Plastics

Plastics will be used most often in three areas, the marquee, the "screen" laid over a monitor, and as a protective covering on your control panel. There are many different brand names you will encounter but the two readily available types are acrylic and polycarbonate.

There are some techniques you should use to achieve good results with less effort. You can use the woodworking tools you may already have or are going to purchase. It is recommended to keep the protective coating on your plastic until you are done machining it to protect the surface.

When drilling, the material has a tendency to grab the bit and pull it in, possibly cracking it. If using a spade bit or hole saw, one solution is to drill the material in reverse. A forstner bit is preferable when cutting plastic, as the cutting edge is normally flat and creates more of a scraping action less prone to digging in.

Whichever bit you choose, use a slow speed. If you're drilling more than one hole at a time, a few drops of detergent in water will act as a lubricant and coolant to help you achieve good results.

• Acrylic

The most common type of plastic is acrylic. It's commonly referred to by its trade name, plexiglass. Acrylic does not have very good impact resistance, so if that is a concern, you may wish to choose polycarbonate for applications that you require more protection for.

• Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is known by many different trade names, but one of the more popular is Lexan. It's tougher than acrylic, so again, if that is a concern, you may wish to choose polycarbonate for such applications.