Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting scrap
double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the local junkyard.
They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about 48"x12" and almost a
quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut the pieces to size so that I
can use them as tops for some fish tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local hardware
store, but was told that the glass that I have is double strength and that
I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops are charging about $6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

Go back to the glass shop.... but DUDE. THIS TIME BRING SOME WEED.

"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting scrap
double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the local junkyard.
They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about 48"x12" and almost a
quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut the pieces to size so that I
can use them as tops for some fish tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts
to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local hardware
store, but was told that the glass that I have is double strength and that
I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops are charging about
$6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

double strength glass is 1/8". single strength is about 2/3s that.

you have 1/4". it's harder to cut than double strength.

you might try a stained glass store or anyone you know who does that. they'd
probably do it for free but not guarantee that it won't break badly.

if you want to try it yourself, it's always easier to cut something in half
than a sliver off a piece. if you're attempting to do the latter, then i'd
suggest having someone else do it.

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it in a
straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace the line. you
should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some window glass and
practice first. put a pencil or dowel down under the scored line. press down
from both sides firmly. it will break, but take a good deal of pressure. if
you're lucky it will break on the line. wear gloves and eye protection.

there are tools to do this safer and easier, but they're more expensive than
what you've already been quoted.

a tile cutter won't do this wide a cut.

Charles Spitzer wrote:

[...]

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it in a
straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace the line. you
should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some window glass and
practice first. put a pencil or dowel down under the scored line. press down
from both sides firmly. it will break, but take a good deal of pressure. if
you're lucky it will break on the line. wear gloves and eye protection.

I've never gotten the hang of one of those. There's a technique to it
that I can't quite get. I always think my scores are fine, but when I
go to separate it I only break it on the line about two-thirds of the
time, which is of course an unacceptably high failure rate.

My father-in-law does it as easily as marking on lumber with a
carpenter's pencil.

Definitely practice as much as you can before attempting your real cuts.
Or, just have the glass shop you talked to cut it. Don't think it's a
"ripoff" just because you got the glass cheap. How much will it matter
that the glass was cheap if you break it all trying to do this yourself?

[...]
--
Bo Williams -
http://hiwaay.net/~williams/

I've never gotten the hang of one of those. There's a technique to it
that I can't quite get. I always think my scores are fine, but when I
go to separate it I only break it on the line about two-thirds of the
time, which is of course an unacceptably high failure rate.

My father-in-law does it as easily as marking on lumber with a
carpenter's pencil.

Definitely practice as much as you can before attempting your real
cuts.
Or, just have the glass shop you talked to cut it. Don't think it's
a
"ripoff" just because you got the glass cheap. How much will it
matter that the glass was cheap if you break it all trying to do this
yourself?

[...]

Correction - I made an error. It is 1/8 inch glass and not 1/4 inch. I may
end up going back to the glass shop, but if I can take the pieces back to
the junkyard and swap them for something thinner, that might be the best
way to go. Thanks for trying to help.

"3rd eye" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 18:22:45 GMT, Jon Dogin
wrote:

Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting scrap
double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the local junkyard.
They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about 48"x12" and almost a
quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut the pieces to size so that I
can use them as tops for some fish tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts
to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local hardware
store, but was told that the glass that I have is double strength and that
I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops are charging about
$6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

It's tempered. You're not going to cut it.
Fugetabout it.

you've seen and tried to cut it?

it may not be. there's no rule that it has to be.

"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...


I've never gotten the hang of one of those. There's a technique to it
that I can't quite get. I always think my scores are fine, but when I
go to separate it I only break it on the line about two-thirds of the
time, which is of course an unacceptably high failure rate.

My father-in-law does it as easily as marking on lumber with a
carpenter's pencil.

Definitely practice as much as you can before attempting your real
cuts.
Or, just have the glass shop you talked to cut it. Don't think it's
a
"ripoff" just because you got the glass cheap. How much will it
matter that the glass was cheap if you break it all trying to do this
yourself?

[...]

