How to cut a small circle out of glass

How to cut glass without a glass cutter

Special cutting tools are required to work on a material as brittle as glass. Of course, glass cutters greatly simplify the process of cutting, but it is also possible to cope with their work, using other improvised objects. If you are faced with the need to cut glass, and you do not have at hand a glass cutter, we advise you how to replace it.

Glass cutting tools have not always been as widespread as they are nowadays. In the second half of the last century, people invented their own ways to conquer this capricious material without using a glass cutter. In fact, to cut unhardened glass up to 8 mm thick, you can use many improvised objects, you just need to have a little skill.

To begin the list of objects suitable for working with glass, it is better to define the types of impact on this material. The main methods are thermal, when glass is heated in a certain place, and physical, when it is cut by brute force. In industry, a hydro-abrasive method of cutting is used, when the glass is processed on expensive equipment under strong water pressure.

To cut glass with a thermal method, a small piece of string and a flammable liquid like alcohol or acetone are enough, and a blowtorch or torch can also be used as a cutter. You can use a file, a pobedite drill, a nail, a thin diamond disc, and even regular tailor scissors to cut glass physically. Of course, it is difficult to get a good chip with some of these items, but with the right skill, you can get quite a good result. Now that you know how you can cut glass without a glass cutter, you can move on to the process itself.

How to cut glass without a glass cutter

Before we proceed to a detailed description of glass cutting techniques, we want to remind you of safety. always wear protective gloves and safety glasses to prevent cuts and shards in the eyes. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the glass.

Using a flaming thread

A very common method, used mostly for cutting glass bottles. Straight glasses, as well can be cut by this method, but with a little nuance. All you need to make a clean cut is a piece of woolen thread, a flammable liquid (alcohol, kerosene, etc.) and a small piece of glass.д.) and a container of cold water.

Soak the thread in flammable liquid and fix it in the cut line on the glass. We ignite it, wait until it burns through and immediately place it in cold water or pour it over the place where it is heated. The main thing is to make the glass cool down as quickly as possible and break from the temperature difference. A characteristic “click” indicates the success of the work done. If the glass does not crack, you can try to repeat the operation.

This method cuts the bottles rather precisely, but does not always work with large glass sizes. It is also very flammable and requires a fire extinguisher on hand or a container of water, which is already a must.

Use the soldering iron

This is a very interesting, but rather slow way to cut glass thermally. It is more suitable for a shaped cut, but the usual straight line for a trimmer will do without problems. You need a file and a heating element (a soldering iron or a pyramid burner) for this operation.

After marking a line on the glass for the trimmer of the future cut, we take a file and make with it a small groove at the very edge. Step back from it 1-2 mm, heat the place with a soldering iron, until a micro-crack is formed between it and the groove. Afterwards we step back from the crack by the same distance and gradually move to the finish point. It takes a long time to cut the glass, but you can get any shape. To speed things up a bit, you can periodically cool the glass by putting a damp cloth over it.

Scissors in water

A simple method of directional glass breaking. Makes it easy to cut round shapes, but not suitable for making straight lines. For such cutting you will need usual scissors and a container with water, which will serve as a kind of grease. The maximum thickness of the glass should not exceed 4 mm.

The process of cutting with this method is extremely simple. We take a piece of the processed glass, immerse it in water and use scissors to cut small pieces from the edges. Water will not let the glass crack, allowing you to make a controlled chip. This way you can get shapes of oval and round shape.

Diamond disc

Not the safest way to cut glass, requiring a high degree of accuracy and mandatory compliance with safety rules. Can easily chip glass and launch the splinter in any direction. Otherwise, the method is effective enough and can cope with the task. For cutting, you will need a special tool (angle grinder, drill or drill) with a diamond disc with a thickness of 0.1 mm.

