How to cut thick glass at home
How to cut glass without having a glass cutter
How can you cut glass without a glass cutter? This problem has several solutions, which have been repeatedly tested by the masters. For this, scissors, a file, a soldering iron, a drill, a diamond disc are used as a working tool.
The way in which the master will proceed depends on what is available, the thickness and type of glass being processed, as well as personal professional skills.
At the same time, one should immediately make a reservation that, even knowing how to cut a piece of glass to the desired size without a glass cutter, a person who first resorted to alternative methods will not be able to immediately get a high-quality result. It takes practice to achieve this.
File
Another option is how you can cut the glass you need to size without a glass cutter. With a file at the beginning and end of the future cut, make notches with a sharp edge, and you should also make several cuts between them. To do this, it is best to use a tool with a triangular section, and working with a round one will not work at all, since corners are needed for cutting. The edge hangs off the table and breaks off.
How to cut glass without a glass cutter
- Burning thread
- Soldering iron
- Scissors in the water
- Diamond disc
- File
- Pobeditovy drill
A special cutting tool is required to cut a fragile material such as glass. Of course, glass cutters greatly simplify the cutting process, but you can cope with their work with the help of other improvised items. If you are faced with the need to cut glass, and there is no glass cutter at hand, we will show you how you can replace it.
Burning thread
We soak the thread in a flammable liquid and fix it on the glass along the cutting line of the cut. We set it on fire, wait for it to completely burn out and immediately place it in cold water or pour it into the place of heating. The main thing is for the glass to cool down as quickly as possible and burst from the temperature drop. A characteristic click will signal the success of the work done. If the glass is not cracked, you can try to repeat the operation.
This method cleaves bottles fairly evenly, but does not always work with large glass sizes. It is also very fire hazardous and requires a fire extinguisher or a container of water at hand, which is already mandatory.
How to cut a mirror without a glass cutter
The mirrors around us: in a car, a bathroom or a woman’s cosmetic bag, are in their structure ordinary glass with a metal layer applied to the back surface. Cutting glass with a mirror coating, practically does not differ from the usual and can be done with a regular glass cutter or by the methods given above. When no special tool is at hand, a file or diamond blade is the most effective cutting tool. Let’s take a closer look at how to cut a mirror at home without a glass cutter, using available tools.
The first step is to prepare the surface to be treated: wash, degrease and dry. The mirror must be clean, free from stains and strong streaks. Otherwise, the line of the cut may lead and the chip will be uneven. The working surface where the cutting will be carried out should be flat and not very rigid. You can lay a thick cloth or a piece of linoleum on the table.
Having prepared the material and the workplace, we mark the line of the future cut on the mirror. It is better to guide straight mowing lines along a ruler or rail with a height of at least 5 mm. To prevent the stop from sliding, a strip of electrical tape can be glued to its bottom. Next, take a file, angle grinder or other tool and make a cut along the marked mowing line. A more detailed process for the various cutting methods is described above.
When the cut is ready, it remains to break off the mirror in the right place. To do this, you can put a small object (match, pencil, nail) under the cutting line and slightly press on both sides. You can chop the glass on the edge of the table, or tap gently from below with a small metal object (drill or spoon). If the glass doesn’t break, you don’t need to push too hard. Better to make the second cut a couple of centimeters from the first.
DIY glass cutting
Initially, you need to make measurements of the new glass. As a rule, if new glass is cut, for example, for insertion into interior doors or a window frame, then it is made a couple of millimeters smaller on each side than the dimensions of the technological opening for it. After the dimensions of the new glass have been removed, you can start preparing and cutting the glass with your own hands.
To cut glass, you need a solid and even base of the tabletop, preferably a wooden one. There should be no dirt or debris on its base, due to which the glass may be damaged and burst during cutting. It is best if the glass will not also fidget on the table while it is being cut. Otherwise, you need to do everything to prevent this, put on the table, for example, a piece of thin plywood or thick cardboard.
Before cutting the glass with your own hands, its surface must be “crystal” clean. Even the slightest accumulation of dirt or dust is not allowed. Otherwise, passing the glass cutter over the glass, you can “run over” to such an area, because of which the cutting line of the glass cutter will change, and the glass will be damaged. Therefore, if necessary, the glass is washed with soapy water before cutting and wiped dry with a soft cloth.
