I'm about to make a foffee table from a sheet of glass. How does one
dull the sharp edges (without the use of expensive tools)? Oil stone,
perhaps?

Thanks

Frank

wrote:

I'm about to make a foffee table from a sheet of glass. How does one
dull the sharp edges (without the use of expensive tools)? Oil stone,
perhaps?

Thanks

Frank

Your glazier is best equiped to do this. For a table top you should be
using 6mm minimum thickness and the glass should be tempered. I think
they use a leather wheel impregnated with diamond abrasive.
I'm sure an oilstone will take the edge of ok but it will be difficult to
get a presentable edge. Could you put it in a wooden frame?

Bob

wrote:
I'm about to make a foffee table from a sheet of glass. How does one
dull the sharp edges (without the use of expensive tools)? Oil
stone,
perhaps?

Thanks

Frank

I trust it is safety glass?
You can just grind the edges with wet and dry paper, but be really
cautious of your hands. A glass shop will do the job really well,
cheaply and safely.

MrCheerful

wrote:
I'm about to make a foffee table from a sheet of glass. How does one
dull the sharp edges (without the use of expensive tools)? Oil stone,
perhaps?

Thanks

Frank


Aluminium Oxide paper will do it (Or Silicon Carbide). Not sure of the
finish quality though. Gloves, goggles and a mask probably aren't over
the top either.

--
Chris
-----
Spamtrap in force: to email replace 127.0.0.1 with blueyonder.co.uk

MrCheerful wrote:
wrote:
I'm about to make a foffee table from a sheet of glass. How does one
dull the sharp edges (without the use of expensive tools)? Oil stone,
perhaps?

Thanks

Frank

I trust it is safety glass?
You can just grind the edges with wet and dry paper, but be really
cautious of your hands. A glass shop will do the job really well,
cheaply and safely.

MrCheerful

MrCheerful,

Unfortunately you cannot cut or grind the edges of TEMPERED "safety glass"
AFTER it has been tempered.

The cutting and grinding of safety glass has to be done BEFORE tempering as
this process sets up stresses in the glass that are "held in" by a very thin
surface "skin" and once this skin is penetrated - the glass shatters into
hundreds of very small pieces.

There is an exception when using LAMINATED safety glass. This can be cut
and ground after manufacture but its use in furniture is limited where the
edge can be seen because of the plastic reinforcing interleave which
prevents the glass shattering into pieces.


Brian

On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 16:46:10 +0100, Bob Minchin
wrote:


Your glazier is best equiped to do this. For a table top you should be
using 6mm minimum thickness and the glass should be tempered. I think
they use a leather wheel impregnated with diamond abrasive.
I'm sure an oilstone will take the edge of ok but it will be difficult to
get a presentable edge. Could you put it in a wooden frame?

Bob, Thanks for the tips. Yes, I do intend to drop the glass into a
hardwood frame. The dulling of the edges will be more for the sake of
anyone who takes the glass out in the future than anything.

Thanks also to the other commenters.

Frank

MrCheerful wrote:
Brian wrote:
MrCheerful wrote:
wrote:
I'm about to make a foffee table from a sheet of glass. How does
one dull the sharp edges (without the use of expensive tools)? Oil
stone, perhaps?

Thanks

Frank

I trust it is safety glass?
You can just grind the edges with wet and dry paper, but be really
cautious of your hands. A glass shop will do the job really well,
cheaply and safely.

MrCheerful

MrCheerful,

Unfortunately you cannot cut or grind the edges of TEMPERED "safety
glass" AFTER it has been tempered.

The cutting and grinding of safety glass has to be done BEFORE
tempering as this process sets up stresses in the glass that are
"held in" by a very thin surface "skin" and once this skin is
penetrated - the glass shatters into hundreds of very small pieces.

There is an exception when using LAMINATED safety glass. This can be
cut and ground after manufacture but its use in furniture is limited
where the edge can be seen because of the plastic reinforcing
interleave which prevents the glass shattering into pieces.


Brian

I am sure you know your subject, but I have ground out damage in
tempered glass such as the side windows of cars in the past without
problems like shattering.

MrCheerful

Then I would suggest that the damage was very light and you used nothing
harsher than something like jewllers rouge - or very lucky - as once that
"skin" is penetrated, the stresses are relieved and the glass shatters as it
is designed to do.

Brian

Dave Plowman wrote in message ...
In article ,
wrote:
I'm about to make a foffee table from a sheet of glass. How does one
dull the sharp edges (without the use of expensive tools)? Oil stone,
perhaps?

IIRC, a table top should really be made of safety glass which is usually
toughened, and this has to have the edges ground before the tempering
process.


Hi. Yup, I dont think its smart to use float glass in tabletops. If
you must cut costs you could use laminated glass, but really not
float. What happens if someone sits on that doesnt bear thinking
about.


Regards, NT