Did some reading on Vansairforce. The best cutting tool for the canopy plexiglass is supposedly a Dremel UltraSaw with a US500 wood/plastic blade.
I already own the saw and the blades! What a deal!
I called Van's help line and got some guidance on the cutting. I also found a guy online who has done a video of the canopy process for $39. Bought it. No downloads - paid for 2 day shipping of disk.
I bought a couple of 1' square pieces of plexi at lowes and did some test cuts with the saw - perfect cuts - smooth, no grab, excellent control.
In the instructions, they ward of the caonopy frame spreading due to the outward force of the bent plexiglass. I re-fitted the frame on the airplane fuselage, and put a couple of nylon shipping straps across the frame to preserve the dimension in the face of spreading forces.
