I am in the process of finishing my kitchen installation and need to cut the chipboard plinths to size.
I tried using a fine jigsaw blade but it still chips the plinth somewhat.
I also tried scoring along the line with a stanley knife and again it still chips slightly.
Can anyone advise me how I can cut these with clean cuts and no chipping?
Steve.........
Circular saw, with finish face on the underside.
Table saw - finish face on the top.
If its just a trim, then powered plane.
Try a "worktop" blade.
Blades help a lot. Not just small teeth, but anti-chip shaped teeth (Bosch 101B) and a new, sharp blade. Even better is a "reverse" tooth blade (Bosch 101BR) that cuts on the downstroke. Make sure any pendulum action is switched off. If your jigsaw has an anti-plinter plate (tiny gap round the blade), then use that, although they're not a great help on chipboard.
Scoring doesn't work too well on chipboard, because it's too hard on the surface to score easily, and the chips are so fragile they''re especially prone to chipping. Scoring might help if you can score to the depth of at least half a chip thickness.
Another trick is to trim with a router, not a jigsaw.
Cramp a piece of ply or perhaps chip to the face side. Good and tight. Then cut through the lot. No pendulum action. Sharp blade, Slowly. Sometimes masking tape along the cut line is effective but a lot depends on the quality of the core and the melamine face.
Paul Mc Cann
Thats the most effective method IME, if you're not using a circular saw with a decent blade that cuts clean.
NT
cut 3mm outside final, finish with high speed router pass.
Or sand to final.
The top edge of the plinth doesn't normally show, but that doesn't help with a sloping floor where you have to cut the bottom edge.
Thats where you put the plastic sealing strip innit?
[snip]
I prefer to use the blade design that is similar to a pruning saw or one of the Japanese saws designed for cabinet work. These have no set on the teeth and produce a clean cut on both sides of the cut. They cut on both the up and down stroke and create the least splintering that I have seen even in difficult materials such as chipboard.
Horrible bodge.
MBQ
You only need to cut the bottom edge if the floor is uneven, rather than merely sloping.
MBQ
I just took it slowly and it's not too bad. It can't be seen anyway unless you lay down on the kitchen floor.
The cats will see it but I don't think they will complain! :)
Steve.........
and a melamine chipboard plinth is NOT?
Either use a reverse tooth blade or hold the saw with normal blade on the underside of the material and the surface will not chip.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
MBQ
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