That is how I cut melamine. On 3/4" stock I set the depth to 7/17" and flip. If you get a big X then you need to align your saw or improve your technique. I rough cut everything over size.An advantage th this method is most all of the sawdust goes to the DC. Also, you don't need ant special blade, just a carbide combination. I use an Amana - on sale $20.00.
Hello all Would it be reasonable to assume if I cut melamine board on my table saw by cutting partial on one side, and flipping it over and finishing the cut, that I would avoid chipping ? Isn't it when the saw blade exits the cut that the chipping happens ? Any other techniques would be appreciated. I am trying to avoid buying a special blade. Thanks William
You might also try covering your intended cut with masking tape on both sides before cutting, and use a crosscut blade with lots of teeth. Good luck, Andy
Buy a Melamine blade. I've got a Freud that leaves a PERFECT edge on both top and bottom. It's worth the money, believe me.
Dave
On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 16:06:19 -0500, "Scott" scribbled:
In all my experiments, including using Freud's "ultimate melamine blade", I have always gotten chips, even on top of the cut. The only way to avoid them (for me) is to cut oversize and trim with a router and straightedge. So, in my opinion, FWIW, just use whatever good blade with lots of teeth you have and then trim with a 1"-long laminate flush trimming bit.
Luigi Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address
their Dado blade.
Dave
Thats a lot of work Luigi, You may have something out of alighnment with your saw and fence if you are chipping out on the top also.
80 tooth Triple chip with a 5 degree negative rake will give you a clean cut top and bottom Also gives a clean cut crosscutting Plywood .Good Luck, George
G'day Scott, The way I do it is to cut the melamine board 3 - 5mm over size all around, using a fine tooth tungsten blade.I then set the Buzzer, Planer at that amount and by running all 4 sides across it end up with an accurate piece and no chips. This is the way it is done in all small cabinet shops that do have scribing saws. Hoping this helps Regards John
Yep. I'll second that. The Freud melamine blade, with a zero-clearance insert, leaves a perfect edge every time.
If you're getting chip-out with that blade, on the *top* of the cut, you have something mis-aligned in your saw. Or a bad blade. Or bad technique. Or something.
On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 16:31:14 -0700, "George M. Kazaka" scribbled:
That's what I figured too. Checked it out, it seems well aligned, at least as much as my dial indicator can tell. I suspect it's probably vibration or some bearing slightly loose in my contractor TS. Or maybe it's the quality of board we get here? Chipping was much worse when I used the cheap shelving as opposed to 4X8 sheets. Or maybe it's the lack of humidity making the particle board more brittle? Who knows? Anyway, I try to avoid melamine as much as possible and have no plans to use it in the future. Last time I used it was two years ago when I built new desks & shelving in my basement office. I had to do it rather quickly and get back to work.
I do get good results with plywood.
Luigi Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address
some folks get by with a shallow cut followed by a through cut.
the special blades are worth it if you are going to make very many cuts. I'd say, more than 5.
you can also get by by cutting oversize and trimming with the router.
weegee- try tuning up your fence to dead-on parallel, if it isn't already...
On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 11:30:21 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@all.costs scribbled:
OK, with everybody telling me to check my alignment, I just did. So, I pull out the old dial indicator, the calipers & the feeler gauges. Take out the rip blade that's on the saw, and try to measure run-out on the arbour & arbour flange with the dial indicator. Looks bang on.
Put the Freud Ultimate Melamine Blade on the saw. Check for run out using the mitre gauge, a dowel & feeler gauges. Bang on. Then check whether the blade is parallel to the mitre slot. Maybe a thou or two off max, I get varying results, so I try a number of times.
Then check the Unifence parallel to the mitre slot. Slight adjustment required (3-4 thou off the wrong way). It's a good thing, I hadn't done it in a while, and have moved the fence to the other side of the blade to make bevel cuts a few times in the last little while, so it's not surprising it was off. Ensure it's bang on.
Try a test cut on a melamine scrap. Chip-out on top & bottom. So, thinks I, maybe if I lower the blade, it might improve things. Lower the blade so just the gullets protrude. Much better cut on top, no chip-out, but chip-out on the bottom (using a Lexan zero clearance insert).
Now I remember, I had solved the chipout on top problem way back when (by lowering the blade and ensuring the fence was parallel), but as I was using some of it for vertical pieces as legs for the corner desk & shelving, I needed perfection on both sides. Hence the router use. Note that I haven't used melamine since January 2004, almost two years now. However, I could not avoid the chip-out on the cheap shelving melamine. It still looks like crap and annoys me every time I look at those shelves.
Anyway, I have successfully avoided using that crap in the last two years, and hope to continue avoiding it.
Luigi Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address
MY Freud is "Industrial - Item No. LU97R010". It cost about $100 IIRC. It cuts Melamine with NO chip out top or bottom.
I'm guessing you bought one of their cheaper blades??
Dave
On Tue, 01 Nov 2005 08:27:05 -0800, David scribbled:
Model number is different:LU92M010. I DAGS and they are different models; yours has 80 teeth & is Teflon coated, while mine has 60 teeth. I paid $140.00 Canadian for mine two years ago, and it was the most expensive blade available in the store.
Checking on Amazon, my went for $US64.99 and yours goes for $US98.25.
I guess your guess is right.
So for everyone else the lesson is: get the 80-tooth Teflon-covered Freud blade, not the 60-tooth steel "Ultimate melamine blade" if you want no chip-out.
Luigi Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address
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