posted
Here is a thread for home project help, advice, and ideas.
Mine is rather simple. I was in the kitchen the other day and the thin fixture/cover to the fluorescent lights in the kitchen fell down. It broke.
I went to Home Depot and got a new one to put up in my kitchen. They only had one size that I could find.
The problem is it is about 2 inches too long. The cover seems very breakable. How do I cut it down to size? Special tool? Exacto knife? Scissors? Bend and break?
Any ideas how I can make it fit?
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I agree with Tstorm, we need more information.
Is this simply a flat plastic diffusion lense/cover?
If it is, that usually comes in two types. One is slightly thicker, and is made of a better material. It can probably be scored and broken the way they cut glass.
However, the thinner cheaper plastic is rather brittle and can break unevenly. That probably needs to be cut very carefully. It could be cut with a common hand saw. But again, because it is somewhat brittle, a gentle touch is needed.
The best way to cut either one is to know someone who has a metal shear (hand or electric). This is a common metal shop tool vaguely similar to a press. It has a wide blade that moves down and shears off the piece. They usually cut clean and smooth, and because the piece is well supported, it is unlikely to break.
If it is any other shape besides flat, then things are more complicated. Again, to some extent it depends on the material. If it is somewhat soft, then it can be cut with a hand or electic saw. If it is brittle; a shear or a manaul hand saw will work if the piece is well supported. Also, brittle can be deeply scored (scratched) and broken along the scored line.
Note: it might be possible to carefully cut either type of 'flat' plastic with a hand shear similar to a heavy duty scissors.
That probably doesn't help much but it should give you an idea of the possibilities.
posted
It is a rectangle fluorescent light cover. It is 2 inches to long.
I picked up a $5 cover and it broke in my hand. eek!! I put my handful of the cover down and picked up an 8$ cover that was a little thicker and seemed much more sturdy.
So do I need a saw? Or can I use a razor blade and then bend/break the cover along the mark the razor blade made weak?
Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Return the over long cover to HD. Those flouresent covers can be very brittle, so I don't recommend you try cutting it because you'll just be thowing your money away.
What to do? First determine the make of the fixture and the size of the cover. If you can't find the match at your local HD or other home store, they might be able to special order it for you or you might be able to find one on-line. Also check with your local building supply outlets and lighting stores, the later should be a great help. I did a quick Google search for "fluorescent light covers" and found a few places that sell them.
Posts: 407 | Registered: Mar 2006
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I don't really have any advice on the first project, but I've got one that I could use some advice on.
My house was built in 1918, and the built-in cabinets and counter tops are the original installations. Unfortunately, the counter tops aren't in good shape. They're linoleum, and constantly shed. Fixing them hasn't been a terribly high priority, but I'd like to bake bread, and with the counters like this I don't really have a surface on which to knead. Eventually I'll replace the counter tops, but in the meantime does anybody have any suggestions for some way of sealing the surface of the existing counter tops? Polyurathaning them occurs to me, but I don't actually know how 80 year old linoleum and polyurathane will interact. I'd been planning to just test it on an out of the way corner on the less used countertop in my butler's pantry, but if anybody has a better suggestion that isn't terribly expensive I'm open to it.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Hacksaw blade on a mini-handle or better yet Pistol Grip 4-WAY Keyhole Saw. Use the metal-cutting blades. Or a fine-cut handsaw will be faster: you have to cut across the entire width rather than across the depth, otherwise there is a tendency to bind then shatter. But a decent one will cost you more than either of the above, and will probably be used less often.
Take your time. You want to cut it, not melt it from friction.
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Noemon, I knead my bread dough in a huge metal bowl (if you don't have one, buying one is less expensive than a new countertop...unless of course you just want a new countertop.)
posted
Actually, I really *would* like a new conutertop. I don't even have a ballpark idea of how much replacing that thing would cost, though. Hm...Maybe I'll price it out.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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