Azek plugs and small fly cutter?

[Larry Edgerton]

I have had a hard time figuring out how to cut plugs out of Azek as it melts when it gets too hot. Bought every type of plug cutter and nothing works.

Yesterday I was making some reproduction trim out of Azek and it has a quarter circle round notch where it transitions from 5" to 3 1/2" so I was making two at a time and roughcutting out the waste with the tablesaw and the drill press with a fly cutter before routing with a jig.

Well.... The fly cutter did a good job for the first 1/2" of depth before it got hot, but 1/2" is close enough. So I pulled the drill bit/guide out of the center of the fly cutter and clamped everything down and tried it. Worked great as before to about a 1/2", then the heat started melting the product when it can no longer self clean, but a regular plug cutter melts it right away. Problem is my fly cutter only goes down to about an inch and a quarter inside circle. I would like to get down to a 1/2", and at least 1".

Anyone have one that goes tighter, and if so where did you get it? I don't ever remember seeing a tiny fly cutter, but maybe there is one out there?

Larry

[david brum]

Larry, is it possible to flood the Azek with water and use a standard plug cutter? Of course, it would be done outside with a cordless drill.

[Larry Edgerton]

Larry, is it possible to flood the Azek with water and use a standard plug cutter? Of course, it would be done outside with a cordless drill.

I tried it on my morticing machine which has an air stream blowing on the cutter and that didn't work, but the water idea is something to think about. I have an old Tiawan drill press that I do not care about, and I have a Walker Turner with a oiling system already on it. Water would be out on the WT because of rust, but maybe I could use anti-freeze if it will not mess with finishes.

Thanks for the idea........

Larry

[Peter Quinn]

My approach? No plugs. I have a predriller for trim head screws with a rubber depth stop collar that wont mar the surface and drills a smaller hole than most of the 3/8" counter sink bits, I think its made for deck screws? I run in #7 or #8 trim head screws, then fill the holes with Bond&Fill, a two part goop that gets applied with a two head caulk gun. It dries quick, it Bonds and Fills very well, as the name suggests, and after sanding it looks just like the surface of the polyurethane trim boards. There is a bit of a learning curve with bond & Fill, but once you get going it works well. If you must have plugs it might be easier to make some 3/8" dowels on a router table than to cut plugs individually.

http://www.bondfill.com/Bond-and-Fill-Structural

[Peter Quinn]

Have you seen these Larry? I just IM'd a friend who recommended this system. Trim head screws, a special counter sink, and THEY make the plugs for you! That may be in my future.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/search.aspx?q=cortex&src=M8GLDBS&mkwid=sGF1NDUyD&pcrid=8167582765&gclid=CM7fzZeCt6oCFcWA5QodWGNQ7g

[Larry Edgerton]

I have used those Peter but I am running into wierd applications as people get wind of what I can do with the material.

I just finished a glass rail system with Azek posts that slip over an aluminum core that is filled with wood, and no fasteners show at all. the 1/2" tempered safety glass slipps into a slot in the Azek wrap. I had one post where there were no options and had to bolt through a hole in the Azek. That was a 1" hole, and I made a plug for it today for it with the fly cutter sucessfully, and as I run into different applications I would like to use fasteners with a bigger head than the Cortex type deck screws that McFeelys sells. This glass rail is on the shore of Lake Michigan facing NW, so it will take a extreme beating, especially in the winter when the plastic is brittle.

I kind of stuck my neck out on this job, but these days my new motto is "Yes We Can!"

For filler on Azek I have been using plain old Elmers carpenters filler, and it has worked well, and held up for years so far. I always coat with SW adhesion promoting primer and Grahams ceramic paint. Their ads that say you do not have to paint are a bunck of BS.

[Peter Quinn]

Oh, I understand now. BIG plugs! Yup, I sure wouldn't want to use bond and fill on a 1 inch hole. Have you ever tried a hole saw with the mandrel removed?