will a laser cut through glass??

[Kent Parker]

A question for you all with laser machines. Could one of these machines cut through a wine bottle, cross wise? or would the heat be too much of a factor.
If so, how long could it take and how clean a cut would it make?

I've been cutting wine bottles in half and using the bottom end to make water glasses using a lapidary saw (a rock saw). It takes me about 45 minutes to cut through and I was looking for an alternative that is quicker.

Cheers,

Kent

[Mike Mackenzie]

Kent,

Sorry to say it won't happen not even with super high power. Your best bet may be to investigate Waterjet cutters.

[Pete Simmons]

I thought I once saw how to cut a wine bottle using a frozen bottle and a hot wire to thermal shock and crack it.

Cannot offer any more than that but see if you can find any other info on the method.

[Mark Mullis]

Kent, I just did a quick search on google for "glass bottle cutter" and found several, they start at around $40.00. Looks like they would be way faster than 45 minutes with a grinder.

[Bill Cunningham]

Seems to me, that years ago, we used to cut bottles by filling with mineral oil to the line we wanted cut, then heating up a chunk of metal with a cutting/welding torch
till the end was red, and sticking down into the bottle, and into the oil .. The heat caused the bottle to fracture at the surface of the oil...

[Nelson Palen]

I've heard of wrapping a piece of string around a bottle, lighting the string and then dipping the bottle in water to fracture the glass.

[Kurt Sallaz]

I have scored bottles with the laser in the rotory attachment and snaped them after tapping them with the butt of a butter knife. The edge will be rough but is easily sanded down with a belt sander. Budwiser bottles make great candle holders.

Kurt

[Jesse Anderson]

I have used my rotory attachment to help me cut a bottle.. I will make a line in corel draw . Just make several passes very very slowly. Takes awhile. The bottle is also not all the way cut. U have to freeze it. Then dip it into boiling water. It works good most of the time if u have the process right.

[Joe Pelonio]

Since I do stained glass work, one of the first things I tried when I got my laser was vector scoring, and it didn't
work at all. Still use the old fashioned oil-filled hand cutter.

[Neil Pabia]

I have used my laser to cut bottles but it isn't a clean cut. All I did was vector cut a line all the way around it while in the rotary attachment. I used 100 power and 10 speed and three passes went through.

[nancy barry]

I, too am a stained glass artist. Glass breaks because an even pressure mark, the score, is scribed on the the surface of the glass. A flat pc of glass can then be snapped along the score to achieve a good break. A bottle needs a bit of help , either by heat and cold or by tapping from the inside along the score line to run the score. Thin bottles break fairly easily; wine and other bottles require a bit more persuasion.

I have not used my laser to make a "score" on the bottle, but I will try that.
I have used several methods starting with this:
I have used an Ephrams cutter <http://www.delphiglass.com/mosaic-supplies/tools-supplies/ephrems-bottle-cutter> to make the score... Once that is done, I use a small torch to heat evenly around the score line and then dip the bottle in cold water. I get a good, even break with little rough edges... I would think that the laser would do a good job of making a score that is even deep and also start meets end with a bit more ease than the bottle cutter.

A wet tile saw with a diamond blade will also cut through the bottle side and then the bottle can be rotated until the 2 sides separate. The ones available at the box stores or harbor freight will do the job with a bit of jury-rigging.. There are also pricey glass saws sold through stained glass retailers. I have both a small tile saw and a wire saw. Practice makes this a fairly easy task... It takes less than 5 min to cut a bottle for the most part using a saw... Slow and steady pressure it the "trick". All of these saws require water to lubricate the diamond blade or wire and they are messy and wet... I do this outside once the weather is better. I wear safety glasses, a plastic apron, and old clothes.

hope this helps.
nancyB

[Michael Hunter]

I accidentally vectored some bullseye glass and the cut went pretty deep.
My immediate concern was that the heat stress might make the glass explode, so I wrapped it in newspaper and put it straight into the dustbin.

The experience leads me to believe that thin glass could be cut satisfactorily, but I would only try it in cooperation with someone with a kiln so that the glass could be annealed afterwards.

[Dave Bonde]

When I was a kid we had a device that would score a line around a bottle to cut it. It had a scoring wheel just like a regular glass cutter and a long hammer like device that you put inside the bottle and tap. I think I got about 1 out of 5 to work - but I was a kid so I'm sure my odds would be better now. I don't know if they still sell something like that. I think if I was going to cut one today I would make a jig that holds a scoring knife then set the bottle upright and spin the bottle against the knife to score a line, then make a hammer device to tap from inside the bottle.

Just checked on youtube - check out this video youtube (dot com) /watch?v=sFXngPx3w3M

[Scott Shepherd]

Try this method :

(it's a long video, but worth watching if you are interested in cutting bottles).

[Jeff Belany]

I have cut flat glass for odd sized picture frames with some success. Not as clean a cut as a glass cutter makes but pretty easy. I'm sure with some practice it could get better. I just did it to see if I could.

Jeff in northern Wisconsin