Correction - I made an error. It is 1/8 inch glass and not 1/4 inch. I
may
end up going back to the glass shop, but if I can take the pieces back to
the junkyard and swap them for something thinner, that might be the best
way to go. Thanks for trying to help.

well, 1/8" is even easier than 1/4".

it's all technique, and practice does make it easier. if you have problems
breaking long pieces, do it more gently at one end of the score, then go to
the other end and break from there.

running pliers would help a lot, if you have lots of these cuts.

you can also snap scores over the edge of a table, if you're daring enough.

regards,
charlie
http://glassartists.org/chaniarts

Charles Spitzer wrote:
"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting
scrap double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the
local junkyard. They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about
48"x12" and almost a quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut
the pieces to size so that I can use them as tops for some fish
tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local
hardware store, but was told that the glass that I have is double
strength and that I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops
are charging about $6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

double strength glass is 1/8". single strength is about 2/3s that.

you have 1/4". it's harder to cut than double strength.

you might try a stained glass store or anyone you know who does that.
they'd probably do it for free but not guarantee that it won't break
badly.
if you want to try it yourself, it's always easier to cut something
in half than a sliver off a piece. if you're attempting to do the
latter, then i'd suggest having someone else do it.

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it
in a straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace
the line. you should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some
window glass and practice first.

Additional note here. Make sure the wheel is lubricated and turns
freely and make sure the glass where you are going to cut it has been
carefully cleaned. Don't delay between the time you make the scratch and
when you break it. The longer you weight the less chance you will have to
have it work. Glass heals itself so after a few minutes the scratch is not
as weak as it first was.

Additional additional note: old glass is much more difficult to cut than
new glass. Remember that glass in not really solid, but rather sort of a
hard liquid.


put a pencil or dowel down under the
scored line. press down from both sides firmly. it will break, but
take a good deal of pressure. if you're lucky it will break on the
line. wear gloves and eye protection.
there are tools to do this safer and easier, but they're more
expensive than what you've already been quoted.

a tile cutter won't do this wide a cut.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting scrap
double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the local junkyard.
They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about 48"x12" and almost a
quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut the pieces to size so that I
can use them as tops for some fish tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts
to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local hardware
store, but was told that the glass that I have is double strength and that
I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops are charging about
$6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

glass from a stereo cabinet is probably tempered safety glass and you will
not be able to cut it. since it is decorative glass, there probably isn't a
safety stamp on it, but more than likely it is tempered.
hit it w/ a hammer and see if it breaks into a thousand diamond like pieces,
if it only breaks into large pieces then you'll know it wasn't
tempered....just kidding w/ ya.
since you're not sure of how to cut it, bring it back to the glass shop and
ask them, but they'll probably tell you the same thing.
the only other tip i can give you is, if there are small *dimples* anywhere
along the edges, this is a sign that the glass has been tempered,but w/out
seeing that stamp it's hit or miss you won't know until it is scored and you
try to run the cut.

mike..........

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
news
Charles Spitzer wrote:
"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting
scrap double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the
local junkyard. They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about
48"x12" and almost a quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut
the pieces to size so that I can use them as tops for some fish
tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local
hardware store, but was told that the glass that I have is double
strength and that I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops
are charging about $6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

double strength glass is 1/8". single strength is about 2/3s that.

you have 1/4". it's harder to cut than double strength.

you might try a stained glass store or anyone you know who does that.
they'd probably do it for free but not guarantee that it won't break
badly.
if you want to try it yourself, it's always easier to cut something
in half than a sliver off a piece. if you're attempting to do the
latter, then i'd suggest having someone else do it.

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it
in a straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace
the line. you should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some
window glass and practice first.

Additional note here. Make sure the wheel is lubricated and turns
freely and make sure the glass where you are going to cut it has been
carefully cleaned. Don't delay between the time you make the scratch and
when you break it. The longer you weight the less chance you will have to
have it work. Glass heals itself so after a few minutes the scratch is
not as weak as it first was.

no, it doesn't have to be lubricated. i haven't used any oil for years in my
cutters. you don't see any cutters in home depot lubricated, and all the
glass shops i've been in don't use any lubrication.

glass doesn't heal. old wive's tale.

