Can't remember what it is called.

[Angi]

I am going to Home Depot today and I want to get that stuff that is like plexi glass but easier to cut. I want to cover half of the top of my tort table to try and keep the humidity in. Cant remember what it is called or what you cut it with. Please help!

I know one of you mentioned it but also can't remember who

 

[chairman]

Are you thinking of Lexan? It is a more durable variety of plexi. The are lots of ways to cut either, but I would recommend letting Home Depot do it for you. They'll make just about any straight cut you want for no additional charge.

 

[Tom]

They also have corrugated plastic. Its the same thing as card board, but made of plastic. Very light weight, easy to cut and handle. Its translucent, but not transparent.

Is that the one you were thinking of?

 

[Angi]

It was the Lexan I was thinking of. But I am glad that I now have two opption to ask about. I will measure and have them cut it for me. Thanks guys!

 

[GBtortoises]

Lexan is polycarbonate plastic, Plexiglass is acrylic plastic. Lexan is lighter, easier to cut & drill, more flexible and more crack resistant but will also scratch easier because it is a softer surface. Plexiglass is an acrylic plastic which is a harder material and more crack resistant but will also snap quicker if pressure is put on it.
Lexan is usally less expensive than Plexiglass too.
Both can be cut with any fine tooth saw blade at a slow speed, too fast causes the material to heat up behind the blade and roughly weld itself back together. This is especially true of Lexan. Plexiglass cut at too high of a speed or with too course a blade will chip too.
Both can also be scored with a carbide tooth hand blade and snapped. A sharp utility knife will work in a pinch but only with several passes to score the material deep enough. the best tool to use is a circular saw, jigsaw or router.
All in all, for general use Lexan is usually the better way to go.

 

[antinym]

Lexan was considerably more expensive at the Home Depot near me. I also thought acrylic was not as crack resistant. I cracked my sheets when drilling them, but they were thin to start with.

 

[GBtortoises]

When I buy it for a project or job I pay on average of $5.40 a square foot for Plexiglass and $3.45 a square foot for Lexan. Not including shipping or tax. But that is also for the less scratch resistant version of Lexan. Higher grades can cost much more. Lexan and Plexiglass are manufacturer names, there are several different versions and grades of polycarbonate, acrylic and other transparent plastic based products available. I order most of mine through McMaster-Carr an industrial supply company. They have several choices of materials and grades.

I mis-spoke when I said that Plexiglass (acrylic) is more crack resistant. I should have said that it is less crack resistant. It will crack and chip very easily if not drilled or cut correctly. the best way to drill it is to have a solid support under the area to be drilled, use duct tape over the area (to resist chipping when the bit intially makes contact) and to drill with a sharp bit at high speed but at a slow rate of feed and without apply a lot of downward force with the drill. In other words, let the bit do the drilling, not the pressure.

Then after you take all that care and have nice, neat holes drilled, you flex the sheet to much moving it around and most of the holes spider crack! I've spent some time swearing at inanimate sheets of plastic!

 

[Madkins007]

Whenever possible, I choose polycarbonate for most kinds of projects. Since it is less brittle, it is a lot more forgiving and I can use pretty much the same tools, bits, and saws I use for thin wood.

The corrugated plastic is great stuff- if you go to a sign-maker, they can often sell you pretty much any size you want pretty cheap.

 

[GBtortoises]

A good source for clear rigid, corrugated poly and a lot of other cool materials is a company called FarmTek.

www.farmtek.com