Cutting glass with a glass cutter at home. How to cut glass - we make smooth and accurate cuts. Preparatory work - what to do before cutting glass

If you are interested in how to cut glass with a glass cutter, the video will help you get a detailed answer to this question. In addition, there are nuances in choosing the right tool and the rules for its use, you also need to learn how to prepare the material for work. Special glass cutters are used to cut different types of glass. At the last stage of work, it is necessary to break the material into two parts, and a number of rules must also be followed.

How to choose the right glass cutter

There are several varieties of such a tool:

• oil;
• roller;
• curvilinear;
• diamond.

For glass cutting at home, you can use each of the options. However, they all differ in design and properties. It is necessary to study in more detail the process of cutting with different types of tools, then an idea of ​​their intended purpose will be formed. So, the device of an oil glass cutter is in many ways similar to a roller counterpart, however, this model has a reservoir for filling lubricant.

If the surface is lubricated during cutting with oil, the cutting edge development speed is significantly reduced, which is due to a decrease in the intensity of friction. The supply of lubricant is carried out automatically, which simplifies and speeds up the work. The reservoir containing the oil is located in the handle. The service life of the tool is 5,000 m. It can be used to work with material no thicker than 20 mm.

When the glass cutter stops cutting glass properly, the cutting edge can be replaced. Unlike a conventional glass cutter, the oil model can be equipped with a fixed and movable (rotating) head. The last of the options is for bending. The design provides 2 options for the location of the head: with a sharpening angle of 135 and 150 °. In the first case, the tool can cut material no thicker than 10 mm, in the second - up to 20 mm. More about the oil glass cutter in the video:

If you need to choose a glass cutter, you need to consider a roller model. The head is movable. Blade material: tungsten and cobalt. The number of rollers may vary, more advanced models are equipped with 6 such elements, but they are also more expensive. Standard glass cutters work with glass up to 4 or 6.6 mm thick.

Curvilinear tool is designed to perform curves and complex patterns. The roller can make circles, ovals and other geometric figures. According to the device, it resembles a compass. The tool is equipped with a suction cup, through which it is attached to the material, and the main part containing the cutting edge, the handle. The design provides for an adjustable scale and a system of two rods, through these elements it is possible to make a radius characterized by the necessary parameters. Use scissors as alternative method cutting.

diamond glass cutter

The main structural element is a diamond crystal. The location is the bottom of the tool. It is used to cut glass with a diamond glass cutter. The cutting element can be artificial and natural, in accordance with this, the restrictions on the use of the tool vary. In the first case, the material should be up to 5 mm thick. This model is inexpensive. She fully justifies her properties. For household needs, this glass cutter is enough.

Natural diamond can cut thicker material than artificial diamond, but it gradually becomes dull. To restore the function of the glass cutter, the cutting edge must be sharpened using a disc or block. Check the degree of sharpness of the tool by touching the glass: if a thin line of cut is visible, then the cutting edge is ready for work. This model is presented in two versions:

• curvilinear;
• with square cutting edge.

The service life of a diamond tool is 10,000 m.

Glass preparation for cutting

The degree of complexity of the preparatory work depends on the condition of the material. So, if you need to get finished glass products that have just been purchased, you won’t have to make much effort. In this case, just wipe the surface. No need to use special detergents. At the same time, they use a newspaper to remove stains and dust. This method provides the ability to quickly prepare glass surfaces. A cloth should not be used, as there is a risk of fluff on the glass surface. The only exception is microfiber.

Used glass is prepared more carefully:

• must be washed using special agent for glass cleaning;
• the surface is wiped dry;
• at the last stage, it is necessary to degrease the glass; for this, a rag soaked in kerosene is used.

Before starting work, the sheet must be dried by leaving it indoors. You can additionally cover the material with a film so that you do not have to repeat the cleaning procedure. The preparatory stage also includes cutting the material. If you need to make a circle of glass or other curly elements, it is advisable to apply the contours as close to each other as possible. Then the material consumption will be small. Long elements should be placed along the larger side of the glass sheet.

