cutting melamine covered chip board

[Cyberdog]

Hi, I am making some units with the melamine covered chip board you get from B&Q. My question is, how do you cut it without splintering the edges???

Thanks.

[Stuart Noble]

If you haven't already bought it, go to Homebase or somewhere they still cut to size. Difficult to get the accuracy required for units otherwise.

[simonsmith.uk]

B&Q will cut to size (in larger stores anyway)

[Cicero]

======================= Buy a small 'shark pull saw':

bit of practice is needed but they produce near perfect cuts. The larger ones can be a bit harsh so stay with the smaller sizes.

Cic.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 371 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Try SPAMfighter for free now!

[John Rumm]

Depends on the saw you use. With a circular saw or jigsaw you will get chipping on the top surface - so you need to choose your side of cut such that this is positioned on the side you won't see.

If that is not acceptable, then sometimes you can cut oversize and use an power plane to bring the board to final size and leave a nice edge. Note you will need to plane into the board from both sides to prevent tearout at the corner.

For the ulimate quality of cut in chipboard you need a router with a straight fluted cutter used along a guide batten.

[The Natural Philosopher]

1/. Tape up the cut with masking tape before cutting. 2/. Use a fine toothed blade and take it slowly. 3/. Pray.

[Andy Hall]

There are a few ways.

The best is to use a table saw with an additional scoring blade in front of the main blade. The scoring blade has a kerf slightly wider than the main blade and rotates in the opposite direction. It doesn't cut all of the way through the sheet - just the veneer plus a bit more and on the underside. The main blade cuts with the teeth entering from the top side. This has the effect that there is no chip-out of the veneer on either side.

You may be able to find a cabinet or joinery shop with a saw with this facility.

Some DIY stores have a panel saw and will cut to size for you. However, these saws typically don't have scoring blades and are often not set up very accurately. Since making of cabinets depends on very accurate cutting of material, you might be disappointed unless you carefully design the sheet layouts so that the sizes can be achieved without the saw being reset between certain cuts. This might involve use of more material.

If you are happy to cut yourself, you can reduce chipping by using a new and good quality fine toothed circular saw blade together with taping on the line of the cut. However, it won't be as good as the table saw/scoring blade method.

[meow2222]

2 more methods:

1. cut the melamine with stanley knife then saw through next to it, taking care not to chip the scored edge.

2. Put sheet face down onto some scrap hardboard and cut thru the 2 as one. As long as the hardboard is pressed against the melamine, the latter wont chip on the side the hb presses onto.

Sawing then planing works sort of, but not really well.

NT

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Your question has been answered by MrRumm,the ultimate sharp,unsplintered,perfect straight cut can be aquired by a router,however you need a piece of wood clamped to the edge of the chip board to stop the router shattering the edge piece at the ending of the cut.

[Dave Liquorice]

You can get jigsaw blades that cut on the down stroke not the up so you can have the good side up and not get chipping. These blades are sold as worktop or laminate blades. They worked, with no chipping, on Homebase's cheapo white worktop that became our interior window ledges the other week.

[John Rumm]

Yup, these are OK, but work out 'kin expensive... they also don't work too well with pendulum action turned on, and hence get blunt even faster than normal blades.