Fitting acrylic bath panel

[evansg81]

Hi, new to this site

Have been left in the lurch by a disappearing joiner, and I would like to try to fit our white acrylic bath panel myself. I'm comfortable making the frame to attach it to etc, but the panel doesn't actually fit in place (due to tiling on the floor) and so needs trimming.

Can these panels be trimmed? If so, what type of saw or whatever should I use? Manual would be best, as I don't want to shell out for a power tool that I will never use again.

Thanks
DIY beginner

PS The bath is bow-fronted, so making my own panel out of MDF or whatever isn't really an option

 

[fathead]

yes they can be cut with a handsaw, take your time and i always find if you keep the saw at a shallow angle it cuts better, the panel can crack quite easily so try to keep it well supported. ive cut alot of acrylic bath panels and never had a problem, but some others on the forum may have better ideas

good luck...

 

[Pushfit]

Hi,
For cutting acrylic I always use a fine hard point saw. The one I have at the moment is Bahco Prizecut 300. It is a toolbox saw about 14 inches long, with 15 teeth to the inch. The last one I had was made by Sandvik and was just a good. There are loads to choose from - fine teeth is important, and the short length prevents it from twisting and splitting the panel.
I stick masking tape along where the cut is to go and mark the cut line on that, since it is easier than marking directly on the panel. Then making sure you support the panel cut with the saw at a very shallow angle, letting the weight of the saw as it were determine the speed of cut - do not force it.

Good luck.