How to cut glass with a glass cutter

The material must be placed on a horizontal flat surface, for example on the table. First, make a markup. This is done with a simple pencil. If you try to make an incision without a safety net, the line will turn out to be a curve. For this reason, it is recommended to use a ruler. It is located next to the applied marking line - the distance should correspond to the width of the cutting edge of the glass cutter.

The line will move. To prevent slipping, rubber is first glued on the underside (from a bicycle tube). If work is just beginning, the cut must be made in the direction from the edge of the glass sheet towards you. Different types of tools should be held differently, for example, diamond glass cutter take in the hand in the same way as a normal ballpoint pen. At the same time, a thin, almost invisible line remains on the surface.

The roller tool is held perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The handle should be between the thumb and middle fingers. In the process of cutting, moderate pressure should be applied to the tool. At the same time, a line remains on the material white color. If you need to cut glass with a curved glass cutter, install a suction cup, then adjust the rod system, which makes it possible to get a hole or arc of the desired radius.

Features of working with various glasses

material with standard features cut with a roller tool or well-sharpened tailor's scissors. To work with glass in this case, any other types of equipment, if any, can be used. It is not advisable to specifically purchase them due to high price. hardened material cutting is not recommended. This will cause the sheet to simply burst. The hardened surfaces are durable, so the dimensions and the desired shape are set during the production process.

If it is necessary to cut a corrugated material characterized by patterns on the surface, it must be remembered that its properties do not differ from ordinary glass. So, it is permissible to work with it using roller glass cutter. A diamond analogue is also suitable, if it is available, but in this case there is no need to purchase an expensive tool. cutting edge cut the sheet on the smooth side.

Organic glass does not require the use of a glass cutter, because it is a material based on synthetic resins. This is a type of plastic, which means that you can use a metal saw or a clerical knife to cut it. In order not to have to collect fragments and chips later, the surface of the desktop must be freed from foreign objects and cover with protective material.

How to break glass

It is necessary to lay the sheet on a horizontal surface (for example, a table) so that the marking line falls on the edge of the tabletop. Most of the glass should be held. The area to be removed should be clasped around the free edge, preferably in the center and slightly pressed down. If the strip is not wide enough, the glass is removed with pliers, special tongs or wire cutters.

One way or another, all of us are faced with the need to replace glass in doors and windows, glazing bookshelves and other manipulations associated with the processing of this fragile material. At first glance, it seems that independent execution These works are very problematic, but in fact anyone can master the skills of a glazier.

Of course, you need to follow safety precautions to prevent cuts and injuries, choose a convenient tool and cut it correctly. In practice, you will see that using a glass cutter when cutting glass is quite simple. Most often, cutting a rectangular piece is obtained the first time.

Glass comes in different thicknesses

Tool selection

A glass cutter is a tool for dividing a glass surface into parts. They cut sheets of glass of various thicknesses. When choosing a tool, it is necessary to ensure that the fragments are divided into parts the first time. Glass cutters are of the following types:

• Used for a long time glass cutters with a diamond cutting head. The high hardness of this stone determines the excellent quality of the cut for about ten thousand meters.
• Tools in which the cutting function is performed by rollers made of an alloy of tungsten and cobalt, which has a special strength. Such glass cutters allow cutting glass up to four millimeters thick.
• In an advanced design of roller glass cutters, a container of oil is placed in the handle of the tool, which is fed to the cutting line. As a result, the depth of penetration of the cutting part into the structure of the material increases. Thick glass at home is cut with an oil glass cutter.
• Circular cuts are made with a glass cutter, similar in shape to a compass. One end of the tool is reinforced with a suction cup in the center of the circumscribed circle, its radius is set using an adjustable scale, at the end of which the cutting element is located. Typically, such glass cutters are equipped with a reservoir for supplying oil to the surface to be treated.

The main types of glass cutters

To work, you also need a long and even ruler, along which a straight line of separation will be drawn. To make cuts of a more complex configuration, a template of the appropriate shape is used.

