resists all mechanical influences, including. ч. and cut.

Even the diamond glass cutter won’t help: The craftsman’s hand involuntarily changes its force when pressing.

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The slightest overstressing will immediately cause a crack that spreads in all directions. Hardened glass can only be cut with very precise machines which do not allow lateral or tangential overloading, which easily turns the molten glass sheet into fine crumbs made up of cubic, dull shards. Tempered glass sheets and products are processed until they are tempered, which prevents them from cracking in all directions.

Corrugated (corrugated, wavy, or patterned) glass is cut from the smooth side. If you try to cut a sheet from the decorative, “shaped” side, the craftsman will not achieve a continuous groove where the sheet breaks. An intermittent groove will at best make the cracking line uneven, at worst a section of the glass sheet will simply shatter. It is best left to the roller glass cutter, which has a pivoting, perfectly smooth blade.

Plexiglas made from acrylic is not critical to breakage, but its surface is easily covered with small “dashed” scratches. It can soon lose its translucency and become opaque.

Scratching a groove is possible even with an ordinary steel nail. A red-hot, sharp knife also helps you cut through a sheet quickly and with very little effort.

Acrylic glass can be easily sawn and cut even standing on the rib and having thickness not more than 2 mm, in such case it is not necessary to heat the knife. Thicker clear acrylic is easy to cut with an angle grinder or a power saw. And a sharpener or file will allow you to quickly and qualitatively align the edge to the required cut line.

Large sheets that exceed several square meters are cut at the glass factory using devices that supply liquid under high pressure. Plexiglas is easy to cut with a continuously heated thin wire, stretched into a string. it quickly and smoothly goes into it, like a fishing line into butter at a temperature of 5-10 degrees Celsius.

How to cut glass with an oil or diamond glass cutter

You don’t need to be a glassblower to cut glass cleanly, all you need is a good quality glass cutter and a little practice. Today we’ll tell you how to properly use the two main varieties of glass cutters, and touch on their selection and technique.

Glass Conditioning

If the new glass in the special preparation does not need (enough to wipe off the dust), then with the glass, used, have a little “work”.

To begin, the glass must be thoroughly washed, using special detergents. Then degrease with kerosene or alcoholic compounds, and finally, dry well before wiping.

Use an old newspaper instead of a cloth to wipe the glass. This prevents the glass from leaving small lint and streaks.

Once prepared, you can begin to cut the glass.

Instructions for using the glass cutter

Let us find out how to cut glass with a glass cutter at home. For convenience, let’s divide the entire work process into several stages.

Preliminary measures

These activities have a big impact. Preparation depends primarily on the glass you choose to cut. Use an old newspaper to wipe off the dust that has been removed from the glass so that no streaks or lint are left on the surface. Glass that has been used requires more thorough preparation. To begin with it should be washed with the use of special means. After that, the surface is degreased, the glass is dried in a closed room so that no dust settles on its surface.

Break out the glass

Many people also refer this process to the preparatory stage, but we will distinguish it as an independent type of work. It’s no secret that there is absolutely no waste production for this kind of work, especially if the final goal is to obtain a product with unusual geometric parameters. But if you calculate and outline how to cut glass with a glass cutter beforehand, you can minimize waste. Experts recommend aligning the longest side of the glass with the long edge of the workpiece. In this case you should not hurry to throw out the leftover trim pieces. they can be useful later on.

Cutting technique

It remains to know how to cut glass correctly with a glass cutter. You need a flat surface. So that we do not interfere small glass splinters and other debris, the table is covered with a soft material, the thickness of which reaches 3. 5 mm.

If the tool is a roller tool, it is subjected to more pressure than a diamond tool. There is a distinctive crackling sound when cutting properly. To prevent chipping and damage to the cutting edge of the instrument, the pressure is lowered closer to the edge of the glass. After that a flat rail is put under the glass and the cut is made by the mowing line. It is recommended that you first tap on the mowing line with the handle of the glass cutter to deepen the cracks and facilitate the cracking process. If you need to break off a narrow strip, you can use pliers or the handle of the glass cutter, which has special grooves.

The technology of cutting glass with a glass cutter requires compliance with certain conditions. You must buy the proper tool beforehand. The diamond glass cutter can be used to cut glass at home. Up to 10 km of glass can be cut in total, and all glass thicknesses can be cut. Periodically it requires sharpening on a special bar.

The roller counterpart is equipped with a corresponding element in cobalt and tungsten. The number of wheels varies from 1 to 6. The oil glass cutter is equipped with a built-in oil reservoir. This tool can also be used at home.

It is advisable to lay the glass or mirror on a flat surface beforehand. Then do the measuring work. Use a ruler for this. Do not run the rod twice, it could crack the surface. Cutting glass must be done evenly and with the same amount of force. If you cut a large amount of glass with a single tool, do not forget about the need to sharpen it in time, otherwise the edge of the product can be crooked.

Before working on complexly shaped glass, it is advisable to study its properties. Do not cut tempered glass at home. Otherwise it will lose its properties. You can cut grooved glass yourself. A glass cutter with a wheel is used for this. It is recommended to make the cut on the smooth side. Acrylic or organic product is processed with a metal saw and cutter. Heavy gloves and safety glasses are worn when cutting glass with the glass cutter. The working surface should be covered with a blanket beforehand.

How to cut glass at home: how to cut correctly? Overview

Glass is a special material and differs from other building materials.

This building material is extremely fragile and mostly transparent.

Not every master can work with glass, but those who can make friends with this material, they can still make amazing things from it, such as mosaics, colored stained glass and much more.

Even simple windows that are properly glazed, i.e. able to let light in and retain heat, are a sign of craftsmanship.

In this article we will discuss how to properly cut glass.