Tool help needed

samster27

Well-Known Member

• Jun 29, 2013

• #1

Hi, I have a project just started that needs 2mm strips ( 18mm wide )of plasticard bevelled at 45 degrees along each edge. Are there any tools that can do this?

Any help appreciated. I know a lot of you guys have some amazing tools and skills so thought I would throw it out to you. BTW cannot afford serious equipment LOL.

 

Gattaca

Well-Known Member

• Jun 29, 2013

• #2

you could try taping your strips along the edge of a piece of 1/2" MDF, then running a trim router with a 45 degree bit with a guide bearing. I had to do the same for a small project and I did something similar. I would start with a wide piece of plasticard then run one edge through. cut it off at 18mm then attach the strip to another piece of mdf. make sure you use a sharp new bit.

 

samster27

Well-Known Member

• Jun 30, 2013

• #3

Thanks Gattaca. I need the chamfered edge to be all the way to the bottom, i.e the whole side is at 45 degrees...can a router do this? Excuse my ignorance of routers :facepalm

Looking on ebay for a second hand one, there appears to be various types. Would a plunge router be best or a laminate router?

And as the plasticard is only 2mm, will it be shredded or can you vary the router speed and pass it by slowly.

Sorry to be such a TOOL! :lol

Could take some time to get my head around this, better grab some opcorn

 

ahoudini

Sr Member

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jun 30, 2013

• #4

I wonder about a mat board cutter. This is a holder for an X-acto blade in which the blade can be mounted at 90 degrees or 45 degrees.

Set the blade at 45 degrees, Run it along a ruler a few times until it cuts through (not score-and-snap, like usual!) and you have a nice beveled edge. Turn the stock piece end for end and repeat to get the opposite bevel as you cut the strip from the main piece. It works on mat board so I would think 2mm styrene would be no problem.

http://www.xacto.com/products/cutting-solutions/knives/knives/Foamboard-Cutter.aspx

 

division 6

Master Member

• Jun 30, 2013

• #5

A full sized router can do the bevel but is extremely dangerous especially for something so small (it would destroy it)

If you have a dremel power tool you could set up a jig the same as the router and try that.
Or check on Micro Mark and see if they have something you can use.

 

Gattaca

Well-Known Member

• Jun 30, 2013

• #6

I used a laminate trimmer and a router table that I made to bevel the edges when I had to do this. However I only needed to bevel one side. I agree a plunge router is too big, find a small hand held trim router. And buy the smallest 45 degree bit you can find to do the job. I see in my previous post I should have indicated using double sided tape to hold the styrene strips to the MDF.

This is what I had in mind,
fig.1 attach a wide strip (a few inches) with double sided tape to the edge of a nice clean cut board.
fig.2 bevel the edge with the router.
fig.3 cut the strip to 18mm then re tape it to the board to bevel the other edge. be sure to add a piece of scrap behind the strip to help keep the router from rocking.
View attachment 203118

 

Checksum

Member

• Jul 19, 2014

• #7

I know its been a couple of weeks for you but you could try this cutter from Logan, I need to do almost the exact same thing...
https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...0.3&ei=U6PKU_ufBIKyyATxrYCYDg&ved=0CHEQpiswAQ

 

replicaprops

Official Licensee

RPF PREMIUM MEMBER

• Jul 19, 2014

• #8

Dremel makes a router table. I recently had to put a 45 degree bevel on 1/8" acrylic and the router table worked perfectly.
http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-231-Shaper-Router-Table/dp/B0000302Y9

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/dre/dre618.htm

 

C

crackerjazz

Sr Member

• Jul 20, 2014

• #9

Hey, Samster - made this from Raja's (Moska) idea. He used such a tool to bevel his plasticard parts for his scratchbuilt X-wing.
It has worked beautifully for me. Set it to whatever angle you like, hold the protractor's edge flat on your plasticard piece and run the
tool along the edge. Keep scraping and you're done in no time.

 

Last edited: Jul 20, 2014