so here's my question ..i want to make little round "windows" for my gauge-panel.i can cut squared or rectangular shapes out of plexi but I have no idea how i can make them round or where i could have them made.the plexi should be 3mm thick.sizes vary between 6 cm and 3,6 cmany help or tip will be appreciated ;)

There is a method you could use, ever heard of those special drill bits where you have an adjustable set of teeth for drilling holes of varying diameters? If you get what I mean, you can use one of those to cut a disc of the required size. Use a larger size to start with so you can smooth down the edges afterwards.One problem you may encounter is that most of these bits have a central shaft for alignment, but if you want to, you can always cut this off ;)

Flightdeck Solutions could easily make these for you. Just contact Peter and let him know what you need. He'll work with you.M

Right on !this is what we call a "klok-boor" or in english translated a "clock-drill" which I have indeed.however it's quite hard to make a perfect disk with this and indeed you got the center drill in there..remove that one ? hmmz .. then I'd absolutely need such a special thing in which i can stick my drill .. you know the one you have like a "slots" lever so that it moves down to drill ..but question is .. how much does that cost .. and do I really want to ruin my clock-drill .. and what if it doesn't give the right result .. isn't that a big waste of money ?maybe I should try and find someone in the area with such an installation which could lend me but I don't know too much people around :s

Right, I think you mean a bench drill, and yes you can buy kits for hand-held drills so that you can put them in and stand them on end so they drill like the bigger (and more expensive) versions of the "slots machines" as you call them! As far as I know from previous experimentation they're just as stable and just as accurate if the drill is clamped down properly.And as for the clock drill itself, if you're lucky you can remove the centre bit and replace it with a rod, else you may be tempted to buy a cheap and nasty one (or indeed ask any workshops if they have any with a broken bit!).If, however, the edges of the plexi-glass are to be hidden by a border, you may want to cut the edges in the shape of an octagon, that is having 8 sides, and possibly smoothen down the corners a bit, and hopefully it will suffice?

sounds like a wounderfull idea !i'll keep that as backup because just a few minutes ago i got an offer from a fellow FSCB member. he told me he knows where to get those. and if he can, there's not even any shipment from US to EUR involved or whatever.but if it doesn't work here, for sure i'll contact the Peter dude :)tnx

Hi Philippe,Several methods come to mind...You could find a thick acetate (maybe 1mm) and score the circle with a knife, then you bend the acetate and it will break evenly around the scored edge.If you must use plexi...I don't suggest the circle cutter, because of the center drill required, and without it, is difficult to cut.Another option: you can cut square plexi parts, and double face tape a piece of wood to the bottom of the plexi...the wood should have had a hole in it before you tape it on...then place the wood, with a peg in it into another wood block clamped to a sander and simply turn the block with the plexi. Depending on the distance of the center of the peg to the face of the sander, this will give you the radius of the circle you need.Like you said...distance is a problem otherwise, I could laser cut all your disks to within .003" tolerance, but the freight might cost a bit much. If you are still interested, let me know, and I'll quote you a price. The thickness of acrylic I work with is .080" or .062" your choice.Regards,Kenwww.DakenSkys.com

super right with your last part. there are some that need the 8 sides on them.. but those are in an other part of my list and I'll make them myself no problem.all the ones that needs to be round will have 3mm extra ring around them which I'll paint so that they seem to have a border.for now I got a solution. if that doesn't turn out to work, then i'll first ask around if someone has such a system to stick a drill to a table. if that still doesn't work out, i'll go for the FSD-Peter-Dude sollution.tnx !great ! :)

Or, as mentioned below, simply cut out a ring with the 1mm plastic and stick that on top of the plexi-glass, making your border. Just an idea.

Also keep your eyes open in the shops, some stuff might just work for that. Like flashlight "lens" comes to mind, but those are expensive, or you need to buy several flashlights that are expensive as a bunch.But I guess stuff like that just *might* exist. Clear coasters? Another idea that I have thought about, is to make the *whole panel* from clear plexi. But take some round things, like glass jar lids or such that are the right size, and put them over the gauge holes. Then spray paint the panel gray. So you get an opaque instrument panel with clear holes. Now if you can make those "rings" (think "Cessna Caravan" panel - squares that have corners cut off and a hole in the center for the gauge) - stick them *over* the panel. And even glue in fake, shortened screws on the corners. This will give you something like this:

   ####		   #### <- dark "ring" around gauge%%%%%%%===========%%%%%%%% <- one solid plexi painted gray							  except for in the center which							  is clear for the "gauge lens"

This might work very well, and you get a nice 3d effect, with the gauge "lens" sunken in the "ring" - and it probably looks very real even though it is at the same level as the panel. The 3D-ring makes the thing right. And stick the fake screws on the corners. This way the only holes you need to drill are for the "ring" - thus the center hole does not matter, and the ring can even be made of plywood or such that is easier to drill than plexi.I hope you get the idea. Tuomas