OK, I'm fitting out an 'office' at home. I want to put in some extra surface space, so am looking at some pieces of kitchen worktop (generic
28mm stuff).I need to cut this. Straight cuts, to length and to depth. I *know* a jigsaw is a problem - BTDT. I'm not overly bothered about a 100% perfect edge (shock and horror from the purists) but I don't want to make a major mess. Is a circular saw an option, or what else can I do?
A circular saw used with an accurate batten as a guide, and with a decent tipped blade, will give a 'perfect' cut.
Cut it with a jigsaw with a fine tooth blade. Hint buy lots of blades and use blocks of wood under the jigsaw for the second and third cuts, to blunt different parts of the blade! Then trim the edge with a power plane with carbide blades. The results can be excellent.
Regards Capitol
Circular saw. Zing!
Panel saw. Phew.
I did this a few months ago and made an L-shaped desk to fit into the corner of a room using woodblock worktop. In order to accommodate a
53cm monitor in the corner and a place to sit so that I can put my legs all the way to the back, I cut a corner piece that is at 45 degrees to each arm of the L-shape and with a width of about 800mm to give myself plenty of room for keyboard and books each side.This involved cutting postform angles at 22.5 degrees on each section, and because the worktop was standard 600mm deep, would have meant a missing triangular piece in the back corner. I didn't want that, so I cut a triangular piece as well and biscuit jointed it to the rear of the centre section to create a symmetrical but irregular pentagon shape.
The other important aspect was to use connector bolts which fit into dog-bone shapes cut from the underside. I biscuit jointed the worktops together for vertical alignment, but glued and bolted them as well.
All of this was done with a 12.7mm router with long bits and a router with worktop jig.
It was reasonably easy to do the job, but I took a long time over making sure that the jig was located and clamped correctly before cutting. The jig also has a template for cutting the holes for connector bolts.
Outcome was very pleasing.
If I didn't have the router, jig and biscuit jointer, I think I'd still want to use the same basic fixing methods. If there are no angled cuts it's easier of course.
A circular saw isn't bad if you measure very accurately and use a straight edge such as a metal bar or piece of extrusion clamped to the piece to use as a guide. No matter how good you are at following a line, a freehand circular saw is going to show small gaps, but against a jig with a fine blade (lots of teeth) should work OK.
The biscuit jointing idea is good for alignment, and in the absence of a biscuit jointer machine, it can be done using a specific cutter in a router.
The connecting bolt idea is also good. In the absence of a jig, one could mark out and drill holes using a Forstner bit and then cut slots from the edge of the worktop to them.
(snipped)
Yes, I'd use a jig, although what is your definition of 'lots of teeth'?
These will be rectangular pieces - nothing fancy. I already have the L-shaped desks - bought them secondhand from a place in the Medway Towns. Good condition, and less than a third of the retail price...they need to be free standing and I need them next week!
That's what I hoped. I always clamp a batten in these cases, but was more worried about the edge finish and the laminate.
If it's a 190-200mm circular saw, then 40-50 teeth or so....
Should be relatively easy then.
Make sure the blade is sharp, the batten firmly fixed, and you are cutting with the laminate side down.
To finish the edges, glue (contact glue) the edging, trim to size, and file to give a neat line edge to the corner OR use a screw on plastic or metal edge.
Hi Bob
Circular saw is the answer, cut from the 'bottom' surface. If you tape the 'top' surface it helps prevent breakout, even better score the top surface with a Stanley knife prior to cutting.
Make a simple jig. Get a piece of thin ply or similar about 12" wide. Pin & glue a batten about 2" from one edge. See
Any probs - get in touch - I live in Strood!
Dave
Thanks. More useful advice!
Thanks...I was wondering about tape...
Yes, saw that a while ago can haven't got the tuit yet. I've just measured and clamped the batten so far.
Aha! That's where I bought the aforementioned secondhand desks...and took them back home to Herne Bay!
Ever used Morgan Timber in Strood?
I'd use a cheap TCT handsaw. They work well for a while and at their usual price can be regarded as disposable. Chipboard worktops will blunt most saw blades in no time at all. A TCT circular saw could be an option, an ordinary blade would noticably slow over the width of a board.
Only once, what a pain to deal with. Firmly stuck in a 1960's timewarp.
Mind you, I find most timber merchants a pain to deal with - no concept of customer service at all.
Dave
That's what I found. They didn't have what I wanted anyway! So it's not just me...here the story, vaguely amusing.
We arrived just after 1 p.m. No signs, but having parked in the 'visitors car park' we were told by the security man to drive to the 'yard office' - a long winding road. This had two doors, one open, one closed. I went into the open one, to be curtly told by the man having his lunch "customers other side". The two doors went into the same hut, but opposite sides of a 'window. Big notice outside tells you to go in and 'read the notice'. This notice tells you to call the operator on a rather tatty phone, and ask for one of two people depending on the goods required, asking them to come to the yard office. We did this and there was an immediate PA announcement to this end. We waited ten minutes, nothing happened. The man having his lunch then grunted, got up and (without a word to us) paged the guy again using the microphone next to his desk! We waited ten more minutes. Then a siren sounded and light dawned. IT WAS LUNCHTIME. A minute later, the guy we'd been waiting for arrived. He stood there, not saying a word, waiting for us to start the conversation. And then they didn't have what we wanted.
Unbelievable!
Our local small one is pretty good...for what they actually stock.
I can recommend Premier Furniture of Strood though...what a contrast. Phoned up, found out that they had some suitable stuff. Went there, were offered tea and coffee, toured the entire stock, chose some stuff. They got it down, dismantled it, helped and load the car, provided packing materials and some extra screws and bolts 'just in case'. Pleasant throughout! And we were only buying a couple of secondhand desks...
Cut with the laminate or face at the bottom.
I can't see any reason to ever buy a non TCT circular saw blade these days.
IRTA as a "non-circular TCT saw blade". Argh!
Heh heh. But to follow on, of course they vary in quality.
Something that Evil with his 'buy cheap' tool policy doesn't understand.
A cheap cordless circular saw can be improved immensely with a decent blade and decent batteries. But then costs close to buying a decent one in the first place.
As the OP...thanks for all the advice. I'll be using a suitable TCT blade, but the saw is mains powered (only 150mm blade though).
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