Tech: Foolproof(almost)windshield cutting

OK due to popular demand and the fact that this board has done so much for me in the past...I am going to do a quick and dirty post on how to cut curved glass.
I have a friend who says give the hardest job to the laziest guy and he will find the easiest way of doing something....so as I am lazy I have searched for years for the easiest and best resulting way of cutting curved laminated glass.
So I was talking to my buddy StevO who is an awesome plumber by the way...and I mentioned I was redoing the tile in my bathroom when I wasn't busy chopping the top on the wagon. He tells me to hit up Home depot and get a handheld wet tile saw and kill two birds with one stone. So I head off to the big orange store and hit the tile section...sure enough they have a 4 inch circular saw that has a hose attachment so it is water cooled. I worked on cutting some porceline tiles first,then some travertine like I saw on those damn home improvement shows...well anyways...after a week or two I decided to try it on a cracked piece of quarter window from my kids 57 wagon.
I hooked up the saw and less than 2 minutes later I had trimmed off a piece of glass 2 inches wide!!!!!!!!!!!WOW!!!! now I would take lots of pics but guys this is so damn easy you can almost do it with your eyes shut. I will include a pic of the saw I bought...I think it was $48 with the diamond blade!!!!!
The thing I noticed is that you need to make straight cuts as its just like cutting a pice of wood with a circular saw. This thing cuts all the way in one pass...right through the laminate and all.!
Now the other thing I noticed is that after cutting a couple of inches off the glass is weaker when you hold it flat and try to wipe off the water...so lay it on some blankets or some other support so you don't have to buy another damn window (yea I am an idiot at times!) lt would also be a good idea to have a glass guy polish the edge so it isn't so sharp,but I am going to use my 4 1/2 in. angle grinder with a flapper sanding wheel on it and try it myself.just keep it moving so it doesn't get hot and SUPPORT THE GLASS!
OK so I may not be a shrewd businessman...remember I am lazy ...so I pass this on to all so now you have no reason not to chop those tops!!!!!!

 

Sounds easy. I'll have to try it. Thanks!

 

And I thought I was lazy!

Good lateral approach.

 

Thanks Brewsir...I did a post along these lines a couple years ago and I can add a thing or too.
Spend the money on a new blade for each windshield or big lot of glass.
get the blade with the smooth continuous Diamond and not the serrated type Diamond on its edge.

 

Damn I don't know how I missed that post...it could have saved me hours sandblasting!

 

My newphew, who was a pro glass cutter for a couple of years, suggests anti-freeze as your coolant/lubricant to minimize chances of cracking/shattering the piece that you're cutting. Just another little tip.

 

obvious, and awesome tech!!!!! thanks for sharing.

 

yea...might try that...I forget I have one in my shed!

 

Yeah I'd post something but i'm off to Home Depot to pick me up a Tile saw.

 

I WILL be trying his method when I get to that point. Thanks!

 

how would you cut all the corners?

 

nice off to home depot,opps shit its closed

 

its exactly the way we did it ,we finished the car for the meeting next day and cutted the glass at 4 o clock in the morning , it worked

 

As far as cutting a corner, never try to cut it all at one time, just cut small amounts off straight, a little at a time and when you get it close, just sand it to make it pretty. And for sanding use a good quality 80 to 120 grit paper, if you want a better edge, gradually go finer on the paper, and to make it it look nice, after sanding take a light oil, and apply it to all the edges, with a shop towell.
Also a good ideal to wear a decent mask, and eye protection, while working with glass, silica, doesnt like us humans much!

 

a belt sander works great for sanding glass..i used my belt sander on the glass i had cut for my 39 chevy...also i use to do flooring for 13 years and have never thought of that...how do you think it would cut old glass..it doesnt chip the briddle glass?

 

hey man whats the part number on the cutter?

 

So I guess that means the wagon is getting choped.Scott

 

sorry to Hijack guys...

Scott! Was great to meet you at the BBQ!! Hope the drive back was a good one in that little shitbox! Next time you're in town, you better let me know so we can have a drink!

back to the regularly scheduled postings...

 

They make cutting fluid for glass....C R Laurence (sp)...oldbeet

 

So is this just for the flat glass or can it make straight cuts on a curved windshield? Maybe I'm not reading this close enough?

 

I always wondered about the wet tile saw and thought it could work.........

 

Mark,
I kept telling you Phil has a water tile saw when you sandblasted Nessy's
windshield.
Now I'm going to have to chop something just to cut a windshield.

Good tech Brewsir, now how about some pictures of the chop.

 

O K, first let me say, I am a retired UNION glazier. Have been cuttin glass for over 40 years. Yes the wet saw will work. But you MUST keep it flat ,to the glass at all times. If you tilt it a little, it will act as a wedge, and break the glass. It sometimes is hard to do on a very curved windshield. Do a little at a time! Windshields are two pieces of glass with plastic in between. But the two pieces come from the same mold. When laminated together, one is a little biger than the other, so one fights the other. Thats where the problem starts, if one side is cut, it puts pressure on the other! Sometime "they just break"......Ask NONAME... He knows more than me.........OLDBEET

 

man, this board is the best thing thats happened to rodders since backroads and horny college girls!

 

this is a perfect follow up to your chop top post!

INSANE!!!!!!

A wagon chop just might become an option after all. But I don't know!

I want to see pics of the glass chop and test fit!!!!!!

 

Totally bitchin post .

 

BEET don't pass this on to me. I have a battery powered liquid cooled diamond Makita that I used for cutting outlet holes in mirrors, that I tried cutting a windshield with 25 years ago (damn am I old) broke it in the first 3 inches and never tried again. I average at least one chopped top car a month, next one scheduled is a 51 Bel Aire. I'm doing a 3 inches on a Olds one piece windshield, cutting two rear corner glasses and fabbing a new curved rear center glass. and all new side glass. I'd preferred doing the side glass frameless tempered. but the owner has all the frames done and ready for chrome when I'm done fitting the glass.
I still do everything with a glass cutter. but I'm going down and buy a tile saw too! who knows maybe old dogs can learn new tricks! I have hundreds of NOS windshields. I cut what might be the only AMC Pacer windshield in the world for a badly chopped 55 ford pu.
I'm just building my new website below and will have one section on cutting windshields. I don't want to keep any secrets on what I've learned about glass since 1965........Jim

One thing for guys chopping wagons! buy the same year hard top and you can get the first 2-3 inches of chop free and never worry about replacement later. and another inch or two is a lot easier to get on radical chops. Always cut the glass first, then make the metal fit the glass. almost any windshield has a different curve in the middle that it does at the top.

 

OK I know I'm bumping an ancient post but I wanted to know if any fellas have used this to cut door or quarter glass and how it turned out?!? I just did some practice with borrowed glass cutter/glass pliers but for about the same amount as those two things this sounds like a pretty good tool!

And FWIW we used some 2" heloc greenies on the edges and some 150 grit glass-sandpaper stuff and took the sharpness off the edges and cleaned up the cuts pretty good.

Using that glass cutter takes an experienced hand, if I can make nice cuts with this I'm offf to home depot tonight!

Thanks!

 

This tech was specifically for curved glass.

 

btt great tech. I will be trying this soon and post results.