Additional additional note: old glass is much more difficult to cut
than new glass. Remember that glass in not really solid, but rather sort
of a hard liquid.

old glass isn't harder to cut then new glass. it probably isn't possible
that a stereo cabinet have plate glass, which would be different to cut,
than regular float glass.

typically you want about 5-6 lbs of hand pressure to cut glass, no matter
it's type or age.

glass is an amorphous solid.


put a pencil or dowel down under the
scored line. press down from both sides firmly. it will break, but
take a good deal of pressure. if you're lucky it will break on the
line. wear gloves and eye protection.
there are tools to do this safer and easier, but they're more
expensive than what you've already been quoted.

a tile cutter won't do this wide a cut.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
...

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
news
Charles Spitzer wrote:
"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting
scrap double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the
local junkyard. They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about
48"x12" and almost a quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut
the pieces to size so that I can use them as tops for some fish
tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local
hardware store, but was told that the glass that I have is double
strength and that I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops
are charging about $6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

double strength glass is 1/8". single strength is about 2/3s that.

you have 1/4". it's harder to cut than double strength.

you might try a stained glass store or anyone you know who does that.
they'd probably do it for free but not guarantee that it won't break
badly.
if you want to try it yourself, it's always easier to cut something
in half than a sliver off a piece. if you're attempting to do the
latter, then i'd suggest having someone else do it.

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it
in a straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace
the line. you should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some
window glass and practice first.

Additional note here. Make sure the wheel is lubricated and turns
freely and make sure the glass where you are going to cut it has been
carefully cleaned. Don't delay between the time you make the scratch
and
when you break it. The longer you weight the less chance you will have
to
have it work. Glass heals itself so after a few minutes the scratch is
not as weak as it first was.

no, it doesn't have to be lubricated. i haven't used any oil for years in
my
cutters. you don't see any cutters in home depot lubricated, and all the
glass shops i've been in don't use any lubrication.

a real glazier will lube almost every cut, unless he is using a self-lubing
cutter or is if he is only making one or two quick cuts. it's important to
keep the wheel and the cut cool to ensure a good clean break, one thing you
don't want is a hot cut.

mike.........




glass doesn't heal. old wive's tale.

Additional additional note: old glass is much more difficult to cut
than new glass. Remember that glass in not really solid, but rather
sort
of a hard liquid.

old glass isn't harder to cut then new glass. it probably isn't possible
that a stereo cabinet have plate glass, which would be different to cut,
than regular float glass.

typically you want about 5-6 lbs of hand pressure to cut glass, no matter
it's type or age.

glass is an amorphous solid.


put a pencil or dowel down under the
scored line. press down from both sides firmly. it will break, but
take a good deal of pressure. if you're lucky it will break on the
line. wear gloves and eye protection.
there are tools to do this safer and easier, but they're more
expensive than what you've already been quoted.

a tile cutter won't do this wide a cut.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Additional additional note: old glass is much more difficult to cut
than
new glass. Remember that glass in not really solid, but rather sort of a
hard liquid.

Yeh, I was taught in high school that glass is an extremely viscous fluid;
just look at old windows.
Turns not simply not true. Glass is just a plain old solid. Old windows
don't flow; they were uneven to start with.
Half of what everyone knows is not true. Sadly, it is hard to be sure which
half.

But getting back to the poster's question. If you paid less than $6 for the
glass, then buy a $2 glass cutter and try it. The worst that can happen is
that it doesn't work.

glass from a stereo cabinet is probably tempered safety glass and you
will not be able to cut it. since it is decorative glass, there
probably isn't a safety stamp on it, but more than likely it is
tempered. hit it w/ a hammer and see if it breaks into a thousand
diamond like pieces, if it only breaks into large pieces then you'll
know it wasn't tempered....just kidding w/ ya.
since you're not sure of how to cut it, bring it back to the glass
shop and ask them, but they'll probably tell you the same thing.
the only other tip i can give you is, if there are small *dimples*
anywhere along the edges, this is a sign that the glass has been
tempered,but w/out seeing that stamp it's hit or miss you won't know
until it is scored and you try to run the cut.

mike..........



