Tool for canopy cutting?

What is the best tool for cutting the canopy? I have an arbor that will chuck the cutting disk provided in the kit in my 0-1600 RPM variable speed drill or my 3000 RPM fixed speed drill. I also have an 3" air driven high speed cut off tool that will chuck the kit provided cutting disk.. Which do you think would work better?

I found that the diamond blade for a dremel tool worked best as it cut like butter and with minimal debris. Great for fiberglass also.

Don

The Vans cutoff disk in an air drill works like a charm. High rpm is your friend.

As previously stated, the vans supplied cuttoff wheel will do the job. It has served for many craft.

A couple of years ago, a builder used a "cast cutting saw" that incorporates a vibrating fine tooth saw blade. He reported very favorable results. Commercial units start at the most expensive "Fein Multitool". I purchased a chinese version from Harbor Freight for 20 bucks. It also worked well. It cuts slower than the cuttoff wheel and throws a lot less dust but the gearbox gets hot and it is very noisy.

In either case, one should practice on the waste acrylic at the perimeter of the molding before jumping to the big cut.

YMMV

Vans cut off disc in my Souix drill
It worked great

harbor fght $19.95 cutoff grinder w/cutoff wheel. perfect and fast as you dare to go.
no way would i use air driven tool again unless i had an extremly LARGE supply of air and pressure. i started with it and after waiting 5 min for my little air compresser to build up and then cut for a min or 2 (only 6-8") i brought one of those small versions of a hand grinder and went to town.
fred

zip tool

Used a zip tool with the 90 degree angle end and the metal cutting blade, goes through the plastic like a hot knife through butter and easy to control. It is like a big Dremel.

Harbor Freight Multi Tool

That's what I used. See it here: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=59850

Harbor Freight Multi-tool

....here's another vote. I tried a die grinder and a Dremel disc for just a bit of comparison. The vibrating multi-tool is W-A-Y better, IMHO. For one thing, since it's not a rotating tool there's no tendency for the cutter to "torque out". Much easier to use when cutting aluminum, plexi, or fiberglass. As they say, "Don't have a hangar w/o one."

Rupester said:

....here's another vote. I tried a die grinder and a Dremel disc for just a bit of comparison. The vibrating multi-tool is W-A-Y better, IMHO. For one thing, since it's not a rotating tool there's no tendency for the cutter to "torque out". Much easier to use when cutting aluminum, plexi, or fiberglass. As they say, "Don't have a hangar w/o one."

Click to expand...

++1. I tried the same tools, and am continuing with the HF oscillating cutter. Not quite as fast as the rotating cutters but FAR less dust thrown all over the place. I wear gloves when using it to reduce its vibration and heat to my hands.

Dremel makes a few models of this type of cutter if you want to go upscale.

Vibrating tool very little mess, way easy.

Here is a link to a short video when I made the cuts.

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums...-B973-F4B65D2B44F4-15780-00001829A76E20A8.mp4

I used a 5" angle grinder and a 1mm cutoff wheel to make the cut this week. Went beautifully. Keep the canopy warm. I made the cut in the backyard sun, around 30*C.

Whatever you use, use appropriate PPE.

Plus 1

Vans cut off disc in my Souix drill
It worked great

Click to expand...

For me too.

Dan

cut off tool

Whatever tool you choose, chances are it may be less than a perfect cut or you may need to trim a bit to make the main cut parallel to the roll bar. I used a belt sander w/ 120 grit to clean up the cut, 180, 220, 400 with a block to clean up the finished edge. I cut mine with a vans cut wheel and a die grinder, used tape as a guide line. I first cut mine 1/4" long, than used a wood block 3/4" scribe (roll bar is 1 1/2") with a pen marking the tape for a finished cut line perfectly parallel with the roll bar and centered. When you clamp the glass to the roll bar it will change the angle of your cut, promting you to have to trim it. Small trim with a belt sander larger trim with the cut off wheel.

mixed recommendation

I just finished cutting and tried three options. Cut-off tool - air, air drill - both of these used van's cut off disc. Then the dremmel tool discs (about 1" ID) and the very thin discs fro dremmel. The cut off tool turned fast and mostly melted the plexiglass along the cut line. I did the cut with light cuts along a line. The first light cut guided the others so there was not a problem of the line wandering. I did get hot plastic on my arms. The drill turned slower and was my preferred tool, again with repetitive cuts along the same line.
When I parted the windshield and the canopy, I used the dremmel with the fine disk. It gives a very precise cut and left a good edge.
Some folks say to cut all the way through and slowly move along the cut line. I am sure it works, but I didn't like it. I liked the first light cut to guide the next steps.
I practiced a lot on the edges to gain experience and that made a lot of difference in confidence level when the cuts mattered.
I worried about the whole thing forever, but the reality, once started, it was easy and went quite well.

Followup: I bought a Bosch oscillating multi-tool to replace the cheapo Harbor Freight equivalent, as I wanted a 2.5 amp model and it was readily available at Home Depot (they did not stock the top-end Dremel MM-40 which is also 2.5 amp). What a difference! Much less vibration and noise than the HF tool; the HF tool would leave my hand tingling after 10 minutes of use, the Bosch, nada.

I did The Big Cut yesterday. The cut itself is a non-event if you simply follow Vans instructions to block the canopy edges (fore and aft of the cut), and every 2-3 inches stop, tape the cut line with masking tape or similar, and continue cutting. I cut all the way through, wanting the canopy either fully cut, or not; I didn't want it half cut and maybe deciding itself where to part company. Upon making the final cuts fully separating the pieces basically nothing happened; the tape and the blocks kept everything together.

Van's disk

You can't go wrong with the disk supplied and a $15 die grinder from Harbor Freight, if you have a compressor. There is minimal noise except the compressor and the rattle of the cheap bearings, and no vibration. The larger disk compared to the dremel tool disks helps keep the cut straight. There are no teeth in the disk so chipping on the exit side does not happen. Don't get overly excited about the shop temperature. The cutter wheel creates a fair bit of heat as it cuts, so it helps soften the plexiglass locally. If you don't wear gloves and sleeves, the hot plexi dust on your hand is hot but within of the tolerable range.