The cutting process itself is quite simple, but it requires a certain skill and a steady hand to guide the tool cleanly along the line. Lay the piece of glass to be cut on a flat place, use the cutter and run the trimmer blade on the glass surface. The main thing is not to plunge deep into the glass, but only to touch lightly, so that a small groove is formed, similar to a wide line for a trimmer from a glass cutter. Next, simply break the glass in the desired spot.

To reduce the chance of glass shearing during the work and to reduce the amount of glass dust, you can periodically sprinkle the place of the cut with water.

File

One more way how to cut glass at home without a cutter and expensive power tools. You will need a file and some experience with glass. Note that a file must have angles, so a round one will not do.

To cut the glass, it is enough to make a few notches on its surface with the angle of the file. You should press the file a little harder than average so that the force is enough to create a clear groove that resembles a glass cutter. When you have a chipped location, simply break the glass against the edge of a table or put a match under the cut.

This method requires a certain skill, and if you are faced with cutting glass for the first time, we strongly recommend practicing on small, unnecessary splinters before moving on to the main material.

Pobedite bit

If you know what glass cutting is all about, here is another way to cut glass without using a glass cutter. With some experience, one drill bit with a pobedite tip may be sufficient for this operation. The main thing is that the drill bit should be more or less new, with sharp angles on the head.

The actual process of cutting glass with a glass cutter is much the same as with a regular roller glass cutter. Of the differences, you can highlight a higher force of pressure, but otherwise all the actions are standard. Lay the glass on a flat surface, mark the trimmer line for the cut, attach the strip, and guide the trimmer line down along it. Before cutting, turn the tip so that the sharpest corner is in contact with the glass. Once you have a clear line for the trimmer, break the glass along the cutting line.

How to cut a round glass?

Now let’s review the easiest way to cut round glass. To do this, take the glass cutter and tools to cut an even circle. First, we mark the center of the circle on the glass, then attach a suction cup to the place where we marked the center. Tie a rope to the installed suction cup, and tie the glass cutter to the rope. The length of the rope from the suction cup to the cutter should be equal to the radius of the circle you want to cut. After all the preparations are made, the circle can be cut on the glass with the glass cutter. Now, from the resulting circle on the rest of the glass, make “rays” with the glass cutter. And then use pliers to break off the extra pieces that are between the “rays” drawn earlier.

It is better to make a marking of the cut line with a felt-tip pen beforehand. Experienced glaziers immediately pick up a glass cutter and ruler.

Applying it to the sheet, deviating 3-4 mm from the desired line when working with a diamond tool, and 1-2 mm when working with a roller glass cutter. Hold it as a pencil: perpendicular to the sheet (see “Placing a pencil on the sheet”). Fig. 2). the trimmer line quickly and easily, with one move of the hand. The table should not wobble or vibrate in this case.

If the diamond glass cutter is operated correctly, a slight crackling sound is heard and a thin, barely noticeable scratch is left on the glass.

A slight pressure is applied to the roller glass cutter and the trimmer line is made deeper, whitish.

After that, the sheet is moved to the edge of the table so that the line for the cut trimmer protrudes by 3-4 mm. Then, holding the glass with both hands, with a light but vigorous downward movement break off a piece. If the line for the trimmer is carried out according to all the rules, then the glass of a small thickness will separate almost by itself. If the glass is thicker than 5 mm, you must preliminarily tap the cut line on its underside with the glass-cutter mandrel or a rubber mallet. If the desired piece of glass is very narrow, it is broken off with pliers.

Characteristic mistakes of novice home craftsmen:

• Too slow to draw the line with the glass cutter;
• Excessive pressure on it, which results in a deep groove with uneven edges;
• Repeatedly dragging it along the cut line to be sure;
• release of pressure on the glass cutter a few millimeters before the edge of the glass.

How to cut round glass with a diameter of less than 30 centimeters?