Well, that was an interesting exchange :-)
At this point, I'll probably try to cut one of the pieces myself. As has
already been noted, if it doesn't work, I'm only out about $3.50 - what I
paid for the glass. If it does work, I just saved myself $6.00. Actually,
if I can do this repeatedly - which I'll have to given that I need to make
an average of two cuts per piece to get it to the size/shape I want, then
I'll be saving a whole lot more. Thanks.

"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
. ..


glass from a stereo cabinet is probably tempered safety glass and you
will not be able to cut it. since it is decorative glass, there
probably isn't a safety stamp on it, but more than likely it is
tempered. hit it w/ a hammer and see if it breaks into a thousand
diamond like pieces, if it only breaks into large pieces then you'll
know it wasn't tempered....just kidding w/ ya.
since you're not sure of how to cut it, bring it back to the glass
shop and ask them, but they'll probably tell you the same thing.
the only other tip i can give you is, if there are small *dimples*
anywhere along the edges, this is a sign that the glass has been
tempered,but w/out seeing that stamp it's hit or miss you won't know
until it is scored and you try to run the cut.

mike..........



Well, that was an interesting exchange :-)
At this point, I'll probably try to cut one of the pieces myself. As has
already been noted, if it doesn't work, I'm only out about $3.50 - what I
paid for the glass. If it does work, I just saved myself $6.00. Actually,
if I can do this repeatedly - which I'll have to given that I need to make
an average of two cuts per piece to get it to the size/shape I want, then
I'll be saving a whole lot more. Thanks.

you can tell if it's polarized. take 2 pairs of sunglasses. take the glass
outside in the sunlight. put one behind the glass, one in front of the
glass. look through the sandwich. if you see a pattern in the glass, it's
tempered.

Charles Spitzer wrote:


double strength glass is 1/8". single strength is about 2/3s that.

you have 1/4". it's harder to cut than double strength.

It requires more pressure to separate but not really anymore pressure to
score. It's all float glass... 3/16 and up is called 'plate' glass




you might try a stained glass store or anyone you know who does that.
they'd probably do it for free but not guarantee that it won't break
badly.

Any glass person with half a brain will not guarantee that a cut will be
successful :-)


if you want to try it yourself, it's always easier to cut something
in half than a sliver off a piece. if you're attempting to do the
latter, then i'd suggest having someone else do it.

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it
in a straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace
the line. you should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some
window glass and practice first.

I think it is best described as the sound like slowly tearing a sheet of
paper



Additional note here. Make sure the wheel is lubricated and turns
freely and make sure the glass where you are going to cut it has been
carefully cleaned. Don't delay between the time you make the scratch and
when you break it. The longer you weight the less chance you will have to
have it work. Glass heals itself so after a few minutes the scratch is
not as weak as it first was.


no, it doesn't have to be lubricated. i haven't used any oil for years in my
cutters.

No, you don't HAVE to lubricate, it's just a much better way to do it.


you don't see any cutters in home depot lubricated, and all the
glass shops i've been in don't use any lubrication.

Commercial glaziers most often use the lub on the intended score line,
not on the cutter. Thus, the possibility of your confusion.



glass doesn't heal. old wive's tale.

Sorry sir, not true. The older the score, the less likely the glass will
separate on the line. I don't know the science but I have often tried
breaking off pieces on old score lines will little success.



Additional additional note: old glass is much more difficult to cut
than new glass. Remember that glass in not really solid, but rather sort
of a hard liquid.


old glass isn't harder to cut then new glass.

If it is NOS, no, but usually folks are trying to recut old glass that
has been exposed to the elements and it will have pitting or etching
caused by pollutants that can effect the continuity of the score line.

If that's the case, try and figure out which side faced in and score on
that one.


it probably isn't possible
that a stereo cabinet have plate glass,

Most unlikely


which would be different to cut,
than regular float glass.

