I now have my paint booth setup and have the vent hose. All I lack now is a piece of Plexiglass with a hole in it to stick in my window. Yes, I could use plywood but I think Plexiglass will look the “least bad”. Trouble is that I’m having a hell of a time trying to find someone to cut a hole in a piece. Apparently cutting such a hole requires a special bit or something. Has anyone run into this? This glass company is working on getting someone to do it for me but I am afraid they are going to want to charge me an arm and leg. Does anyone have a suggestion?
Draw a circle the size you need. Then drill tiny holes along that circle. Use a coping saw or RotoZip to remove the center…careful not too much pressure! Sand and file to clean edges.
The other option is to use a hole saw or scribe with a #11 blade the circle using the hole saw bit as a guide until you are all the way through the plexi. Hopefully you are only using 1/8inch plexi.
And lastly, find a piece of metal pipe/duct the same diameter…heat the metal and melt a hole through the plexi by pushing it through. Messy but doable.
Thanks Gerald. Your onto something. 1/8 inch will do if I can’t get 1/4 inch done for me for at a reasonable price. It will just require some time and patience. I have drilled holes in plexy before so I kind of know what to expect.
Quarter inch would be better for the window aspect. I would scribe the proper diameter hole pattern as Gerald suggests…then drill a starter hole of about 3/4" with a spade bit out near the perimeter of the circle.
From there I would use a standard hacksaw blade or a Sawzall ‘metal blade’ with a grip made from friction tape and saw outward to your scribed line and follow it around until cut out.
I would scribe the circle just slightly larger than the pipe needed to get through it…you can seal around it afterwards with some clear silicone caulk.
Using the type blades I mention and using 1/4" plexi will minimize your troubles. 1/8" plexi can crack and split easily and also ‘sag’ in the window frame.
Try and work on top of a blanket or some towels to minimize unsightly scratching.[8-]
If you have access to a good drill press, you can drill the correct sized hole (I’m assuming you want a 4" hole) using a standard hole cutting bit (the type with the guide drill in the center). Use a very low speed and light down pressure. (biggest problem I had was the price of the bit)