Preparation of material and desktop

To make a quality cut, the glass surface must be thoroughly cleaned. If the glass has just been purchased, then it will be enough to wipe it with a newspaper that does not leave streaks and lint behind.

Glass that has been used previously needs to be prepared more carefully. To do this, its surface is washed with special cleaning agents, then grease deposits are removed, for example, with a rag soaked in white spirit.

The preparatory stage also includes the calculation of the surface cutting configuration. It will not be possible to completely avoid the appearance of waste, but an accurate calculation can significantly reduce their amount. The resulting scraps should not be thrown away, they can be used in the future.
Carpet is a good basis for cutting glass

The work table should be level, without significant slopes. The surface of the countertop does not need to be made too hard, it is best to make it from chipboard and cover it with soft textiles or other tops. similar material for easier cutting.

Learning to cut glass with your own hands

The transparent glass surface resists loads uniformly distributed over the plane, but point impacts lead to its destruction. Microcracks in the structure of the material reduce its mechanical strength, so glass cutting technology is based on creating scratches on its surface. cutting tool and separating it into parts by a bending force applied to the weakened edges.

Before you start cutting glass, you need to make sure that the factory sheet has the right right angles. Then it is located on a flat, even surface, and a single incision is made using a ruler and a glass cutter. Next, the sheet is broken with its own hands by a bending force. If this did not work out the first time, the cutting line is tapped with a hammer, and the attempt is repeated.

The mirror can also be cut by hand

It is convenient to work with a diamond glass cutter

The glass cutter, which uses a diamond head as a cutting element, is very convenient to work with. The handle of the instrument should be held in the hand in exactly the same way as a pencil, especially since it is similar in shape to it. Next, a ruler or a pattern cut out according to the cut configuration is superimposed on the sheet being processed, and a uniform scratch is carefully applied to the glass surface. In this case, the following rules must be observed:

• The tool must be placed at an angle to the plane of the sheet in approximately the same way as when drawing with a pencil on paper.
• Do not apply too much pressure to the handle of the glass cutter. In this case, the cutting line will be replete with chips and irregularities.
• Re-drawing the cutting part along an already marked scratch is unacceptable. If the sheet cannot be broken, you should step back a little and repeat the procedure.
• You must work quickly and accurately. Two seconds can serve as a time reference when scratching a meter-long piece of sheet.

Next, the line of a well-made cut is aligned with the edge of the desktop so that the part of the sheet that goes to waste is on weight. The cut from the bottom side is tapped with a glass cutter handle or a construction hammer. When performing this manipulation, unnecessary fragments are easily separated and fall into a substituted box.

How to cut with a roller tool

The correct operation of a tool in which carbide rollers are used as a cutting part has its own characteristics. In this case, the glass cutter is not located at an angle to the surface to be treated, but vertically.

Roller glass cutter must be pressed from the heart

In addition, it is necessary to exert a greater pressing force on the handle of this type of tool, otherwise a high-quality cut will not work. The roller cuts glass well for the first three hundred meters, then it must be replaced with a new one.

An oil glass cutter is easier and more efficient to work with.

The principle of operation of an oil tool is no different from a conventional roller tool. Due to the lubrication of the treated surface, the process of performing work is facilitated, and the service life of the glass cutter is increased.

How to cut a round hole

A round hole is cut using a pre-made pattern of the appropriate configuration or a glass cutter in the form of a compass. Using the latter is much more convenient, it consists of an adjustable tripod, suction cup and cutting element.

Cutting glass along the radius using a suction cup

With the help of a suction cup, one end is fixed in the center of the hole, its radius is set on a tripod, a circle is quickly and smoothly outlined with a glass cutter. Cutting a fragment of the desired shape at home helps with the accuracy and accuracy of the manipulation. Everything about drilling holes in glass can be found in the article

We comply with safety regulations

When working with such a fragile and traumatic material as glass, all safety requirements must be carefully observed. To protect against cuts, work clothes made of thick fabric, gloves and sturdy shoes should be used. The organs of vision are well protected by thick plastic goggles. A first aid kit should be at hand.