Again, the score pressure would be the same. It's a misconception that
the thicker the glass the more pressure you need to apply to the score
line. Since there is no grain 'cutting' glass is really a controlled
break along the path of least resistance.


Lenny

How about some advice from an actual glass cutter ?

Lubricate EVERY cut, we use a special oil for this, but in a pinch at home i
use 3 in 1 oil. You do not want a "hot" score.
Yes, after about 20 minutes a score will NOT run, or break because the score
has healed.
Slow, steady pressure on the score, and don't pause or stop. Wear gloves and
eye protection. Run the score either using the pencil method described
earlier, or grab the glass each side the score with thumb and fingers and
pry up.

6mm (1/4") is no easier or harder to cut than 3mm once you know how to score
it. Cutting machines use varying pressures when scoring.

BEWARE, if you got these pieces fo glass out of a stereo cabinet (regardless
of the thickness) they may be tempered and when you score the glass it will
go boom !!!

Bottom line, go to damn glass shop and some pieces cut to size, it's not
that expensive.

Mike



"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
...

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
news
Charles Spitzer wrote:
"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting
scrap double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the
local junkyard. They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about
48"x12" and almost a quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut
the pieces to size so that I can use them as tops for some fish
tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local
hardware store, but was told that the glass that I have is double
strength and that I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops
are charging about $6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

double strength glass is 1/8". single strength is about 2/3s that.

you have 1/4". it's harder to cut than double strength.

you might try a stained glass store or anyone you know who does that.
they'd probably do it for free but not guarantee that it won't break
badly.
if you want to try it yourself, it's always easier to cut something
in half than a sliver off a piece. if you're attempting to do the
latter, then i'd suggest having someone else do it.

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it
in a straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace
the line. you should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some
window glass and practice first.

Additional note here. Make sure the wheel is lubricated and turns
freely and make sure the glass where you are going to cut it has been
carefully cleaned. Don't delay between the time you make the scratch
and
when you break it. The longer you weight the less chance you will have
to
have it work. Glass heals itself so after a few minutes the scratch is
not as weak as it first was.

no, it doesn't have to be lubricated. i haven't used any oil for years in
my
cutters. you don't see any cutters in home depot lubricated, and all the
glass shops i've been in don't use any lubrication.

glass doesn't heal. old wive's tale.

Additional additional note: old glass is much more difficult to cut
than new glass. Remember that glass in not really solid, but rather
sort
of a hard liquid.

old glass isn't harder to cut then new glass. it probably isn't possible
that a stereo cabinet have plate glass, which would be different to cut,
than regular float glass.

typically you want about 5-6 lbs of hand pressure to cut glass, no matter
it's type or age.

glass is an amorphous solid.


put a pencil or dowel down under the
scored line. press down from both sides firmly. it will break, but
take a good deal of pressure. if you're lucky it will break on the
line. wear gloves and eye protection.
there are tools to do this safer and easier, but they're more
expensive than what you've already been quoted.

a tile cutter won't do this wide a cut.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"Mike Cahill" wrote in message
...
How about some advice from an actual glass cutter ?

i guess i'm not an actual glass cutter, only have 20 years in the business
of doing thousands of feet of stained glass.

Lubricate EVERY cut, we use a special oil for this, but in a pinch at home
i
use 3 in 1 oil. You do not want a "hot" score.

haven't used oil in years. no difference. there are cutters designed for no
oil, specifically diamond, but there are some carbide cutters also.

Yes, after about 20 minutes a score will NOT run, or break because the
score
has healed.

really? i have some scored glass that still shows the score. 10-15 years
old. they aren't healed. still break well too.

Slow, steady pressure on the score, and don't pause or stop. Wear gloves
and
eye protection. Run the score either using the pencil method described
earlier, or grab the glass each side the score with thumb and fingers and
pry up.

6mm (1/4") is no easier or harder to cut than 3mm once you know how to
score
it. Cutting machines use varying pressures when scoring.

it takes significantly more pressure to start the run the thicker the glass
is. it doesn't take more pressure when scoring though. it takes a LOT of
pressure to run 3/4" glass, as i recently found out.


