Cutting toughened glass

[notb665]

I have a pane of toughened glass and need a slightly smaller size. I was hoping to use the pane and cut it down.

I couldn't cut it with a glass cutter (this was when I realised it was probably toughened glass, plus it's for a kitchen cabinet).

The window merchant is taking ages to get me the correct match.

I have a diamond bladed electric tile saw I use to cut ceramic tiles.

So I was thinking... would cutting toughened glass with a diamond bladed electric tile saw work? Any other suggestions?

I would wear goggles and gloves etc etc.

[2scoops0406]

Firstly is it toughened or laminated ? If toughened, then the concensus on the sites I've investigated is that no, you cannot cut it, even with a diamond blade.

[masona]

I'm afraid it's impossible to cut as they are toughen but when breaks they shattered into hazardous pieces, the same as car windscreens. I believe they are heated during the toughening process.

[kevplumb]

tryed it on a laser cutter once


BANG

[2scoops0406]

masona wrote:

I'm afraid it's impossible to cut as they are toughen but when breaks they shattered into hazardous pieces, the same as car windscreens. I believe they are heated during the toughening process.

Force cooled I believe, could be wrong though

[breezer]

masona wrote:

but when breaks they shattered into hazardous pieces,

i thought toughened broke into very small pieces, laminated goes into shards (assuming you "give it some stick")

laminated gals is a sheet of glass, sheet of "plastic" sheet of glass, bit like a sandwhich, only you wouldn't want to eat it

[2scoops0406]

Toughened breaks into small non hazardous cubes. Which is why it is used in car glass (non windscreen) and some beer glasses . Laminated is used to keep the glass together, yes is glass plastic, glass etc. Designed to stop you flying through the windscrren in an accident. Instead, simply spreads your face over the inside of the screen.

[TexMex]

Toughened glass is toughened by cooling quickly. This results in the outer skin setting while the core is still cooling (and contracting). The net result is, the whole pane is being pulled together by the unresolved contraction of the core. Any fracture of the outer skin results in failure of the whole pane.

You can do an interesting experiment by dripping molten glass into water. This gives teardrops of glass with a fine tail. The resultant beads are excedingly tough and will tollerate being bashed with a hammer, but if you just snap the fine tail (which is very delicate), the whole bead explodes. Great fun to hand around at parties.

[chappers]

Prince Rupert's tears they are called check this out
http://www.museumofglass.org/VHS/video/rupert_drop_demo_bb.html

but be careful folks the glass powders fine enough to breathe in.

In answer to your question it cannot be cut

[ish303]

Well I wish I had read this post before attempting to cut toughened glass!!!

I was going to cut down a glass shelf for a bathroom and assumed my diamond blade cutter would work as I have tiled a kitchen in glass tiles and had to cut a load of them and did so with no problem with it.

Anyway, a few mm in the cutting the entire thing shattered.

Only problem is I have already drilled the bathroom tiles and fitted the supports.

Anyone know where you can get custom made toughened glass from??

[freddymercurystwin]

Glass supplier will be easiest.

[ish303]

Any reccomendations?

[freddymercurystwin]

Your nearest one. They're all of a muchness.

[crank39]

Just google toughened/polished edge/bevelled/glass shelves in Berkshire

Cameo glass in Oxon is the first one that springs to mind