DIY’ists assemble – how to make a finger hold in acrylic

I’ve got some 6mm plexi ready to use as sliding doors in a cabinet (well, degu tank) and I would like to make some grooves for finger purchase to allow for easier opening and closing. They will be fitted overlapping slightly in a double channel and if I put knobs on that will obstruct how much one side can open hence why trying to make the grooves.

Any idea what I would need to achieve this? I’ve thought of using a chisel (lightly), a dremel with rotary sander (would get gummed up?) and maybe a router (don’t own one and don’t really want to spend more $$$ unless absolutely necessary).

Anyone got a bright idea? the thought of melting a groove did briefly occur to me…

Make a channel in a bit of wood as a guide. Use a drill with a depth stop that just protrudes through the wood. Still multiple holes then slide drill up and down channel to join holes into slot.

Router bit in a guide ?
Hot metal bar allowed to sit in position till it sinks in a little.
Carburundum stone might give a nice frosted effect

That a job for a router. You could use a forstner bit in a drill for a flat round hole but it won’t be as nice and you risk damaging the material

It does sound like a job for a router, but you could perhaps drill holes at the corners and join them with a jig saw, perhaps using a straight edge clamped to the acrylic as a guide?

It you have a Dremel there are router attachments that could do it.

Small bottle trimmer with adjustable speed . Too fast and it melts to itself slow and steady is the key 2 flute cutter as 4 flutes tend to mess with chip removal. You can use wd40 for cutting fluid.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395071869482?chn=ps&_ul=GB&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1V0kpcH4aSQCu9lfdYfiy4A45&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=395071869482&targetid=2425733423477&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006966&poi=&campaignid=21697391927&mkgroupid=162558106770&rlsatarget=pla-2425733423477&abcId=10027104&merchantid=549248842&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwu-63BhC9ARIsAMMTLXRxmUyeCGvekk18lYsDTbD5cBzPPMePBNPy6WPceTZS5hi6xjwyzacaAuqiEALw_wcB

If you have Makita batteries then this

A burr tool on the Dremel would do the job, but they’re hard to control. I’d make some kind of template/guide and practice on an offcut first. Or get a cheap little router like that one above.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I’ve a piece I can practice on and it doesn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing so so will see what I can achieve with my drill as per Nixies suggestion, then if that’s no go maybe invest in a router that would hopefully get used for future projects.

Do you have a circular saw? Do a series of parallel cuts 2 or 3mm deep then cut to shape.

Obviously you will need to do this safely, hold the work down safely, keep your digits safe etc.

How much clearance between sheets do you have to play with?

You could mask off some grooves (rectangular grid) and cover with a thin layer of silicone to create grippy strips.

Or you could get a 3d printed ridged panel to glue in place. I’d be happy to help out with a shallow 3d printed ridged design.