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sanding/shaving sides of acrylic plexiglass

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Old January 13th, 2008, 01:22 AM
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sanding/shaving sides of acrylic plexiglass

Ugh...I'm so frustrated, I cut four pieces of acrylic plexiglass to what I thought was the perfect width to fit inside my 20 gallon aquarium to make a sump/refugium and it appears as though I am about 1/16th to 1/32nd off on the width...

There's no way I'm going to be able to take a saw to shave this down...anyone have any experience with shaving/sanding the side of acrylic so I can make these fit?

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Old January 13th, 2008, 03:49 AM
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Re: sanding/shaving sides of acrylic plexiglass

I used one of those drill bit attachments to shave mine down. It took FOREVER. Good luck.
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Old January 13th, 2008, 05:25 AM
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Re: sanding/shaving sides of acrylic plexiglass

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bifferwine View Post
I used one of those drill bit attachments to shave mine down. It took FOREVER. Good luck.
OK..between 80 grit sandpaper on a electric sander and a metal file (fine threads) I managed to get these babies shaved down...wow, what a pain

Tomorrow I'll silicone them in place...for the rest of tonight, I'm finishing up the return piping from the sump using the kind lesson in "hydrology" advice from fatman

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Old January 13th, 2008, 06:33 PM
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Re: sanding/shaving sides of acrylic plexiglass

Measure twice,cut once.

You got it about right with the sand paper and file though.
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Old January 26th, 2008, 07:04 PM
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Re: sanding/shaving sides of acrylic plexiglass

If you do alot of acrylic construction or plan on it, or if you know someone that is into woodworking, a jointer is perfect for finishing edges. You can adjust the amount of material removal and it will leave a perfectly square edge when finished.

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