To cut glass with your own hands at home, you will also need a flat wooden strip of suitable length for the size of the glass to be cut. The process of cutting glass at home itself is not too complicated. First, the glass is prepared, as mentioned above, then it is laid on an even and solid base.
After that, marks are placed on the edges of the glass, where the incision should be made, and exactly along them a wooden bar is settled, which serves as a guideline for working with a glass cutter. Then, from one edge to the other, tightly pressing the glass cutter to the wooden strip, an incision is made. It is better if it is one, clear and even, exactly along the plank.
To break the glass after cutting with a glass cutter, you can push it to the edge of the table, aligning it with the cut. While holding the part of the glass located on the base of the table, the other part must be lightly pressed down with your hand. If the glass cutter is sharp, and the cut is made correctly, then the glass should burst strictly along the cut.
If this does not happen, then it is necessary, starting from the middle of the glass, by gently tapping the cut on the mowing line to achieve the appearance of a crack in it.
The question of how to cut glass correctly is best solved by carefully preparing for it. It is best to take and practice several times in cutting glass of different thicknesses into unnecessary pieces, and only after that proceed to cutting glass with your own hands for installation and replacement.
File
Another way to cut glass at home without a glass cutter and expensive power tools. To work, you need a file and a little experience in handling glass. Please note that the file must have corners, so a round file will not work.
To cut the glass, it is enough to make a few cuts on the surface of the file with the corner of the file. You need to press on the file a little harder than average, so that there is enough force to form a clear groove, similar to a glass cutter cut. When the place of the chip is planned, we simply break the glass on the edge of the table or put a match under the place of the cut.
This method requires a certain skill, and if you are faced with cutting glass for the first time, we strongly recommend that you practice on small, unnecessary fragments before moving on to the main material.
Features of the work
First you need to prepare the foundation on which the work will be carried out. It is better to put thick fabric, cardboard or newspapers in several layers on a flat table.
Marking is carried out with a marker, the line should be even, and the glass at the cut point is clean.
The thickness of the ruler should ensure normal sliding of the tool, so that the ruler does not slide over the tool from the side that is adjacent to the glass, you can glue electrical tape.
The use of kerosene allows even a person who does this work for the first time to normally cut glass even 6 mm thick.
Special oil or kerosene is poured into a container that is in the handle of the glass cutter, if it is not there, then you can simply moisten the tip of the cutter in kerosene.
When working with thick material, it is necessary to moisten the cutting line abundantly and then you will get it even.
Cutting thick glass: small strip
The ruler must be of sufficient thickness, and the glass cutter is attached to it in such a way that its cutter moves exactly along the mowing line of the cut.
Moderate force should be applied to the instrument, it should not be very strong or weak.
Experienced craftsmen recommend that a whistling sound emanate from the glass cutter while working. You need to start doing the work first of the glass so that the tool goes on it, and at the end of the work it comes off it, the only way you can completely cut through the edges.
It is necessary that the cutting line is continuous; you cannot stop while guiding the glass cutter. It is impossible to carry out the tool several times on one mowing line, everything must be done in one pass.
How to cut thick glass at home?
Types of glass and features of working with them
Cutting the most ordinary glass is not difficult if you need to get a piece of the correct geometric shape. How to work with the following types: tempered glass, reinforced, acrylic (plexiglass)? Consider the features of the properties of each of them.
- Tempered glass. you cannot cut it yourself. If you want to know how to temper glass, take a tour of the glass factory, or watch an online video. Glass tempering is carried out using special equipment and it will not work to get such glass at home.
- Corrugated glass. has one smooth side, on which cuts need to be made. The work is carried out in the same way as with ordinary glass, but you only need to use a roller glass cutter.
- Acrylic glass is a plexiglass made using synthetic resins. You don’t need a glass cutter to work with it, a metal saw is suitable. If the glass is up to 2 mm thick, you can use a clerical knife, or a regular wood cutter.
The work area for cutting glass must be level. You can use a piece of fibreboard covered with a piece of cardboard, or a blanket. It is necessary that the glass is in full contact with the surface of the desktop.
