cutting glass?

[Fred Voorhees]

A little help/information here fellas. I am in the process of making a grouping of walnut picture frames to go along with the walnut keepsake box that I recently posted on the general woodworking forum. Many, many years ago when I replaced the storm windows in my home, I salvaged the glass out of all of them and have been storing it for all of this time, using a piece here and there along the way. I went looking for it tonight and found it all and remembered that at one time, a local Channel home store (remember them?) offered glass cutting services for no fee. I took advantage of this and had them cut up some of the glass I had into 5x7 and 8x10 sizes for future picture frame intentions. I had forgotten all about that until I came across it tonight out on one of my garage shelves.

Anyhow, I am making a few 5x7 frames and possibly one 8x10, but I have been requested to also make a few 4x6 frames. I don't have glass pre-cut to that size, but can certainly cut some down from my supply. I am looking for any tips in doing the actual cutting and if those little glass cutters about the size of toothbrushes work fine - you know, the ones with the cutting wheel on one end and the little ball thingamajig on the other. I am guessing that I want to cut on a firm surface so there is no flexing when doing the cutting. Would it be adviseable to put down some blue painters tape at the cutting position to help in any way? How about after I score the glass - how to go about breaking the piece into the size I want without getting any additional breakage or chipping? Any and all tips would be highly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

[Joe Pelonio]

I do stained glass, so like glass installers, I'll score and then snap with my hands.

Don't use tape, the wheel has to touch the glass. Use a thick straight edge, wood is best.

The tool you speak of has a ball on one end that can be used to tap the underside of the cut lightly, from one end to the other, until it breaks through and the scrap drops off.

You can also use one of the square indentions in the flat before the cutting wheel to pull down on the center of the scrap part and snap it off.

[Jude Kingery]

Fred, Joe's right on target and I might add one thing, use a NEW cutter. Sure what Joe's picture shows. They're not expensive. But I went to cut glass one time and it really wouldn't score and I thought man. My friend at the frame shop (where they cut literally hundreds of glass sheets a day) told me, nah, you're not doing anything wrong, but how old's your glass cutter? They dull. Hmm. So a new cutter and it was slick as a whistle. Hope that helps. Jude

[Fred Voorhees]

Joe...firm pressure for one pass...or a few lighter passes?

[Joe Pelonio]

Definitely one firm pass, do not make a second. If it appears to have skipped,
turn over and try the other side. Running the wheel through a cut dulls the blade fast.

[David G Baker]

Fred,
One thing that I found out in my glass cutting experience, the older the glass the harder it is to work with. New glass and a sharp cutter makes all the difference in the world.
Glass is not really that expensive if you shop around and find a dealer that has all of the necessary tools and equipment or if you need a quantity of glass and the size is standard, not a custom size, it should be very inexpensive.

[Perry Holbrook]

I cut a lot of glass. A few other tips. 1. Dip the cutter head in some paint thinner before making the score. 2. Resist the temptation to push down too hard when scoring, about 7 to 10 pounds is plenty to score the glass. 3. Clean the glass before cutting, if the cutter head runs over something that lifts it from the glass, the score is not continious. 4. If you're not comfortable breaking with your hands, place a dowel rod on a table, place the glass over the rod alligning the score with the rod and gently push down with your thumbs on both sides of the score. 5. Practice on a scrap piece first.

Good luck
Perry

[Jerry Clark]

One more thing-----

Wear safety glasses!

[Lee Schierer]

I bought one of these types of glass cutters and it works really well for the type of cutting you are planning on doing. Once you score the glass you flip the pliers over and the v jaw will initiate the break with just light pressure.


I second the suggestions for goggles or safety glasses and lubricating the wheel before each cut with light oil or paint thinner. Clean the glass before cutting.

[Randy Cohen]

could you use a tile cutter for cutting glass? the kind with the cutter wheel mounted on a rail and a v shaped piece to snap it.

[Lee Schierer]

could you use a tile cutter for cutting glass? the kind with the cutter wheel mounted on a rail and a v shaped piece to snap it.

Yes as long as the cutter wheel is sharp.

[Joe Pelonio]

Yes as long as the cutter wheel is sharp.

But be careful, those give a lot of leverage, so you could break it while trying to score.

[Fred Voorhees]

Thanks guys for all of the tips. I'll keep them all in mind. I stopped today and picked up a new cutter and will be giving it a shot in a couple of days.

[Brad Sperr]

As far as a cutting surface goes, I like a scrap piece of carpeting.