Trimming Fiberglass

What is the best tool to trim fiberglass panels? I've got a cowl induction hood that extends to the windshield, problem is the part that extends to the wind shield is about 1-9/16" too long. So, I've got to trim it back so the hood will sit where it's supposed to.

I use a dremmel. Mark it first with a sharpie and have a steady hand.

You can use an air saw. Whatever you use if you have a straight edge don't be afraid to use it for nice straight cuts. Lots of times I use pieces of scrap plywood that has a straight edge. What ever you have.

I like using about a 3" cut off wheel better than anything else..

56Tbird wrote:I like using about a 3" cut off wheel better than anything else..

X2 I like a 3" wheel on a die grinder back when pace used the fiberglass caps the die grinder worked the best for me.

3" cut off wheel, painters tape, and a steel straight edge if you want it neat

All of the above mentioned tools + others usually work good on fiberglass depending on what/how the cut needs to be done.

A jigsaw with it's wide blade can muscle through thick spots & make fairly tight turns. But it can be hard to cut a straight line with them. They can get hung up & bounce the siht out of everything if the blade gets too hot or too dull. And cutting fiberglass will dull most any steel cutting blade fairly quick.

The little air saws work just about like the jigsaw, but it's smaller size allows you to get into tighter places & with the right blade cut super tighter turns. But it's thinner blade can get too hot a lot quicker and dull or snap if you try to cut too fast, or too tight a turn, in thicker 'glass. And just like a jigsaw they can bounce the siht out of the work if the blade gets hung up.

Air & electric driven 3" chop wheel can work real good at cutting straight lines through both thin & thick 'glass. But you can't cut a real tight turn with them. And they put a ton of fiberglass dust in the air.

A collection of simple hand saws (wood, pvc, tree limb, etc) in different sizes & tooth counts can also be effective on fiberglass depending on what/how the cut needs to be done.

Depending on the thickness & cut the Dremmel stuff can cut OK. But I usually don't like using them on fiberglass because their tiny steel cutting wheels/tiny abrasive wheels just wear out way too fast on fiberglass.

For a long cut across a hood i'd opt for 6"wheel.if you use a saw try the finest blade you can get by with and leave a little edge to dress cuz you'll need it.

Thanks guys. Got it done last night with a dremel cut off wheel. I was going to use my new air die grinder, but haven't had time to go after the 1/4" shank tools. I was concerned about using a jig saw because of what was mentioned above.