cutting a perfectly circular hole in plexiglass

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being an AMD user, i am concerned that my cpu is a little warmer than i would like. the problem with my case is that there is no way to get fresh air in from the bottom on the front. i really don't like the idea of hacking my case with the possibility of messing it up.

i came up with another idea. i was thinking if i could take 2 drive blanks out of the front and put in a piece of plexiglass in their place with a whole cut in the center then i could have a fan mounted in the front of my case to blow fresh air in. the beauty of this idea is that only a cheap piece of plexiglass would need to be cut rather than my case. how would someone go about cutting a circular hole in plexiglass and make it look good without it cracking and looking like crud? someone suggested a dremel on another site. i can't see myself being steady enought to do a neat job of it.
 
I used a jigsaw with a scroll blade to cut thw plexi 120mm fan hole in the window, and a fine tooth blade for cutting the case. the window kit is from compUSA $19.99
 
Depending on the size, you could just use a hole saw. For a larger hole, use a glass cutter with a circle guide. Then cut radii from the center and tap it out. A Dremel is a fast, easy tool, but you have to make sure you don't set the speed too high, or you'll burn the plexi.
 
i've thought about just putting a fan in the side of the case like Kruz has, but can't bring myself to do it

so i was thinking a fun case mod that doesn't require a lot of cutting would be to put a 80 mm fan in where the extra drive blanks would be on the front of the case. a little superglue would hold the plexi in the front pretty good.
 
looks great, but a guy could buy a fully modded case for that kind of money

i have a dremel that would probably good for cutting the case, but i'm not very steady when it comes to doing it neat
 
Well, I was planning to do other things with it too.
You can get the cheap one for about $50.
Do a few other cases, and make it pay for it's self.;)
 
plexi is a pain in the ass to cut, why don't you just use wood and paint it the same color as the case?
 
Like prof said, if it's a small hole, then use a hole saw. Usually between 5 and 10 bucks at the local hardware store. Mounte onto your drill, and cuts a hole from 1.5 to 2 inches.
 
I might consider the idea Q had. She's right about plexi being a pain.

It's going to be about 3" in diameter.
 
a dremel... that looks kinda like a screwdriver, right?

do a little hole right in the middle and use string tied from there to somewhere round the dremel's head. keep the string taut and be blessed with a circle...

unless of course i'm thinking of some other tool altogether
 
They do, but unless you're gonna cut a crapload of holes, the bigger ones are kinda pricey. However, if you do decide to go that route, use a sponge to keep the area you're drilling wet, otherwise the plexi will heat up and you'll end up with little stress fractures all around the hole.
 
How about you do it "ghetto style" (Kruz will hate me for saying this) and not bother with plexi or anything
 
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