Acrylic for a fish tank lid - where to get and how to cut?

Question

Hey there - I need to make a lid of an open fish tank - its about 10 by 12 inches - and I need to have it cut to fit the filter of the tank.

Any ideas where to get a sheet of clear acrylic - and could I cut it myself - and how?

Thanks a bunch

Answer 1

Homedepot and Lowes have Acrylic sheets, often known by the trade name "plexiglas". They should have something that size or larger/wider, and you can score/cut it with a razor.

If the filter requires a round hole, a dremel or roto-zip will work well. If it's a square, you can saw two parallel cuts, and score/snap the break-off point. Leave the protective sheeting on while shaping/cutting the stuff, remove when ready for installation.

Answer 2

There is a tool to cut the acrylic or what ever else you want to call it. Lowes or Home Depot should have one. To use it I recommend to fasten the sheet down to a flat surface with "C" clamps so the piece does not move, also use the clamps to hold down the guide. With a straight edge pull the cutter down along the edge of the straight edge, this will cause a grove each time you do it, make several passes until the groove is deep, then as a rule you can snap it in to two pieces. This is something like cutting glass.

Answer 3

Acrylic sheeting isn't too hard to break, if you repeatedly score it first... there's even a special tool for cutting plastic at any hardware store.

If you don't want to cut the acrylic sheeting yourself though or the corners you want are rounded, etc., and you live in a city, there's probably a "plastics store" (like Tap Plastics in my area, and online) where they'll sell you any thickness of plastic you want and cut it to any size and/or shape you want. Just look in the Yellow Pages, etc., under "Plastics" for a simliar place... or call one of the listings and ask if they can tell you where you could find a place like that in your area.

Good luck,

Diane B.