If it is necessary to cut a circle of less than 30 centimeters in diameter, you must use a tubular drill. Tubular drill bit is a tube made of metal, which has a fixture for fixation in the “chuck” of the drill. The edges of the tube drill must be smooth, because the glass is cut by the abrasive with water. Before you begin to cut a circle out of glass, the abrasive with water must be applied to the edges of the circle, and when cutting a circle out of glass, the abrasive with water must always be under the tubular drill to prevent the glass from overheating and cracking. If done correctly, the result will be an even circle.

• Table.There are no restrictions on the table, you just need to look adequately so that the mirror is not half hanging over the table top. The table must be flat, clean if possible.
• Ruler.When using a glass cutter it is necessary to have a good and firm stop when working. In this case a “high” metal ruler or a metal square will do the best. Not always there is even a meter wooden ruler, which has the right thickness, although it occurs quite often. In order to prevent the ruler from slipping on the mirror, you need to wrap it with pieces of leather or put the ruler on them.
• Glass cutter often than not, any “home” craftsman will have a roller glass cutter with a carbide tipped surface on hand. This kind of glass cutter usually slides on the mirror, but we have a “leather ruler”.

Tip! There are also diamond-headed glass cutters. If the glass cutter-roller has led to the side, it is better not to risk showing miracles of endurance and self-control, it is better to buy a diamond cutter.

How to cut a round glass with a diameter of less than 30 centimeters?

If you need to cut a circle with a diameter of less than 30 centimeters, you should use a tubular drill. The tubular drill is a tube made of metal, which has a fixture for fixing in the “chuck” of the drill. The edges of the glass cutter must be smooth, because the abrasive water is used to cut through the glass. Before you begin to cut a circle out of glass it is necessary to apply abrasive with water to the edges of the circle, and when you cut a circle out of glass the abrasive with water should always be under the pipe drill to prevent the glass from overheating and cracking. If done correctly, the result will be an even circle.

• The table.There are no specific restrictions on the table, you just need to look adequately so that the mirror is not half hanging over the table top. The table should be flat and as clean as possible.
• The ruler.When using a glass cutter it is necessary to have a good and firm foothold when working. A “tall” metal ruler or metal angle piece is best. Not always there is even a meter-long wooden ruler that has the right thickness, although it is quite common. In order to prevent the ruler from slipping on the mirror, you need to wrap it with pieces of leather or put the ruler on them.
• Glass cutter often than not, any “home” craftsman will have a roller glass cutter with a carbide tipped surface at hand. This kind of glass cutter usually slides on the mirror, but we have a “leather ruler”.

Tip! There are also diamond-headed glass cutters. If the glass cutter has been turned sideways, it is better not to risk showing wonders of stamina and self-possession, but rather to buy a diamond cutter.

Cutting glass with a diamond saw

If it is necessary to cut a round glass, and you do not have a glass cutter and a tubular glass cutter, you can use a diamond saw. Diamond saw is a smooth band with diamond coating where the teeth of regular saw are.

In order to work with a diamond saw it is necessary to cut out a template of a cut circle from cardboard or plywood. After that the cut out stencil should be glued to the glass. When these preparations are done, you can start sawing with the diamond saw. In the process of sawing the glass from which the circle is cut out must be constantly moistened with water, so the process of cutting round glass must take place in the bathroom. If you decide to cut a circle out of glass with a diamond saw, you need to have patience and perform the cutting of glass with great care.

How to cut a round glass?

Now let’s see the easiest way to cut a round-shaped glass. To do this we need to take the glass cutter and tools to cut an even circle. First mark the center of the circle on the glass, then attach the suction cup to the place where you marked the center. We will tie a rope to the installed suction cup, and to the rope we need to tie a glass cutter. The length of the rope from the suction cup to the glass cutter must be equal to the radius of the circle you want to cut. After all the preparations are made, you can cut a circle on the glass with the glass cutter. Now from the resulting circle on the remainder of the glass to make “rays” with the glass cutter. And after that, use pliers to break off the extra pieces that are between the previously drawn “rays”.