Be attentive and careful! It is necessary to exclude sharp and thoughtless movements. When processing a large and heavy sheet, use the help of a partner. Special handling may be required to move large and heavy material.

Features of working with non-standard glass

Tempered glass cannot be processed at home, when applied to it mechanical impact it crumbles or breaks into pieces. Corrugated - cut with a glass cutter in the same way as a regular one, but on the smooth side.

Corrugated glass is cut from a flat side

Acrylic glass is not actually glass. Thin material is cut with simple scissors or an ordinary knife. A thick sheet can be drawn along the ruler with a fragment of a hacksaw blade, several times, and then bent and broken along the groove line.

Acrylic glass is easy to cut

Cutting glass in folk ways

Sometimes it happens that it is necessary to replace the glass urgently, but there is no tool. You can cut glass without a glass cutter, and in several ways.

Sheets of glass with a thickness of not more than 3 mm, placed in a container with warm water can be cut with ordinary scissors. Thus, it is possible to process small pieces. The cutting process is easier, the deeper the glass is in the water. Stronger scissors are needed: during work, there is a feeling of cutting thick cardboard.

It is quite possible to repeat such tricks with glass in water

Gloves will help protect your hands, but it should be understood that the wound in the water is almost not felt. Thus, the hands should be slightly above the glass, it is also necessary to monitor the movement of the fragments. Goggles also do not interfere, as the glass can jump out of the water right into your eyes.

You can use a soldering iron, a burner, and even a hot nail. The latter will have to be warmed up quite often. First, a separation line is drawn on the glass, which can be of any shape.

At the beginning of the cut line, a small hole is made on the edge of the glass. A chip can be done with a file, needle file, hacksaw blade and, very carefully, a grinder. Now the tip of a heated soldering iron is placed in place of the chip.

Soldering ordinary glass with a soldering iron is not so easy.

A gasoline-soaked burning twine applied to a separation line causes the glass to crack. When using this method, you should follow the rules fire safety.

Glass is laid on a flat and non-combustible surface. A thin cord should be made of natural materials, synthetics are not suitable. It is cut in accordance with the size of the glass and moistened with gasoline or kerosene, white spirit, lighter fluid, etc. Next, the cord is laid along the marked cut line and set on fire. When the burning is almost complete, the place of the cut is poured with water.

As a result, a crack is formed. If it does not cross all the glass, the process can be repeated in the required area, or the cut point is tapped to cause a crack.

You can learn how to cut glass at home - it's not such a difficult science. First, of course, you will have to practice on unnecessary debris, and you can cut glass for a greenhouse or glass shelf yourself.

Only one tool is needed for such work: a glass cutter or a quick cutter. Which one to choose depends on the thickness of the glass and the "geometry" of the element to be cut.

diamond glass cutter invented first but has not lost its relevance to this day. They cut glass up to 10 mm thick, and the total length of the cut glass reaches 10,000 meters. The device is simple: a diamond is fixed in a special holder with a handle. More suitable for professional glass cutters.

A glass cutter with an artificial crystal (corundum) can cut a maximum of 5 mm glass; in hardness and other characteristics, it is similar to diamond.

The roller glass cutter is ideal for beginner cutters, it is also actively used by professionals. This is an effective and common device, cutting is carried out with a special carbide roller. Rollers can be different amount: from 1 to 6. They cut glass up to 4 mm thick, one roller is enough for 350 linear meters of glass.

The difference between the oil glass cutter and the previous versions is the presence of a special container with lubricant built into the handle. With this design, friction is reduced and the tool cuts more evenly and smoothly. Permissible thickness glass - up to 20 mm. For curly cutting, the heads are made movable. One “but” - when the cutting unit becomes unusable, the entire head will have to be changed.

If it is necessary to cut a circle or an oval, a glass cutter-compass of a different design is used.

There is also a quick cutter - it is used when you need to quickly cut sheets of glass in straight lines. It is equipped with an oil cap for lubricating the cutting lines and a cutting width scale. Cutting glass with it is much more convenient and several times faster, errors are minimized. Quick cutters made in Germany and China with all the necessary spare parts can be purchased at http://zm-tools.ru/catalog/ruchnoy_instrument/bystrorezy.

