How To: Cut Glass

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about How To: Cut Glass and hope the blog can help you.

Get a perfect pane for your project with this step-by-step guide.

If the very thought of cutting glass makes you cringe, perhaps it’s because you remember a painful occasion when glass cut you. Yet while caution is required, cutting a piece of glass—to, say, replace a broken window, frame a picture, or top a table—is literally a snap to DIY. And it can certainly save cash: Hiring a handyman or professional window installer to replace a pane can cost upwards of $100.

The essential tool at play in your project is a glass cutter, though its name is somewhat misleading. This inexpensive, pencil-sized implement with a carbide- or diamond-tipped wheel in its head scores, rather than slices through, the surface. Once that’s done, you simply snap the pane along the straight line. A beginner with any fears about the process should wear goggles (in the unlikely event of flying shards) and work gloves for protection (keeping in mind that thicker gloves could impair dexterity). It’s also smart to practice on scrap glass till you get the hang of it, but soon you’ll be custom-fitting panes like a pro!

The process for cutting glass follows these simple steps:

1.  Thoroughly clean the glass you intent to cut.
2.  Lay the glass on a clean, flat, layered surface.
3.  Measure the glass to the required dimensions.
4. Score the glass with a glass cutter, using a straightedge for guidance.
5. Snap the glass along the scored line.
6. Smooth out any sharp edges.