Source for Plexiglass

[Carroll Courtney]

Guys,I am bidding/building a trophy cabinet for the local high school football team.It will have a base cabinet that will be 2'tall and the showcase itself will be 6'tall for a total of 8'.This cabinet will be 15' long,its the biggest thing that I have ever made.Since its in a school enviroment I want to use 3/16-1/4 thick plexiglass for the doors.The glass will be in a frame made out of wood and needs to lock.The doors will also need to slide open.Where can I purchase hardware for sliding doors,and where can I purchase plexiglass of this size for making a door that will be about 3'wide and 6'tall and slide from side to side?The local glass companys want to retire early,I don't want to help them!If you have any ideals on making a trophy cabinet,please bend my ears.Thanks for any advice and thoughts---Carroll

[Jack Ganssle]

Carroll, I buy plexiglass from McMaster Carr -http://www.mcmaster.com/ - they sell all sorts of useful things.

[Gary Curtis]

Hasting Plastics in Santa Monica, California. Telephone is in the 310 area code.

Gary Curtis

[Jim Becker]

Check your yellow pages for a plastic supplier near you...I found that to be the most economical way to purchase the stuff when I was doing interior "storm" windows in the 250 year old portion of our home.

[Bill Wyko]

Curbell Plastics in Phoenix is my source. 1-800-227-7963. Ask for Monica, tell her I sent you.:)

[Thor Sorensen]

Did the school specify Plexiglass or are you thinking of the safety factor? Tempered glass does not scratch as easily, and is much stiffer, but it is heavier. I would worry that once the students see that they can scratch their initials into it they will do it. Again and again. Good luck.

[Dale Lesak]

Go with the tempered glass. the plxe scratches easy, and will turn yellow in a few years. being in a school they will clean it every day and in no time it will be all scratched up. Dale:)

[Tom Walz]

I’d go with Jim Becker. Lots and lots of plastics out there. At least worth checking.

[Karl Brogger]

Most places that sell glass also sell plexi glass. You should be able to find it locally easily enough.

I do wonder why you want to use plexi instead of regular glass. Tempured glass is stronger, and you don't have to worry about shards. Plus its more clear, less likely to scratch, and might be cheaper.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Check with a glass place near you. Companies that do glass work will have access to all manner of plastic products. Plus explain the project to them and get their recommendations on the material to use; chances are they've done one or something similar.

[Bruce Page]

Ditto what Jim Becker said. I purchase my plastic from Regal Supply here in ABQ. They are much cheaper than the borg etc. - and better quality.

[Mike Goetzke]

You might try the 80/20 guy on e-bay. He sometimes lists cutoffs. Worth a try????

Mike

[Bob Knodel]

I have used plexi for building many drum sound shields and subwoofer enclosures and I would not recommend it for your application. If somebody uses windex to clean the plexi it will crack and craze. To clean plexi you need a Soap and water mixture or pledge. There is also a plexi glass cleaner that they sell. In short, somebody is going to clean this thing with glass cleaner and it will then look 100 years old. I speak from experience here :mad:. Tempered glass is the way to go.

[Fred Linthicum]

First of all I agree with the suggestions to use tempered glass. It is more scratch resistant, durable, won't yellow, and is often cheaper than acrylic (plexiglass). If you are committed to plastic, consider using polycarbonate (trade name lexan from GE Plastics). It is more expensive, but will not yellow and become brittle as quickly as acrylic. Both products are available in 4' x 8' sheets from either a glass or plastic retailer.

As for the hardware, the most common trade named bypass supplier is Knape & Vogt. You can find them via a web search. CR Laurence, a major supplier to glass shops, offers the same stuff (unbranded and usually cheaper). You can search their products on the web but unless you are a dealer you will not be able to see their prices. Again, a local glass shop should be able to get whatever you need. A typical assembly consists of:
a) Top track (usually deep profile)
b) Bottom track (I recommend the one with side legs--makes it harder for the students to pry the panels out)
c) H-shoe (attached to bottom of both panels)
d) 2 wheels per panel
e) 2 top guides per panel
f) lock--can be slide on, plunger through hole in panel, or attached to H-shoe/bottom track

The hardware is available in a variety of finishes--most typical is either clear anodized or dark bronze anodized.

Hope this helps--good luck!
Fred

[tim mathis]

hi carroll,
this is a showcase we did for the honor society at a local highschool . it constists of 2 units /each 65" wide x79" high.you only want to use tempered glass in a school setting from working with and in the schools plexi will look bad fast and will need replaced before you know it. a local glass shop installed the glass and track ( on the top and bottom of the case).the glass slides from side to side and it just sits in the track.the case is made from 1 1/2 inch popular and we put a( general finishes) milk paint finish on it ( brick red paint with pitch black glaze and than top coated with minwax helmsman poly) so now it looks like mahogany at a fraction of the cost , it is easy to do and looks like a million bucks.our slide lock is near the bottom of the glass.the cases are 32 " off the ground.the glass is heavy so your case should be substantial. sorry about the top picture i could not get it to stay the way i wanted it.
tim in centerville,ohio
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/powermatic3520/showcase001.jpg




http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/powermatic3520/showcase005.jpg

[Anthony Whitesell]

Please don't yell at me...did you try BORG and BORG Blue cousin. HD and Lowe's both carry acrylic and lexan, it's in the same section as replacement glass and screen.