If it is necessary to cut a circle with a diameter of less than 30 centimeters, you must use a tubular drill. The tubular drill bit is a tube made of metal, which has a fixture for fixation in the “chuck” of the drill. The edges of the pipe drill must be smooth, because the glass is cut by the abrasive with water. Before you begin to cut a circle out of glass, the abrasive with water must be applied to the edges of the circle, and when you cut a circle out of glass, the abrasive with water must always be under the tubular drill to prevent the glass from overheating and cracking. If everything is done correctly the result will be a straight circle.

Cutting glass with a diamond saw

If you need to cut round glass and do not have a glass cutter or pipe cutter, you can use a diamond saw. The diamond saw is a smooth band of diamond where the regular saw’s teeth are.

In order to work with a diamond saw it is necessary to cut out a stencil of thick cardboard or plywood to cut out a circle. After that the cut out stencil should be glued to the glass. When these preparations are done, you can start sawing with the diamond saw. During the sawing process, the glass from which the circle is cut must be constantly moistened with water, so the process of cutting round glass must take place in the bathroom. If you decide to cut a circle out of glass with a diamond saw, you must have patience and cut the glass with great care.

The file

One more way to cut the right size glass without a glass cutter. Make notches at the beginning and the end of the future cut with a file with a sharp edge, also make a few cuts between them. For this it is better to use a tool with a triangular cross section, but it is not possible to work with a round cross section at all, because the circular cross section will not work at all. к. angles are needed for cutting. The edge is hanging off the table and breaking off.

An angle grinder equipped with a diamond disc will easily cut a piece of glass sheet. The main difficulty is to guide the saw exactly along the marking. It is not necessary to dip the cutter into the material, as in the general case to separate the necessary part requires only a narrow groove from edge to edge of the sheet. Particular attention should be paid to safety, a high degree of concentration is needed. When working with an angle grinder, glass dust is formed, to reduce its quantity, it is recommended to pour water on the cutting trimmer line.

Cord and kerosene

A wool or cotton rope about 1mm in diameter should be soaked in a flammable liquid, such as kerosene. Next, the cord is fixed where the cutting trimmer line will be, and ignited. As soon as the rope is completely burned out, cold water is poured onto the glass surface. The audible click means that the material has cracked from the sudden change in temperature. The method may not work the first time, in which case the steps are repeated. Important: The ends of the cord should not hang down, the table is protected from fire by a tablecloth made of a flame retardant material, the fire extinguisher is standing nearby, ready to be used.

The undoubted advantage of this method is that you can cut curved surfaces with it, what is often used when making original vases and candlesticks from glass bottles. In this particular case, cutting glass without a glass cutter is not only possible, but also fully justified from a practical point of view.

Observe safety precautions

When cutting glass, it is very important to observe safety precautions, because the material is quite fragile and dangerous. You can not only cut yourself but also injure your eye with broken shards.

Never cut glass on your lap or on an unreliable object with a glass cutter. Never reach over the edge of the glass, as rough edges can be very sharp. If you want to lift the workpieces, you should make a hand girdle on the sides.

Wear protective gloves and glasses before working to avoid cuts. It is also important to wear closed shoes so that in an accidental fall the glass will not cut your foot. Clothing must be thick and thick, to avoid unintentional injury.

To prevent small shards of glass from getting outside the work room, you need to change your clothes and shoes when you finish the work.

How to cut a circle out of glass

In order to be able to cut a circle out of glass, you can use several different methods, which may differ depending on the diameter of the future circle and, of course, the thickness of the glass.

The easiest and most common way to cut a straight circle is to use a circular glass cutter. Usually, having such a tool in the household is quite rare. But for these purposes you can also use an ordinary tool.

How to properly cut a circle out of glass with a glass cutter video

First of all, you will need to mark the central part of the future product and fix a special suction cup on it. Then to this suction cup to tie a strong thread or fishing line for trimmer length equal to the radius of the planned circle. Tie the glass cutter itself to the end of this rope. Pull the rope as tight as possible and then guide the trimmer tool in a circle around the suction cup. When the circle is drawn, it is very important to additionally make more ray lines, which will eliminate unnecessary pieces of glass around the finished product.

