Prepare to cut
There is a variety of options when it comes to the type of acrylic you decide to use. I usually purchase all of my acrylic at Home Depot. In my area, it is the best price and the most readily available source. I've looked at Lowes as well, but the thickness of the acrylic they carry is different that Home depot, and I find the selection to be either too thin or to thick.
Both stores carry two brands. The Lexan brand is higher quality acrylic. It can bend without cracking, and you can use your Crop-a-dile to punch holes in it with good success. It's also quite a bit more expensive than the secondary brand. Because it is more manipulative, Lexan might be a good option for a first time cutter. Especially if you do not have a drill press. I only buy the secondary brand.
Thickness varies in the acrylic. I prefer to use the .093 thickness, which is industry standard thickness for acrylic scrapbooking.
The acrylic can be purchased in sheets in a variety of sizes. If you have a table saw you can buy larger sheets, at a better price point, and cut them down to size. If you don't have a table saw, or don't feel comfortable using a table saw, then buy the smallest sized sheets which will accommodate the size of your design.
Tips on cutting down large acrylic sheets:
Before attempting to cut, please click here and read my disclaimer on following the safety guidelines of all power tools.
Don't try to start with the 48"x36" sheets for your first cut. Cutting acrylic is a lot different than cutting wood, and until you've developed experience it's best to start with smaller sheets. Nothing larger than 24 inches.
To determine how small to cut the sheets, measure the widest and longest parts of your design and add a 1/2 inch.
Use the table saw fence to ensure your cut is straight. While cutting keep the edge of the acrylic against the fence, and make sure the acrylic sheet stays flush against the top of saw table. The acrylic has a tendency to ride up the blade, which causes the table saw blade to rip out large chips from the acrylic. Not only will it ruin your acrylic, but it can cause injuries. Keep the acrylic pressed down against the table, and flush against the fence.
The end result should be 4-6 rough cut square or rectangular pages exactly the same size, slightly larger than the design template.
Now that you have all of your acrylic cut to size, decide how many pages the album will be. The scroll saw works much better when cutting more than one sheet of acrylic at at time, and when cutting the sheets together the end result is completely uniform pages. I always try to cut the entire album at one time- usually between 3-6 pages. For your first album, you may want to add one extra sheet. My first album started out with 6 pieces of acrylic and ended in 4 usable pages, due to cracks and errors from inexperience.
Stack the acrylic sheets and tape tightly together with painters masking tape. as shown.
The tape should go all the way around the stack about 2 times. Once at the top, once at the bottom, and once on each side. It's very important that the acrylic pieces do not shift while cutting on the scroll saw or it can bind up the blade and cause the acrylic to melt.
Once the acrylic sheets are secure, glue your design to the top of the stack. First make sure the surface of the acrylic is free from acrylic saw dust, then use Fabri-tac glue or spray glue to adhere the design to the front of the acrylic stack. Your paper design doesn't need to be cut out, but should be trimmed so it fits on the acrylic.
Now you're ready to start cutting, which I will cover in the next post.
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