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Fiberglass cutting question

C

Charles in SC

Well Known Member
For those that have done it what is the best tool for cutting the long cuts on the cowling. I am thinking a a multi tool, if so what blade works best? abrasive grit or toothed? I also have a small circular saw that has worked well on fiberglass such as tub and shower combos with an abrasive blade in the past. I am leaning toward the multi tool for the oil door at least because the blade is thinner.
 
Die grinder with a thin Norton cutoff wheel is what I used for most everything. Works great on fiberglass.
 
+1 for die grinder with a thin cut-off wheel.

If your compressor starts to wind down, stop and let it build pressure so you can cut more quickly. Slow cutting will start to burn the glass fibers.

For the oil door, which I did over the weekend, I used my Dremel with diamond blade to reduce the cut width for the opening, which was used for the door. The negative of this is the size of the blade (1.5", or so) which requires the cut to be angled a bit.
 
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All three work well. Whatever you use, leave the line. You can then use a sanding block to get to the final size. Leaving a 1/16-1/8" gives you some margin for error in your cut ( especially with snips as the glass tends to crush a bit ) and will sand to finished size quickly and very accurately. Although the skirts do not necessarily need to be that precise, it is good practice to "leave the line".
 
Jon is the man.

I agree with Jon. We have used all of the above and then some.
What I like to use is the Drimal with a diamond wheel and the thin cut-off discs. Take your time, don't rush the cuts and cut down progressively to close, then sand the last edge to the final cut line and round the edges as you go.
Just what we like. Yours, R.E.A. III #80888
 
The Multi tool with a carbide blade works great for long straight cuts. Not so good in the curves. HSS blades don't hold up.
It doesn't kick up dust like a grinder as well.
 
Thanks for the input, I had not thought about using tin snips even though I had used them to trim some stuff up a couple of years ago. This is why I was asking, heck with about 8 feet of so of edge to trim why not try to use the tool that works best? I tried a die grinder the other day with a thin cut off wheel and it seemed really slow.
 
Snips break their way through the glass. A wheel cuts the glass. For small cuts, snips work fine.

For longer ones, a dremel or thin blade on an angle grinder work nice - and fast. It isn't really a race, but you will have much less sanding with a grinder cut. If you snip, allow enough of the line to smooth out the chipped and broken parts. There is usually enough to cut to give you room to make a trial cut. Do that!

Some may have had better luck than I did with snips, so your mileage may very. Good luck.
 
Two compressors for die grinder

More than once cutting conopys, cowls, and long aluminum cuts with a die grinder I gang 2 small compressors together. Just borrow a second compressor and get a manifold that goes two lines in to one and you have just doubled the capacity of your die grinder. IMPORTANT! USE TWO DIFFERENT CIRCUITS. If you are wondering why, Just try running two compressors on one circuit and you will have your answer LOL.

Steve
 
I discovered the charms of using my snips when trimming my canopy skirt. Most of that is relatively thin and easy to cut. Thicker stuff is a problem and that's where you get the most "breakage". But when you can use them, it's easier to control, a lot quieter, and no mask needed.
 
Dremel diamond disc

You won't be disappointed. Cuts like butter, easy to control. I agree to leave some extra material to fine tune fits with abrasives.
 
Dremel Saw Maxx

This is the most overlooked tool in the RV building arsenal. Great for cutting the canopy and other glass. It is light and easy to handle, very powerful and uses a thin blade.

I highly recommend this over the die grinder because of its light weight and easy to handle qualities.
 
RV7Guy said:
This is the most overlooked tool in the RV building arsenal. Great for cutting the canopy and other glass. It is light and easy to handle, very powerful and uses a thin blade.

I highly recommend this over the die grinder because of its light weight and easy to handle qualities.
Click to expand...

I bought one of these but didn't think it worked very well compared to the die grinder and the blades dulled rather quickly. What blades did/do you use?
 
I used the following and was glad to have this setup for both cowling and canopy work:

amazon purchased the following
  • Makita GD0600 1/4-Inch Die Grinder with Paddle Switch
  • Weiler 56491 Mandrel For Type 1 Cutoff Wheel, 1/4" Diameter Shank, 1/4" and 3/8" Arbor Size
  • Norton Gemini Long Life Small Diameter Reinforced Abrasive Flat Cut-off Wheel, Type 01, Aluminum Oxide, 1/4" Arbor, 3" Diameter x 1/16" Thickness (Pack of 5) by Norton
  • canopy use: TruePower Electronic Stepless Fan Speed Controller, Variable AC Motor Rheostat (Brush-type Only) for Inline, exhaust and ceiling fans

The fiberglass is very abrasive and I was glad to have an extra cutting disk on hand. The air based die grinders seem to use more air than my little compressor can truly deliver so electric is a lot better.
 
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