Once upon a time on usenet Bob Engelhardt wrote:
I've had a lot of trouble cutting acrylic on a table saw, or drilling.
The problem has been chipping on the back side. I haven't tried
backing it with a piece of wood - that should help.

What does work very well for giving a nice edge is a router. Not very
convenient for cutting into pieces, but nice for cutting shapes to a
template, or for finishing edges that have been cut with too much
chipping.

I worked in a high-end cabinet making workshop and have used a free-hand
spindle moulder before for cutting acrylic for kitchen drawer fronts etc.
Just fix it to a (thick wooden) template (for the bearing to run on) with
double sided tape and Bob's your uncle.

A small spindle moulder can be made using a decent router.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)