how to cut tempered glass?

[bbaker6212]

I saw somewhere that a continuous rim diamond blade (for a tile saw or angle grinder) will work. True?

[davem]

Hi, this was discussed recently.
http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/show...tempered+glass

[bbcamp]

Tempered glass starts out as un-tempered glass which is cut to final size and heat treated (tempered) then slow cooled. Not the kind of thing you can do in the back yard.

Have your local glass shop do this for you. Depending on where you live, you can usually get 1 week turn-a-round.

If you want rounded or beveled edges, tell them when you place the order.

Bob

[John Bridge]

Have you seen what happens to the side window of a car if it gets knocked? It sprays the inside of your car with a million bb size glass particles. That's tempered glass. Once it's tempered you don't cut it.

[bbaker6212]

so a shower door is cut, drilled for mounting hardware, and *then* it's tempered? No wonder the stuff is expensive!

[tomtuttle]

And it can warp in the tempering process.

When I bought and installed a bypass Sterling shower door, I found that the door hardware did not "clear" when the doors passed each other. I could NOT figure out what I had done "wrong". After a call to the company to debug the problem, during which the rep told me to put a straight edge up on the doors, I found that both doors were bowed - towards each other.

The company sent me new ones promptly. But I still had a disposal problem. Stuff sounds like a gunshot when it breaks.

[bbaker6212]

OK this may seem like a whacky idea. But for the sake of reducing costs, is there some high tech clear plastic you can get thick that is very scratch resistant? Like a glass replacement? Yeah, I imagine the answer will be nothing lasts like tempered glass :-)

[cx]

There are clear acrylics that might serve the purpose. None gonna be as scratch resistant as glass, I don't think. Ones I'm familiar with will not save you dinero, only weight.

[flatfloor]

You can buy Lexan, clear acrylic, bullet proof but it will scratch.

[cx]

Oh, I forgot the original question.

Best way to cut tempered glass is with a good automatic center punch. Just give it one good push anywhere on the piece to be cut. Result is the same as any other method, just easier than most.

[Sonnie Layne]

years ago, I used to get free tempered panels from a supplier here in Dallas. I was building greenhouses hot and heavy and the stuff was free for the hauling.

It's my understanding that you can beat it all day with a baseball bat, but the ultrasonics of a sharp metal object just tears it apart... anyone know anything about that?

[fishinfarmgirl]

Can't help with that Sonnie...but it would be an interesting research project some day!

I keep thinkin' about the glass thing. Couldn't someone use ONE sliding patio door (Framing removed of course) that they got cheap...and then pay for the other piece that would have to be custom cut for the fixed part???


Isn't that what the patio doors ARE? Aren't they tempered??? Or are they just thick, plate glass???

L

[Sonnie Layne]

L,

You're right, same stuff, but I wouldn't want plate glass anywhere near inside my shower. It would, however save cost on the jambs of a pivoting door. Not a bad idea, but... we'd be limited to clamping hinges. Now that's not by definition a bad idea, but no holes can be drilled. Overall, sounds good to me. These days you gotta trust your instincts and your adhesives

[John Bridge]

I guess I should mention that all shower doors aren't made from tempered glass. Some of them are made from laminated safety glass -- two panes with a sheet of clear plastic between them. I think that glass could be cut with a grinder, maybe even a tile saw. Never tried it. Anybody?

[Sonnie Layne]

Not me, and I can't see it happening if the only dif is a sheet of poly between the panes... however, I'm not a real glazier... I'll see if I can raise the real guy up to the conversation. Would be interesting topic for this and future topics,