Having placed the previously cleaned, degreased glass with the applied markings on the desktop, we proceed to cutting. You will need the glass cutter itself and the pattern, as a template we use a regular square, which was used for marking, or, if you want to make a cut of an irregular geometric shape, a template from a fiberboard or thick cardboard.
Attach a piece with a small margin (correction for the thickness of the glass cutter) to the mowing line of the marking and carefully, without pressing the tool too hard, slide the cutting part along the glass surface from the far edge towards you. You only need to draw a glass cutter along the markings once, repeated wiring will spoil the material.
The force of pressure should be slightly lower at the beginning of the cutting line and 3-5 mm before the edge of the glass, then the edges of the product will not have unwanted chips. Movements must be made quickly enough, one second is given for cutting half a meter long.
When laying a flat mowing line, the side of the glass cutter should rest tightly against the pattern.
To ensure that the glass breaks off evenly, you can tap along the mowing line of the notch, starting from the edge of the sheet. For convenience, put the glass in such a way that the edge to be chipped hangs off the table, and the line drawn by the glass cutter is a centimeter from the edge of the table.
Tap with a metal stick or glass cutter head along the mowing line of the cut, a crack will form at the tapped points. Always strike a little ahead of the emerging crack, and so on until the end. Be sure to hold the piece of glass that is hanging off the table so that it breaks off evenly and does not fall or break on the floor.
Don’t start cutting good glass right away. without proper experience, you can easily ruin the material. Be sure to practice on unnecessary sheets first.
How to cut a circle out of glass? To do this, use a special glass cutter, its design resembles a compass, the main details: a suction cup, which is attached in the center of the circle; a ruler so that you can change the radius of the circle and make accurate measurements, and the glass cutter itself. Do not forget to pre-practice with this glass cutter on unnecessary sheets of glass so as not to spoil the good material.
If you need to cut a small piece of glass, while, in principle, it does not matter how smooth the edges of the cut glass will be, use the method: cutting glass with scissors. In a small volume tank (an ordinary basin is suitable), warm or hot water is drawn, after which a sheet of glass is lowered there and under water, using the most ordinary scissors, cutting is performed. Better to use large, sharp metal scissors.
How to cut tempered glass at home. Metals, hardware, instructions
Very often, when carrying out construction or repair work, it is required to cut glass to size, although this is a difficult process, it can also be done at home.
Many home craftsmen are worried about how to cut glass with a glass cutter. if the technology is followed, then you will succeed.
How to cut glass with a glass cutter: we do the right job at home
In any apartment, you may be faced with the need to replace glass in a window, door or closet. It is very rare to find ready-made glass of the required size. Of course, you can seek help from a specialist, but this will take time and money. All the necessary work can be done with your own hands at home, if you know how to cut glass correctly.
Preparing glass for cutting
Glass that is no longer new, that is, it was in use, say, we took out a sheet from the old frame and want to fit it to the desired size. first of all, it is thoroughly washed and then degreased. Window cleaner works great, and then we treat it with kerosene or gasoline.
When the surface is clean, degreased and dry, you can start cutting the glass.
When working with such a fragile and expensive material, it is very important to minimize waste, that is, cuttings in the form of small pieces of glass that are not used. It is advisable to cut the sheet in such a way that when cutting out the main pieces, trimming can also be used. For example, with a rational cutting of a sheet of 120 cm by 60 cm, four sheets of 50 by 30 centimeters are cut out, and the remainder will be 20 by 60 centimeters. If such a sheet is incorrectly cut, the remainder will be 10 by 120 cm in size.
The first option is much more correct and such a small sheet of glass can be used, but where to attach the second one? Only to the landfill. What is the best way to measure sheets when applying markings? The best option is a square, and the cut pieces will always be perfectly straight. For marking, use a special pencil. “Steklograph”, or a bright water-based marker. Curved markings are applied using templates that you can make yourself from plywood, or even thick cardboard.
To properly cut glass, you need to take into account its thickness and select the appropriate tool.
Purchased factory cut sheets are not always straight. Be sure to use a square when working.