Glass pretreatment

The quality of the cut depends on how clean the glass surface is. You can simply wipe the new glass with a newspaper so that there are no lint and streaks on it. It is better to wash used glass cleaner or soda solution, degrease and dry. Dirty, greasy and wet glass is cut poorly and to insufficient depth.

In addition, you will need to cut the canvas. The glass is laid on an absolutely flat table, marks are made with a felt-tip pen or marker, a wooden rail or ruler along which the line is drawn is taken bigger size than glass. You can draw a line directly on the tabletop.

Start cutting glass from the far edge. The glass cutter is pressed against the glass in vertical position and without interruption, evenly, draw a line - just once. If the tool is sharpened well, a characteristic crackling of the glass will be heard.

It happens that the incision does not work out, then the sheet of glass is turned over to the other side and a second incision is made along the marks. When the incision is made, the sheet is moved to the edge of the table and with back side tap on it with a glass cutter frame or a chisel - a fault line should appear.

They break the glass on the edge of the table, having previously aligned the line of the cut with it. With one hand, they press it against the table, with the other, holding the protruding area, they press it. On the first try, the incision may turn out to be sprawling and with a white coating, but after training, good incisions will be obtained immediately.

A diamond glass cutter is driven easily and without pressure, producing a thin, shallow, barely visible cut. When working with a roller tool, a little pressure is required, as a result, the line is deeper and has a whitish color.

A glass cutter needs to work quickly and confidently: it takes only 2 seconds to cut 1 m of glass. Do not forget about your own safety, when working, you must definitely protect yourself from splinters with tight gloves and goggles.

Video: How to cut glass at home

Reading 7 min.

Glass is used in many areas of life. It is often necessary at home to replace a cracked window, a latch in a fireplace, an apron in the kitchen, or to make a canopy from plexiglass, to glaze a greenhouse. And the work is to be done with a fragile and traumatic substance. To avoid injury and significant consumption of fragile material, you need to know how to cut glass.

Types of glass cutters

First of all, you need to remember that glass can be different: ordinary window, tempered, plexiglass, acrylic, corrugated and ten more options. Also, even the usual one can be quite thick or, conversely, thin and very fragile. Depending on the type, the tool and the cutting method are also selected. But using a glass cutter is the most common option.

The construction market offers several options for glass cutters:

• diamond can cut glass almost any thickness and its service life is long. As a working element, a diamond is used, which, if necessary, is easily turned by a non-sharpened face;
• roller has a working part, which is made of an alloy of cobalt and tungsten and is different increased strength . The number of rollers varies from one to six and they can be replaced;
• oil has rollers and a reservoir of lubricant that flows to the surface and reduces friction. When worn, the roller itself and its fastening require replacement;
• with circular function, which allow you to cut circles. Most often, an ordinary oil glass cutter is mounted on a special device with a scale that allows you to set the diameter of the circle.

Before cutting glass with a glass cutter, it must be prepared:

• clean from dirt, possibly wash and wipe dry;
• remove the slightest dust, as smallest particle, which the glass cutter stumbles upon can become a source of cracking;
• if used glass is used, it is also degreased with kerosene;
• cutting lines.

Important! It is necessary to prepare the surface on which the cutting will be carried out. It is chosen even, clean, without height differences.

Safety regulations

The approaches to how to properly cut glass with a roller or diamond glass cutter are the same. The main thing to observe certain rules And remember about safety:

• wear protective equipment: gloves and goggles;
• put the glass on a flat surface and check that it fits well and does not vibrate;
• strike at the ends of the cut line so that it is possible to loosen the pressure and avoid chipping the edge;
• a diamond glass cutter is taken at the base of the handle and is carried out without much pressure along the intended line;
• the roller glass cutter is clamped with a pinch between the thumb, ring and middle fingers, and the index finger is responsible for pressure. It should be pressed to get a whitish incision;
• on the reverse side, lightly tap along the notch line;
• move the glass to the edge of the table and break off along the cut line.

