DIY Enclosure Help

[Blotterfall]

Hello all! I'm building an enclosure for my adult female Avicularia juruensis, and have all the supplies needed + a design planned out, but I just have a couple questions.

1. What can I use to accurately and precisely cut acrylic sheets? I don't mean scoring, I mean a power tool that can make even, uniform cuts. Can I just use a regular band/circular/alternating hand saw?
2. What should I use to glue the panes together? I have some RTV High Temp silicone I use for cultivating mushrooms, would that be safe to use? It is no vapor/nontoxic when cured

 

[Mpmackenna]

You can use a table saw and a blade that is suited for acrylic. A search for "table saw blade for acrylic" will return all kinds of opinions on which blade is best. There is special stuff for bonding acrylic. It is more of a chemical weld than a glue so it is very strong once it cures.

 

[EulersK]

If you use a table saw, you have to use a special blade for acrylic. Anything else will tear the acrylic apart. I personally use a Dremel with a fiberglass cutoff wheel. I then finish off the edges with either the Dremel using the sanding drum attachment, or just plain old sandpaper.

As with anything involving power tools, be sure to wear safety glasses. With the Dremel method, you will have pieces of plastic flying in your face

Concerning bonding pieces of acrylic together, about your only option is chemical welding. Many people call it "acrylic glue", but it's actually not glue at all. The chemical welding is used to bond two pieces of acrylic together. If you're bonding acrylic to another material, high temperature hot glue works the best. Do not use silicone. It doesn't bond to acrylic at all over time.

EDIT: You can't use a Dremel and then bond acrylic to make a 100% acrylic enclosure. The Dremel simply isn't precise enough. But I'd never suggest a 100% acrylic enclosure anyway - acrylic will always bow over time.

 

[Anoplogaster]

I suggest a table saw, and finish the edges with either sanding or a router. If you use the chemical weld (it’s called “Weld-on”), you will want to be sure your edge is absolutely as flat and smooth as you can make it. Most saw blades will leave little teeny chips on your edge, and score marks. Get rid of those. Because the Weld-on will seep into the smallest imperfections, and you will see cracks radiating from them. There are some good youtube videos on how to use Weld-on. Basically, you’ll want to clamp the sheets in place, and use a syringe to “flood” the edge. The liquid will travel through the joint by capillary action, weld the plastic together, and evaporate. This is completely safe for Ts because the solvent is no longer present once the bond is set.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

Hello all! I'm building an enclosure for my adult female Avicularia juruensis, and have all the supplies needed + a design planned out, but I just have a couple questions.

1. What can I use to accurately and precisely cut acrylic sheets? I don't mean scoring, I mean a power tool that can make even, uniform cuts. Can I just use a regular band/circular/alternating hand saw?
2. What should I use to glue the panes together? I have some RTV High Temp silicone I use for cultivating mushrooms, would that be safe to use? It is no vapor/nontoxic when cured

My boyfriend uses a band saw, although that's about all I know. I just draw lines on stuff, and they come back in pieces