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How to cut with the glass cutter: detailed instructions

If you have planned to cut glass, the first thing to do is to determine which glass cutter is best suited to your case. At the moment there are two types of tools. the diamond and the roller.

The diamond model is considered by right a leader among the tools of this type. If you are going to use it at home, then the model that has a beveled edge is perfect, which is very convenient for breaking off the cut pieces. It is possible to cut almost ten kilometers of material with this glass cutter, with thickness up to one centimeter. But at the same time you should take into consideration that there are cheaper kinds, which have a synthetic diamond, and which allow you to cut glass no thicker than 5 mm.

unlike a diamond, a roller glass cutter has a working element in the form of a small roller, usually made of carbide materials, usually an alloy of tungsten with cobalt, which can cut materials up to 4 mm thick. The advantage of this type of tool is that the roller can easily move across the glass, while not requiring much effort to make a furrow.

Work process is carried out in the following order:

Clean and dry glass is placed on the surface of the work table. A marker is used to make the necessary markings. Then small cuts are made on both ends, along the marked line. Note that the material to be used must be in firm contact with the worktable surface.

How to use and cut glass properly with a glass cutter video

After that, it is necessary to put a ruler on the glass and along it the tool to guide a line for a trimmer. Hold the diamond glass cutter in your hands in exactly the same way as an ordinary pencil, when passing over the marked line, you should apply only a small amount of force. As a result, it leaves only a faint trace on the glass, which looks like a scratch. If the tool is perfectly serviceable there must be a characteristic crackling sound. If the sound is squeaky, it means that its cutting element needs to be sharpened on a special bar for this purpose.

hold such a tool during work should be at a small angle, the correctness of which is determined by experience. Please note, a tool that is in the correct position relative to the glass leaves a colorless thin line for the trimmer.

The roller glass cutter, as opposed to the diamond cutter, should be held strictly at right angles to the glass surface, holding it with the middle and thumb, and pressing it with the index finger. Keep in mind that the pressure on the roller tool, a little more than on the diamond tool, and the cut itself should get a white color.

In order to get a quality and, of course, a smooth cut. remember a few simple rules to follow when working with glass with a diamond tool:

• Do not force the glass while moving the cutter, otherwise the cut will be too deep and the edges will be uneven.
• Never make another cut along the obtained line. Otherwise the glass may shatter. Make the cut as quickly as possible. For example, if you cut a meter length, it should not take you more than two seconds.
• In order for the workpiece to break out quickly and accurately along the cut line, you need to tap lightly on the back side of the glass. Afterwards, you won’t need to use any force to break it.

How to properly cut glass with an oil glass cutter video

If you are just a beginner, it is best to practice on small pieces, this will help you determine the correct angle of the tool, gain experience, reduce losses, and avoid mistakes in the future.

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Measuring tool

You will need a ruler and tape measure, which should be made exclusively of metal, to make the markings. This will help to avoid stretching or shrinkage of the measuring tape, as well as to make an accurate marking. The ruler should be 8-10mm thick. Its overhang will serve you as a stop for the glass cutter.

Before you cut or shape cut glass you should prepare for work. You must take care about the safety of the workplace, as well as on the comfort and quality of cutting glass. To do this you need to:

• Prepare the workplace, which must take into account the peculiarities of cutting work. All operations you will perform on a special table, which should have at least the same dimensions as the sheet. But it is better, if it will be 50-100 mm longer than the dimensions of the glass. Position the table so that on each side of the passage was not less than 1 meter. On one side, free up a space of length equal to the largest side of the table. You will need it for storing cut sheets, glass breakage and remnants of material. The table should be as flat as possible, so we recommend putting a thick sheet of particle board with a thickness of 30 mm on it anyway. You can also cover it with a soft cloth. Be sure to clear all aisles of unnecessary things.
• You will need a glass cutter, a template and a measuring tool for cutting glass or mirrors. Before working, make sure that the glass cutter is in good working order by running it over a piece of glass with a trimmer line.
• Plan out for yourself what you are going to do. To do this you will need to measure the windows or other structures that you intend to glaze.

