Hi guys,

I am placing a mirror in an illusion and the mirror is too long by only about a 1/8" - much to short to cut off by scoring and breaking. I was about to cut a small dado in the top of the cabinet to account for the extra length, but I thought I would ask around first to see if there is a good way to grind a bit off the edge of a mirror to shorten it a bit. The mirror is 38" x 15" and it is the 15" edge I need to grind.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Richard

I suggest taking it to a local glass/mirror dealer. They have the equipment to do it correctly.

Or you can make another piece to the correct size, which may be quicker. The edges should be hand sanded which will help avoid breakage later on. Use a sanding block and start with 120 grit then finish with 250 for good luck.

I've found that sometimes using power equipment may break the glass. However if you have a belt sander... that will work much better then an orbital or disk sander.

I'd second taking it to a glass shop or cutting a new piece as the easiest, most accurate, and least frustrating answers. But... if you were willing to experiment, you could try grinding the edge off with a fine grit grinding stone in a dremel tool.

In stained glass work, intricate pieces of glass are often shaped, or cleaned up, on a glass grinder. If you do try using a dremel, use plenty of water to lubricate the stone as you work--a squirt bottle works well--and be prepared for flying slurry (eye protection, outdoors). I have used a glass grinder, but have never tried using a dremel in this way--no idea how successful an idea it might be!

best of luck, whatever your process,

Lin

Sorry, forgot to add: The dremel wouldn't give you a completely even edge, and you would definitely want to finish it off by hand as suggested above.

If you do it yourself, Make sure you wear a LOT of protective gear! One mistake can cause a lot of damage!

Did you see the video on youtube where someone cuts THIN glass with a pair of scissors?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2RLzzNNNwg

Thicker glass = bigger scissors?

Tempered glass = chainsaw?

For smaller pieces of glass you can cut it with a tile cutter, like those from Harbor Freight. The diamond cutting wheel will work just like a table saw. Be careful! Proper (eye) protection should be used at all times! This method will also allow non-straight cuts if done with great care.