That time I was scoring tempered glass wrong for years

I was cutting a big piece of 3/8 inch tempered for a storefront in Phoenix, and the break was always jagged. My boss came over, watched me push down hard with my cutter, and just said, 'You're trying to cut it like float glass.' He showed me to use a lighter touch and let the score do the work, not force it. The next piece snapped clean as a whistle. Anyone have a different trick for getting a smooth break on thick tempered?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakotaknight4d ago

Oh man, that lighter touch is key! I had the same problem with quarter-inch. A guy on my crew told me to try a carbide wheel cutter with just one firm pass, no going back over it. Made a huge difference.

harperjackson4d ago

Wait, hold on. @dakotaknight, a carbide wheel is fine, but that "one firm pass" advice is risky on tempered. You still need that light touch. The real trick is the cutter pressure, not the number of passes. Pushing too firm on any cutter will shock the surface and cause a bad break. Your guy was half right about not going back over it, though. Never re-score a line on tempered, it just wrecks the tension.