There are three types of glass cutters: Diamond. invented a long time ago and is still popular, roller. convenient because you can easily change dull cutters, oil. recently it has an advantage over its brethren in being able to cut thick glass. Let’s consider each of them separately:
- The diamond glass cutter is the most popular and time-tested; its working part is equipped with a small diamond, which functions as a cutter. With such a glass cutter, you can work with material up to 1 cm thick, and the distance of the glass that it can cut without blunting the cutter is about 10 km. In a word, having bought it once, you will not have to do it again in the near future. From time to time, sharpening on a special bar is required.
- Roller glass cutter. differs from diamond glass cutter in that a hard metal alloy roller is located on the working base. The glass cutter is equipped with several rollers, which are easy to replace when they are dull. Each of the rollers can cut 350 meters of glass without losing their properties. Material thickness suitable for work from one to four millimeters.
- Oil glass cutter. the same roller cutter, but a reservoir with oil is built into the tool handle, which is supplied to the cutting element and is a lubricant. Another feature is the different sharpening angle of the rollers of this type of glass cutter, thanks to which it is possible to cut glass with a thickness of up to 2 centimeters. How to cut thick glass with an oil glass cutter? Using a 150-degree cutter, a 135-degree cutter is suitable for one to two centimeters thick glass. By reducing the friction of the roller due to the lubricant supply, the service life is increased, one cutter is enough for 5 km of cutting.
What is needed to get the job done?
When deciding how to properly cut glass with a glass cutter at home, you must first purchase all the necessary elements. In addition to a glass cutter, you will need a ruler if the cut is straight and a curve, if it is curved. You won’t be able to make an even curvilinear cut of both plain and tempered glass without a normal pattern.
You need to buy a good diamond glass cutter and then, in order to cut tempered or plain glass, you just need to make one pass.
Cheaper models may need to do multiple passes.
In addition to the quality of the glass cutter, care and accuracy of work is of great importance.
Of no less importance is the surface on which the cutting is carried out, plain or tempered glass. It should be flat and the glass should fit snugly against it. Some people find that cutting tempered glass at home is impossible.
Everything will depend on the degree of hardening, if it is high, then there is a high probability that it will crumble into small pieces.
It is especially difficult to cut tempered glass with an angle grinder. If you nevertheless decide to use an angle grinder, then you need to use a diamond disc and supply water to it.
But keep in mind that the slightest deviation of the angle grinder or glass cutter from the mowing line when cutting the tempered glass, it will crumble. If it becomes necessary to work with tempered glass, then it is better to do this on a machine with a diamond wheel, while a cooling emulsion should be supplied to it.
Before starting this work at home, you need to decide on the type of glass with which you plan to work. Regular glass can be easily cut with a glass cutter or even scissors.
Cutting tempered glass is a complex process and, if possible, it is best done before tempering.
If it is necessary to cut corrugated glass, this must be done from the smooth side, for these purposes it is better to use a roller glass cutter.
If the glass is organic, then it can be cut either with a glass cutter or angle grinder, or with a regular saw.
If the thickness of the material is less than 2 mm, then it can be dealt with with a clerical knife.
When choosing a glass cutter, you need to pay attention to its sharpening angle, it is in the range of 77-165 degrees.
For thinner glass, take an instrument with a sharper angle. At home, it is difficult to properly cut glass, the thickness of which is more than 6 mm.
You can purchase a universal tool with replaceable rollers with different sharpening angles. The more expensive models have a better quality roller, which makes the cutting process easier. The quality tool in the handle has a container for oil.
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Breaking process
It is necessary to break the glass immediately after the line has been drawn, since over time it cools down and will break worse. The material is placed on the edge of the table along the mowing line of the cut and the necessary piece is broken off with one push.
In order for it not to break, you can press it from above with a wooden bar, and the thin one just needs to be spread apart.
To break off a thick glass or narrow strip, you can place a pencil or similar object under the break line. Some people prefer to tap the back of the glass with a hammer before breaking the glass.
It is not necessary to do this, if the glass is thin, then it will break off normally, and chips may remain on thick material from such actions.
To grind the resulting edge, you can use a touchstone or sandpaper, but during operation, so that the glass does not burst, they must be moistened with water.
If you adhere to the technology, then you can perform the specified work with high quality at home.
Watch our video selection on working with glass: