# Cut glass in a straight line.



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Anyone know how to cut glass, nothing fancy just a straight line.
I've seen many methods on the internet but I don't know which ones actually work and which ones won't cost me 300$.

I just want to cut in a straight line, trim down edges that when I got my glass cut by a "professional" well his measurements are a little off and he won't take them back without charging me twice.

So I'd like to learn how to cut it myself and save down the road.


----------



## M_Rybecky (Mar 16, 2009)

You need a bunch of tools and it kinda gets expensive. The scoring tool and the breaking pliers are pretty cheep but you need something to grid the edges and i dont think there is an easy or smart way of doing that by hand... but i might be wrong, but I just havnt found one yet. Grinders are usually $100 plus, and grinding thicker glass wears down the bit and the bits can be pretty expensive. You should go on to a stained glass website and see what kind of package deals they have.


----------



## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

Straight edge, glass cutter, and maybe a pair of running pliers. Besides the tape measure, that's about it. You also should have something to take off the sharp edges afterwards. I use an abrasive stone others use a diamond sharpening stone.


----------



## Champhibians (May 4, 2008)

Ziggi said:


> Anyone know how to cut glass, nothing fancy just a straight line.
> I've seen many methods on the internet but I don't know which ones actually work and which ones won't cost me 300$.
> 
> I just want to cut in a straight line, trim down edges that when I got my glass cut by a "professional" well his measurements are a little off and he won't take them back without charging me twice.
> ...


I had this same problem, now I measure them before I leave and show them they are wrong and they fix it then.


----------



## RichardA (Jul 15, 2009)

Metal yard stick, or even better a drywall T-square. Possibly some glass plyers but I have not ever needed them. A good glass scoring tool, dont skimp out on that! Glass tool oil or 3 in 1 works and a nice flat work area. To sand the edges I just use a 1x2 block of wood with high grit sandpaper wrapped around it.


----------



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

As RichardA says - and wet emery cloth will take the sharp edges off.

s


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Wow talk about losing me quickly lol.
Anyone have links to some of these items?

When I can put an image to the name I know more what I'm looking for.
A little glass cutting kit would be idea then I guess.


----------



## RichardA (Jul 15, 2009)

Most home improvement stores carry a decent glass cutting kit with all but the straight edge, you can pick a decent sized metal ruler up at any office supply place though.


----------



## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

It's also beneficial to have a glass-cutting band saw setup which uses water and also delivers more precise cuts, especially if you are ever cutting very thin pieces of glass.

If you don't have this setup, please protect your face and wash your hand thoroughly afterwards.

This is not for a novice, though---it would have to be done by someone else.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

I think a glass-cutting band saw will bust the budget.
I'm just looking for something very simple to cut very regular glass.
I don't own a house nor do I plan on buying machinery lol.

Just something I can cut glass in a straight line with, nothing more.


----------



## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Before I bought my wall-mount cutter, I would just use some clamps and a straight edge, along with a hand scoring tool from HD. Just run your score line, unclamp the workpiece, line up the cut with a table edge (score side up), and quickly break the excess off.


----------



## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

I use a basic rotary cutter like this: Fletcher Designer II Glass Cutters - Stained Glass Cutter (but without the fancy "oil barrel" or whatever they're talking about). It's basically a metal shaft with a tiny metal wheel at the end that's sharpened. You run the wheel along the line you want to cut and it scores the glass. Then you use that ball on the other end of it to gently tap along the score and "break" your glass.

I use a metal yardstick to keep the line straight and whatever sandpaper I have lying around to buff the edges and corners when I'm done.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

That's the tool i've seen used on youtube and such.
I was wondering why some people where talking about all these sorts of tools.

If that tool works and regular sand paper does the job then that's what I need.
Nothing fancy it's just to cut pieces to put in my exo terra screen top.

I'll go to HD and see what they can sell me.

Thx



skylsdale said:


> I use a basic rotary cutter like this: Fletcher Designer II Glass Cutters - Stained Glass Cutter (but without the fancy "oil barrel" or whatever they're talking about). It's basically a metal shaft with a tiny metal wheel at the end that's sharpened. You run the wheel along the line you want to cut and it scores the glass. Then you use that ball on the other end of it to gently tap along the score and "break" your glass.
> 
> I use a metal yardstick to keep the line straight and whatever sandpaper I have lying around to buff the edges and corners when I'm done.


----------



## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

My HD has the cutter, oil, pliers, straight edge, and abrasives. The HD cutter is your basic steel wheel number. It will work OK. Better cutters use a carbide wheel, last longer, and cut easier. Any light grade oil will do. The plastic HD running pliers are crap. Don't waste your money. Some straight edges have material on the back side to prevent them from sliding, like on glass. I've seen thin cork like material that works very nicely. You'll want to get an abrasive that is very hard, like silicone carbide, diamond. The typical aluminum oxide sandpaper, for example, which is good for wood and soft metals, will wear out quickly.


----------



## SMenigoz (Feb 17, 2004)

Ziggi said:


> I just want to cut in a straight line, trim down edges that when I got my glass cut by a "professional" well his measurements are a little off and he won't take them back without charging me twice.


Find another glass shop. If you paid to have a 12x12 piece cut and it turns out to be 12x 115/8, that his fault. I routinely give odd-ball measurements to my shop of choice and get exactly what I asked for. The one time he was off slightly, he fixed it immediately. His mistake= no additional cost.
I've tried to cut my own over the years and can't get a straight edge to save my life. Some things are best left to those with the tools/experience.
Scott


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Alright i'm getting mixed up with all these fancy names of tools I've never seen before.

So I'll tell you what I saw on you tube and you can tell me if that works.
Simple as can be.

He had a metal yard stick for the straight light.
A carbide edge tool like you mentioned, made a straight line very quickly and lightly. 
Then took a pair a regular flat nose pliers and just gently bent at the crack and bam it broke off nice and clean. And I have tons of sandpaper here to soften the edges a little bit, doesn't need to be much as it will go on the top of my screen where it will be into contact with no living thing.

If you have links to what you bought at HD maybe that would help me put a image to the name, I'm going there today for tool hunting and get the job done.

Thanks


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

You make a good point.
Sometimes when attempting to do what the professionals do with very little tools you end up wasting more money then you would of in the first place.
Speaking from experience here lol.

I'll see what I can find at HD.
I'd still like to be able to find example diamond drill bits for in the future install plumbing, misting systems, shut off valves in my tanks to make things more automated. I'm fine with the set ups I have for now since I only have 5 vivs, but I don't plan on stopping 



skylsdale said:


> I use a basic rotary cutter like this: Fletcher Designer II Glass Cutters - Stained Glass Cutter (but without the fancy "oil barrel" or whatever they're talking about). It's basically a metal shaft with a tiny metal wheel at the end that's sharpened. You run the wheel along the line you want to cut and it scores the glass. Then you use that ball on the other end of it to gently tap along the score and "break" your glass.
> 
> I use a metal yardstick to keep the line straight and whatever sandpaper I have lying around to buff the edges and corners when I'm done.





SMenigoz said:


> Find another glass shop. If you paid to have a 12x12 piece cut and it turns out to be 12x 115/8, that his fault. I routinely give odd-ball measurements to my shop of choice and get exactly what I asked for. The one time he was off slightly, he fixed it immediately. His mistake= no additional cost.
> I've tried to cut my own over the years and can't get a straight edge to save my life. Some things are best left to those with the tools/experience.
> Scott


----------



## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

Ziggi, if I understand correctly, you just want to cut glass to replace the tops on your ExoTerras? If that's the case, I don't see the point in needing a perfectly straight edge on the glass as you won't even notice it once it's put in place. If you were making actual enclosures or display doors, etc. I would agree to get great tools or take it to a different glass shop...but if it's just a utilitarian piece of glass to cover the venting on the ExoTerra, I don't see the point in overcomplicating the process.

However, if you can find a different glass shop who can cut the pieces for you and it will be cheaper than getting a rotary cutter and metal yard stick (~$35), I would go have it cut purely because cost savings.


----------



## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

M_Rybecky said:


> You need a bunch of tools and it kinda gets expensive. The scoring tool and the breaking pliers are pretty cheep but you need something to grid the edges and i dont think there is an easy or smart way of doing that by hand... but i might be wrong, but I just havnt found one yet. Grinders are usually $100 plus, and grinding thicker glass wears down the bit and the bits can be pretty expensive. You should go on to a stained glass website and see what kind of package deals they have.


you really dont need that much. a straight line (as others have mentioned) like a metal ruler (try art supply store) a glass cutter (home improvement store) some newspaper, a sanding block (or piece of wood and staple gun) fine grit sandpaper (preferably cloth backed) or emery cloth or even an emery board (like for finger nails). and some scrap to practice.

total cost is probably less than $30

james

ps unfortunately if you only need to take off a little bit you probably pretty screwed. you need 1-2 inches minimum, and that goes up as the length of the glass increases.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Your both right I only need to cut them to make tops for my exo's.
Not building tanks or anything here.

The reason I rather pay 40$ for materials is because this isn't the last exo top I'll be making, actually one of the firsts so as I may save by getting them re-cut now, in the future if I can just buy large pieces of glass and cut them myself the 40$ investment will quickly pay off.

So I need a metal yard stick, glass cutter, preferably carbide tip. And stuff around the house


----------



## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

Vintage Fletcher Gold tip Glass Cutter w/ Wheel ~NIB - eBay (item 280380221069 end time Aug-08-09 23:18:15 PDT)

Works great for me, just takes a little time to get used to. You WILL screw up at least once, it takes time to get the feel of it. Remember, use a ruler, make sure you don't miss any corners, and BEAR DOWN!!!


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

??? Never seen that one before.
How do you cut with that lol


----------



## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

That's a standard glass cutter, you can buy them online or get them for $4 at Lowe's or Home Depot. You just roll it down the pane where you want it to cut and then "snap" it. You can make it straight or curved. By the way, oiling the cutter isn't crucial, it sounds like it in this video.

YouTube - Basic Glass Cutting


----------



## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Wow

I must be old. That's the only (vintage) glass cutter I've ever used. By the way, the guy in the video is holding his upside down


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

That's the method I'd like to do, I'll go get a good glass cutter at HD tomorrow, won't try to save 10$ by taking the cheaper one but breaking 30$ worth of glass lol.
But just straight cutting and breaking off like that is what I'm imagining in my head .

The tape idea on the pliers is a smart idea as well


----------



## LorenK (Apr 3, 2008)

I cut a piece for my zoomed recently. I bought the kit from home depot (has the cutter, oil and grease pen). I used the 'teeth' on the cutter tool to bend the glass and it broke perfectly both times.

Then I ran it through this knife sharpener to take the edge off. I didn't have any sand paper handy.

Make sure to pickup a piece of glass to practice with. You'll need to make some cuts with the tool for it to work properly.

And also make sure to use one of those very flat rulers with the cork bottoms...you don't want anything with a lip.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks for the advice.
I'll go have a looky at HD.


----------



## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Emery cloth as I know it. Or Emery paper is the best for sanding the edges and won't tear. It' black in colour.

Good luck.


----------



## bobberly1 (Jul 16, 2008)

It's not the quality of the cutter that breaks the glass, it's the technique. Especially if you're cutting large pieces like you would for a viv, you need to really bear down on it or the groove won't be significant enough and the break will stray from it.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

I used to think that paper was for sanding metal haha.
But I do have some of that at home


----------



## Dragas (Sep 4, 2008)

Maybe you could find some scrap glass around and practice ( I used an old window from a storm door to practice.) We also had some other scrap around that I messed with a bit. I haven't had to use any on the viv's yet but I feel much more comfortable about it now.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Makes sense.
I don't know where I'll get scrap glass off the top of my head but I'll look around.
Did you screw up at all when "practicing" though?


----------



## Dragas (Sep 4, 2008)

Sure did ... 

First piece I didn't score correctly (didnt press hard enough), so I had to go back over, big no-no. It ended not breaking even. 

Second attempt:
I didn't clamp the ruler down so it moved on me about 1/2 way down. 

By the end of my practice session I was able to make some curved pieces though. 

I was much more intimidated by it before I had practiced. I would probably still be nervous if I was to say, make a complete tank, but just for a top, I plan on cutting all my own now. 


(Search Craigslist/freecycle for anything that may have untempered glass , just a thought)


----------



## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

I get glass free from the dump/transfer station and taking apart old fish tanks. People throw out old storm windows all the time, and I pick those up at the dump often. They're easy to take apart. 
Sometimes I get one with tempered glass so be careful.


----------



## Petersi (Jan 31, 2008)

Every one makes it sound hard to cut glass. In a straight line as long as you are cutting off twice the thicken you should be able to break it without pliers. Just get a good cutter be careful because they come out of the box a little hot. I just use motor oil. I have worked in a glass shop since I was 14 so this is my second nature. You can sand the edges with a sanding belt if you just spray the glass down first and make quick passes. 1/4 in is the thickest I think a non pro should try. Any thicker and it take a bit of skill and better equipment.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

Just had my first crack at glass cutting tonight and I have to say.
IT"S EASY! lol

My sole mistake is that I have this cheap 6$ HD 6 wheel cutter and when I started breaking pieces is when the wheel got dull. Before I noticed the wheel was no longer good I broke a few pieces. I just switched to the second wheel, moved on and bam glass was cutting perfectly.

Now, the first wheel I used up, is that used up beyond repair or would spraying a little WD40 on it bring it back to life and make it useful again? or do the wheels need to be replaced quite often.

I recognize I don't have the best of tools, but I figured spend 6$ and give it a try I'm satisfied with the work it does for the money.


----------



## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

I don't think greasing the wheel will work (unless it no longer seems to be rotating). My assumption is that the edge of it is actually dull and no longer scoring the glass very well. But if you've only cut a few pieces of glass, it doesn't seem like it would already be dull. However, I'm also not sure about the quality of a $6 rotary cutter, so it could in fact be dull already.


----------



## Ziggi (Jan 23, 2009)

I think it's dull, it turns fine but it is not scoring correctly.
But I agree with you, you get what you pay for most of the times, this time I just wanted to try it out and for 6$ can't go wrong.
When this tool is dull all over I'll invest in a quality carbide tool.

But I'm happy it still works, just gotta keep rotating the wheels  got 6 of em so...I'm good for a few tops.


----------