BEWARE, if you got these pieces fo glass out of a stereo cabinet
(regardless
of the thickness) they may be tempered and when you score the glass it
will
go boom !!!

Bottom line, go to damn glass shop and some pieces cut to size, it's not
that expensive.

Mike



"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
...

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
news
Charles Spitzer wrote:
"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting
scrap double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the
local junkyard. They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about
48"x12" and almost a quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut
the pieces to size so that I can use them as tops for some fish
tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local
hardware store, but was told that the glass that I have is double
strength and that I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops
are charging about $6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.

J.

double strength glass is 1/8". single strength is about 2/3s that.

you have 1/4". it's harder to cut than double strength.

you might try a stained glass store or anyone you know who does that.
they'd probably do it for free but not guarantee that it won't break
badly.
if you want to try it yourself, it's always easier to cut something
in half than a sliver off a piece. if you're attempting to do the
latter, then i'd suggest having someone else do it.

use a $2 carbide wheel glass cutter from the hardware store. score it
in a straight line, don't go back and rescore skips, don't retrace
the line. you should hear a skritch when scoring correctly. get some
window glass and practice first.

Additional note here. Make sure the wheel is lubricated and turns
freely and make sure the glass where you are going to cut it has been
carefully cleaned. Don't delay between the time you make the scratch
and
when you break it. The longer you weight the less chance you will have
to
have it work. Glass heals itself so after a few minutes the scratch is
not as weak as it first was.

no, it doesn't have to be lubricated. i haven't used any oil for years in
my
cutters. you don't see any cutters in home depot lubricated, and all the
glass shops i've been in don't use any lubrication.

glass doesn't heal. old wive's tale.

Additional additional note: old glass is much more difficult to cut
than new glass. Remember that glass in not really solid, but rather
sort
of a hard liquid.

old glass isn't harder to cut then new glass. it probably isn't possible
that a stereo cabinet have plate glass, which would be different to cut,
than regular float glass.

typically you want about 5-6 lbs of hand pressure to cut glass, no matter
it's type or age.

glass is an amorphous solid.


put a pencil or dowel down under the
scored line. press down from both sides firmly. it will break, but
take a good deal of pressure. if you're lucky it will break on the
line. wear gloves and eye protection.
there are tools to do this safer and easier, but they're more
expensive than what you've already been quoted.

a tile cutter won't do this wide a cut.

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"Charles Spitzer" wrote in message
...

"Mike Cahill" wrote in message
...
How about some advice from an actual glass cutter ?

i guess i'm not an actual glass cutter, only have 20 years in the business
of doing thousands of feet of stained glass.

there is a big difference between making long consistant cuts involved in
cutting window glass and plate glass and that of stained glass. a good
glazier will always use a lube such as kerosene or mineral spirits or even a
light weight oil like WD40 if necessary. a hot cut and a new cutter can
ruin a good piece of glass if used wrong. when cutting plate glass you
would want to use an older cutter w/ that has been *dulled* a bit and on a
piece of SSB or DSB a newer cutter that doesn't need much pressure to make
the cut since you can actually break the glass if you push down too hard on
on single or double strenght glass . if a cut is too hot it will *pop*
little rice like pieces along the cut and make running it very difficult and
could make the break unclean and rough.

mike..........

"Jon Dogin" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I'm hoping that someone can give me some suggestions for cutting scrap
double strength glass. I picked up a few pieces from the local junkyard.
They look to be pieces from a stereo cabinet - about 48"x12" and almost a
quarter of an inch thick. I'm trying to cut the pieces to size so that I
can use them as tops for some fish tanks. Mainly I need to do long cuts
to
split them in half. I was hoping to get this done at the local hardware
store, but was told that the glass that I have is double strength and that
I'd have to go to a glass shop. The glass shops are charging about
$6/cut -
that's more than I paid for the individual pieces of glass. I had one
person reccomend that I use a tile cutter for this job. Anyone have
experience using a tile cutter to cut double strength glass or have a
better/cheaper method? Thanks in advance for any help.


The glass may be tempered, pay the $6 a cut and avoid slashing your wrists.