Since I didn't grow up with a father to teach me these things, I learn from the HDForum family with each of my posts...
I need to widen the headlight port on this windshield by about 3/4" so it fits over my nacelle.
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My buddy let me borrow his Dremel kit, but it comes with every type of bit except the cutting edge. All the discs in the box are sanding discs.
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Went to Home Depot, they didn't have any cutting wheels. Which type should I look for in cutting this thick of PlexiGlass? Any tips on cutting/holding the windshield?
You need some type of saw blade ...not a grinding disc ,that will melt it before it cuts...wont be pretty. Find a jig saw. Put some masking tape or painters tape on both sides of the shield where you're going to cut it. You want a fine tooth blade then you can use thst dremel to polish up the cut edge. I made a shield once and used a band saw tp cut the shape and then a grinding wheel to clean up the cut. Tape, take your time, let the saw do the work.
I have cut down several windshields with good success. Have always used a jigsaw. Make a pattern with a piece of cardboard. Tape off the area you are working on to avoid scratches. Hold the pattern to the taped off area and use a sharpie to draw your cutting line. Make sure your shield is clamped very tightly, in fact if it is possible to leave it on the bike that works fine, just make sure you can't damage any parts of the bike, and use blankets etc to keep sawdust away. Use jigsaw to cut piece out. File and sand the edge smooth, being careful not to slip onto the face of the shield.
I've done a bunch. I use an abrasive cut-off wheel on a small angle grinder. You can use a dremel too. Yes, if you push hard it melts the edge, but it cleans off easily. My practice is to tape the entire windshield with masking tape. Draw your lines on with a pencil first, refine it, then go over that with a sharpie.
After it's cut, the melted edges usual break off easily by hand, then you can clean up the edges with sandpaper.
On an inside radius cut like for headlight clearance, a saber saw might be best, although I use a flapper wheel on my angle grinder.
Edit....After reading RKs response response below, he is spot about letting the saw do the work. Use caution with a saber saw. I can't tell how many peice of Plexiglas I've cracked by trying to force it
Last edited by Mike Lawless; 11-14-2018 at 11:52 AM.
I have cut down several windshields with good success. Have always used a jigsaw. Make a pattern with a piece of cardboard. Tape off the area you are working on to avoid scratches. Hold the pattern to the taped off area and use a sharpie to draw your cutting line. Make sure your shield is clamped very tightly, in fact if it is possible to leave it on the bike that works fine, just make sure you can't damage any parts of the bike, and use blankets etc to keep sawdust away. Use jigsaw to cut piece out. File and sand the edge smooth, being careful not to slip onto the face of the shield.
There are youtube videos that show this method.
I used a jigsaw with a fine tooth metal blade, let the saw do the work then finish up with a file and sandpaper, the shield needs to be stable, so you will need to find a way to clamp to a table. Or you can see if a glass shop will cut it down for you on the cheap.
Had to do this with a Street Shield several bikes ago because the curves at the bottom overlapped with
my blinkers.
I just used a grinding disk that you put on a drill, one with a stiff rubber back. Very coarse "grit". It munched
away the plexi very nicely, didn't melt anything, and was pretty easy to control. I probably had to take 1/2
inch off of each curve. Took about half an hour, and when I was done, I just rounded off the edges to match
the rest of the windshield, and it looked like it came that way from the factory.
I use Dremel reinforced cut-off wheels. The low speed setting on the Dremel tool works great and will not melt the plastic. Taping the windshield is advisable in case the tool skips or wonders away. I tried a jig-saw blade but the vibration from the tool made it hard to focus whereas the Dremel gives you more control in my opinion.
I have cut down several windshields with good success. Have always used a jigsaw. Make a pattern with a piece of cardboard. Tape off the area you are working on to avoid scratches. Hold the pattern to the taped off area and use a sharpie to draw your cutting line. Make sure your shield is clamped very tightly, in fact if it is possible to leave it on the bike that works fine, just make sure you can't damage any parts of the bike, and use blankets etc to keep sawdust away. Use jigsaw to cut piece out. File and sand the edge smooth, being careful not to slip onto the face of the shield.
There are youtube videos that show this method.
Not to be an ******* (though I suppose I am), I'm guessing if he could leave the shield attached to the bike, this whole conversation would be moot.
To the OP, can the brackets be moved up eliminating the need to cut the shield?
Last edited by sailmotion; 11-14-2018 at 12:51 PM.
A dremel tool would not be ideal for cutting an inside radius. If you were cutting the outside of a radius, that's a different story (like the outside edges of the windshield). The blade will try to pull you in a straight line, even if you pull it out a bit, it will start to bind creating a "not so clean" cut.
I agree with what others have mentioned about taping it off and using a fine tooth jigsaw. Maybe even a coping saw if you can position the blade properly so the handle doesn't make contact with the windshield?
11-14-2018, 11:14 AM
Cutting a PlexiGlass windshield
