Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am bending some 6mm sinrta and while it is bending well without a v-groove, i am getting long u shaped bends and would like sharper cleaner 90 deg. bends.

i am thinking a router bit would be too big to groove the 6mm sintra, anyone have any suggestions? like a dremel or something? do they have a "v" bit that would help me? if so is there a guide/ stabilizer for a dremel that way i would get nice clean cuts, i have never worked with a dremel and dont know too much about them.

i wish they made a table saw blade that cut the v shape i need, but that would be too easy.
thanks
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1.1 Gargoyle geckos
1.1 leucistic leopard gecko
0.0.1 asian golden tree frog
1.0 oriental firebelly toad
0.1 european firebelly toad
1.0 albino betta
1.0 orange tabby
0.0.1 asian painted frog
1.0 broad headed skink
0.0.1 fowlers toad
1.1 red eyed tree frog
1.1 red eared sliders
476.769.47 feeder crickets

found these bits, what do you all think?
v- grove bits for dremel

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1.1 Gargoyle geckos
1.1 leucistic leopard gecko
0.0.1 asian golden tree frog
1.0 oriental firebelly toad
0.1 european firebelly toad
1.0 albino betta
1.0 orange tabby
0.0.1 asian painted frog
1.0 broad headed skink
0.0.1 fowlers toad
1.1 red eyed tree frog
1.1 red eared sliders
476.769.47 feeder crickets

Actually, they _do_ make something like this for the table saw... It's called a saw blade, tilted appropriately, of course!

My suggestion, and yes, I have used this successfully in the past (I happen to like the nice smooth curves rather than the sharp bend that you are looking for) is to tilt your table saw blade to 45 degrees and raise the blade just enough to make a v-groove cut in the sintra. I don't know if it will go far enough through on 6mm to work the way you want it to, but I know that it works great for thinner material.

Good luck!
Tom

Harlan,

You can make the V-groove using a regular router bit for V-grooves. You would just pick the smallest bit you can find and simply set the router high enough so that the bit doesn't cut through the Sintra but instead cuts the groove at the depth you want. You'd simply want to run an edge guide [some routers come with these] or use a clamp on straight edge to guide the router.

As to the Dremel bits, you can use one like in the link you included or simply go to Lowe's, Home Depot, or a hobby shop and browse their Dremel bits. You will probably find something very similar. Dremel also makes an attachment that screws onto the business end of the tool and allows it to work much like a router, giving it a stable base without any of the tilting you'd get trying to free-hand it. Again, you'd need some kind of edge guide.

An alternative, if you're going to be bending lots of panels like this is to buy a cheap laminate/trim router. I purchased one off of ebay for about $10 new - just a really simple unit probably made in China, but basically the same exact tool that gets various name brands slapped on it.

I was going to cut and bend some Sintra in the same manner but I decided on pvc angle moldings instead, for ease of assembly. Also, the type of cages I'm going to be making won't need lots of structural strength since they won't be stacked and won't be supporting any lighting internally.
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Matt Campbell
Animal Keeper, Small Mammal/Reptile House
Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, Illinois

Assistant Curator
Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, Illinois