Expert advice! A straight cut line can be obtained by using a ruler. To prevent the ruler from slipping, it is glued with double-sided thin tape. This will make it easier to break.

There is a relationship between the width of the glass and the width of the strip that breaks freely:

Masters have their own style in working with glass surfaces, but you should follow some general recommendations about how to cut glass correctly:

• there is no strong pressure on the glass cutter so that the edges of the cut do not crumble;
• one line - one incision, it is impossible to “cut” again in one place;
• glass cutter movements must be quick and confident. Optimal: 1 m in 2 seconds;
• to the edge, the pressure decreases, which allows not to crumble the edges;
• mark the table, not the glass itself.

How to replace glass cutter

Not only professional tools will help when cutting glass, but not quite ordinary ones, for example, such as scissors or a grinder. They can easily cope with such work under certain conditions.

Scissors do not cut glass in air, but you can cut glass with scissors in water. In a liquid, gravity is less and the scissors do not make an incision, but a microcrack. This crack acts as a capillary for water to enter. Capillary water has a wedging effect on the weak points of crystallization and the glass breaks off into pieces.

Interesting! If it is necessary to cut curly parts, the glass is placed in cold water and then boil for several hours. After cooling, the tension inside is removed and the material becomes soft.

Ways and options for how to cut thick glass some. The simplest is to use an oil glass cutter if the thickness is not more than 20 mm. But as an option, The dimensions of the tool should be small and convenient. The diameter of the circle is the smallest, then it will be easier to work with it.

Plexiglas: glass or plastic

Not all types of glass can be cut with glass cutters. There are materials on the construction market that either cannot be cut at home at all, or you need to familiarize yourself with some rules to cut them, and some are cut very simply.

One of the most malleable materials for cutting is plexiglass. It is a transparent plastic with thermoplastic properties. The material is very easy to process, but there is one feature: low thermal conductivity, due to which the edges of the cut immediately heat up. Therefore, before cutting acrylic glass, it is necessary to consider a way to cool it.

Basic tools for cutting plexiglass:

• hand saw for metal;
• a circular saw;
• cutter;
• milling machine;
• stationery knife.

The choice of tool directly depends on the thickness of the glass: thin - with a knife, the thickest with a circular or on a machine. Electric saw blades are used special for plexiglass, but are suitable for copper, aluminum.

It is necessary to work with a hacksaw or a clerical knife quickly. Unlike window glass, the cut line can be drawn several times. During cutting, the blades are cooled so as not to melt the edges of the cut. The resulting cut will have roughness, which is removed when processed with sandpaper.

The low melting point makes it possible to cut plexiglass with a jigsaw and obtain a wide variety of curly products. In the jigsaw, the file is replaced by nichrome wire. which is connected to a transformer with an operating voltage of up to 4 V. The heated wire easily and gently passes through the plexiglass along any path. the cut is smooth and even, requiring no additional processing.

Rules for cutting tempered, corrugated and fire-resistant glass

Very rarely, but it may be necessary to cut fire-resistant glass, for example, for replacement in an oven or fireplace door. At home and without special skills, such a procedure should not be carried out, since heat-resistant glass is a split system of several tempered and non-tempered glasses. But some craftsmen use a grinder with diamond disc very small diameter. To avoid crumbling while cutting refractory glass with a grinder, the cut line is poured with oil.

If you use not a grinder, but a machine with a diamond wheel, you can cut tempered glass at home. In this case, a cooling emulsion must be continuously supplied to the cutting wheel. You can cut it, but all the properties of such glass will be nullified. The technology for the manufacture of tempered glass often involves the imparting of certain properties already finished product such as a fireplace door.

Another type favored by designers and often used in everyday life for decorative purposes is corrugated glass. It differs from the usual one in that it has a non-smooth surface on one side. It is necessary to cut corrugated glass from a flat side with any glass cutter, but oil is preferable. To make it convenient to work, the table is covered soft cloth on which the glass sheet is placed.