How to cut glass

Start cutting the sheets according to the measurements you have calculated in advance. If you do this correctly, you will have minimal waste material left over that you can use for other work if necessary. The line for the trimmer marking it is desirable to apply a special pencil “glassgraph”.

Using the template or ruler mark the point of the beginning and the end of the cut. The ruler should be held with reference to the distance between the lateral surface of the glass cutter and the cutting edge, which is usually 3-4 mm from the cutting line. Place the glass cutter on the marked point for the beginning of the cut and then hold the ruler against it. Before you cut, it is a good idea to run your finger over the area of the cut to remove any dust which may have formed, as well as to concentrate on the work to be done. Some craftsmen apply turpentine to this spot, which can be useful when working with thin glass.

Push down on the ruler and then make the cut from the beginning to the end. Try to do this in such a way that the force and speed of the movement remains unchanged. When getting to the end of the cut it is advisable to relax the tension, otherwise you might get a crack.

To properly perform the chipping of the cut piece, adhere to the following algorithm:

• Move the sheet to the edge of the table so that the cut trimmer line aligns with the edge of the table and then break the sheet with a quick motion.
• If you are working with glass that is more than 3 mm thick, we suggest that you put a straight, smooth block of wood strictly along the cutting line. After that, proceed in the same way as in the previous case. sharply break the sheet along the line. This method is only appropriate for cuts longer than 1 m.
• Move the sheet to the edge of the table and then, using a light tap with the glass cutter from below along the cutting line, create cracks in that area. If done correctly, the crack will be clearly visible. Then go over the line with the glass cutter again to increase the cracking. Be sure to support the glass in case it breaks accidentally during this operation, as this work can sometimes cause unexpected chips.

Sometimes it happens that chipping occurs only in some places behind the cutting line. Then you have to chip off the extra pieces. To perform this operation qualitatively and safely, it is necessary to use special notches on the head of the glass cutter. Although you can also try this with pliers, which should be applied in such a way that the jaws only slightly grasp the fishing line for the trimmer of the cut. In rare cases, the craftsman has no choice but to simply “chop” or “pluck” the excess pieces with the tools at hand. But be careful, because it can lead to cracks. To avoid their formation we advise to treat the area with turpentine first.

To continue working with the cut piece of glass without risk of injury, as well as to give the edges an attractive appearance, we advise you to blunt them. The following tools will help you do this:

• Sharpening bar.
• An old file. If the glass is thick, we advise you to use a personal file, but for the thin glass a velvet one will be enough.
• Sandpaper, which is wrapped around a wooden bar.

Before processing an edge with a file, it is necessary to moisten it, and for this purpose it is desirable to use a solution of turpentine with water or kerosene, which are taken in equal quantities. Move the file or other tool along the edge and only along it, exerting light pressure. If you need to sand the edges, you will need a sanding machine. Here, too, you must first moisten the place of treatment with a solution of turpentine and water, and after the end of the work, the cut must be washed to remove glass dust.

Cutting glass is an operation that only professionals can perform correctly. Therefore, if you are going to cut glass with your own hands for the first time, you need to be thoroughly prepared for this work. Keep in mind that for high-quality cutting of glass you need to prepare not only the necessary tools, but also a place for cutting. But the main thing. you have to learn how to do it right.

Even if you study a lot of materials and watch master classes on how to cut glass, it is not always enough to achieve the desired result. Therefore, we advise to practice without fail on an unnecessary fragment of material and acquire minimum skills, without which it will be very difficult for you to cut the glass correctly.