Looking for some plastic

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Oliver Springs, TN
I need a piece of acrylic/plexi/lexan whatever you want to call it. I need a piece 12x12x.5". I've looked at the box stores and all they have is 1/8" stuff. Any ideas where I can get this stuff online?
 
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I've been looking for a source myself, but for 3/8" thick sheets. I just checked the McMaster-Carr link above & was surprised to see the thickness tolerence is +- 0.081". That seems ridiculous. Also, really didn't expect to see plastic so expensive. Was planning to make a router table, aka Carol Reed design, with acrylic sheet, but not so sure now when a 12"x24" sheet goes for $107 plus shipping. Looking for a better, more economical source.

Just found this http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/acrylicsheetthreeeighthsinchthick.html

and this for 1/2" sheets http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/acrylicsheetonehalfinchthick.html
 
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I've been looking for a source myself, but for 3/8" thick sheets. I just checked the McMaster-Carr link above & was surprised to see the thickness tolerence is +- 0.081". That seems ridiculous. Also, really didn't expect to see plastic so expensive. Was planning to make a router table, aka Carol Reed design, with acrylic sheet, but not so sure now when a 12"x24" sheet goes for $107 plus shipping. Looking for a better, more economical source.

Yep, it's an eye opener ain't it Al!
 
I know it is difficult to believe; you can purchase things locally and you get the chance to hold them and perhaps change your mind about what you want.

Your Yellow Pages may very well give you faster access to plastics.
Look under: "plastics" or "plastics, rod sheet tube" or something like that.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
John,
Watch out what you purchase. Your typical plastics are going to sag over time, especially if it gets warm. The polymers are the same, just not quite as bad.

If you are wanting a smooth surface you could lay the plastic over a sturdy piece of plywood. You could also lay a piece of laminate for less money. I'll bet someplace there is a chart on the web that gives the sag for thickness and distance of different things like plywood, aluminum, Masonite, etc. I have seen one for plywood and particle board but cannot remember the site.

Plastics will not look good very long because they are going to scratch as you slide wood, ply, MDF over them.

Could you take advantage of a sink cut-out. You could route a thinner area just the size to let your router come up another 3/8 ths? This would give you a nice firm, smooth when waxed, router table top.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
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I'm needing it to make a cap for this IMAG1179.jpg I've been stabilizing a few pen blanks and I decided to upgrade from my current system pickle1.jpg to one that's a little easier to work with. I have a hard time getting my hand in the pickle jar! I will also be able to stabilize larger pieces in the new one also.
 
I'm needing it to make a cap for this View attachment 75251 I've been stabilizing a few pen blanks and I decided to upgrade from my current system View attachment 75252 to one that's a little easier to work with. I have a hard time getting my hand in the pickle jar! I will also be able to stabilize larger pieces in the new one also.

John, stabilizing requires the use of a solvent. I use acetone which turns almost every plastic into a liquid. You need a metal or glass for your solvents. Just sayin' .
I used to buy my plastic things for my failed free enterprise projects from Cope Plastics. They have several distributorships around the counry.
 
John, stabilizing requires the use of a solvent. I use acetone which turns almost every plastic into a liquid. You need a metal or glass for your solvents. Just sayin' .
I used to buy my plastic things for my failed free enterprise projects from Cope Plastics. They have several distributorships around the counry.

Here is a method of stabilizing that uses an all plastic chamber and resin it looks like. This is quite a bit different than replacing the air in the wood cells with other products I have used. I have several gallons of stabilizer for pool cue wood left. Stuff scares me to be honest, full of iso-cyanates and my lungs are already messed up from painting cars with bad info from the factory in the early days of Delrin. This cactus juice resin is more interesting to me, should open up materials that would have been ridiculous to consider otherwise. I don't mean to take the thread off track and all I know about this product is what I saw on youtube and then visiting sites and reading, I haven't tried it myself yet but I do plan to.

I planned to buy some economy pressure cookers I had found for chambers, seems like a bad time to be buying pressure cookers right now though. Too many other irons in the fire right now anyway.

Hu

http://www.turntex.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=121
 
Here is a method of stabilizing that uses an all plastic chamber and resin it looks like. This is quite a bit different than replacing the air in the wood cells with other products I have used. I have several gallons of stabilizer for pool cue wood left. Stuff scares me to be honest, full of iso-cyanates and my lungs are already messed up from painting cars with bad info from the factory in the early days of Delrin. This cactus juice resin is more interesting to me, should open up materials that would have been ridiculous to consider otherwise. I don't mean to take the thread off track and all I know about this product is what I saw on youtube and then visiting sites and reading, I haven't tried it myself yet but I do plan to.

I planned to buy some economy pressure cookers I had found for chambers, seems like a bad time to be buying pressure cookers right now though. Too many other irons in the fire right now anyway.

Hu

http://www.turntex.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=121


Of course, do your thing. I once did a test and product review for a new stabilizer. Forget the name, just as well. But, it had an 'orangy' odor and required heat to cure. I didn't like it. Cost 4 to 5 times more than acetone. I have a piece of plexiglas about 8x10x1/8" I can let you have. PM me if interested.
 
Of course, do your thing. I once did a test and product review for a new stabilizer. Forget the name, just as well. But, it had an 'orangy' odor and required heat to cure. I didn't like it. Cost 4 to 5 times more than acetone. I have a piece of plexiglas about 8x10x1/8" I can let you have. PM me if interested.


This stuff does require heat to cure, probably the same or similar to what you didn't like. The main thing of interest with this stuff for me is that it adds a great deal of strength besides stabilizing the piece from movement. It should open the door to turning things that the other stabilizers wouldn't help. I remember wandering into a gallery years ago where there were fantastic turnings somebody made out of a material that seemed inpossible. I still remember how impressed I was ten or fifteen years later. Opening up similar potential is my main interest in this product.

I have found a water based stabilizer to try similar to the more common stabilizers. Pricey stuff, supposed to go a long ways. Like everything advertised, supposed to be better than ice cream. I'll probably give it a try sometime.

Thanks for the offer on the plexiglass, I don't need it right now. I don't know what I am going to use for my container yet. May never get around to the project, just one more area of interest. Seems like I keep a ridiculous backlog of things I need to do, hard to find time to play!

Hu
 
This stuff does require heat to cure, probably the same or similar to what you didn't like. The main thing of interest with this stuff for me is that it adds a great deal of strength besides stabilizing the piece from movement. It should open the door to turning things that the other stabilizers wouldn't help. I remember wandering into a gallery years ago where there were fantastic turnings somebody made out of a material that seemed inpossible. I still remember how impressed I was ten or fifteen years later. Opening up similar potential is my main interest in this product.

I have found a water based stabilizer to try similar to the more common stabilizers. Pricey stuff, supposed to go a long ways. Like everything advertised, supposed to be better than ice cream. I'll probably give it a try sometime.

Thanks for the offer on the plexiglass, I don't need it right now. I don't know what I am going to use for my container yet. May never get around to the project, just one more area of interest. Seems like I keep a ridiculous backlog of things I need to do, hard to find time to play!

Hu

Plexi/acetone is inexpensive. Even punky wood, when stabilized is very strong, after all, it is mostly plexiglas. Consider, it soaks into the wood. The "go a long ways" comment can only be marketing puff. You soak it into the wood and that volume is no longer in the pot. If you use it, do with ventilation. I don't know if the fumes are hazardous but after a while the 'orangy' odor became pervasive and sorta sickening. Let us know what you do.
 
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