Hi Group
Your knowledge is sought on the subject of best practice for cutting kitchen worktops. Previous attempts have resulted in damage to the surface and anything but a straight cut. First what kind of saw should I be using and what are your tips for a good finish. Thanks Graham
None of them really.
A circular saw used with care and with a guide will just about do it. A jig saw is marginal, even if you have a good one like a Bosch blue.
The effective way is to use a router and a worktop jig. It needs to be a decent 12.7mm router, not a £30 special. If you expect to have a further use for a router, something like the Freud 2000 is a good buy at about £160.
Alternatives are to rent a jig and router for a day, or to have the worktop cut professionally.
On straight cuts I can't tell the difference between a router and a £30 circular saw. No need to spend more unless you're joining two worktops
The key issues here are
a)cutting it straight and correctly b)not damaging/chipping the laminate on the top surface.
IAlways use a decent circular saw with a slightly finer blade than the supplied shark tooth standard one. I mark and measure carefully where i want to cut (remember-measure twice/cut once !) then i apply some duct tape or similar along the line where i will be cutting such that the saw will cut through the middle of the full length of duct tape that i have applied. I also cut with the laminate (finished surface) facing downward and G clamp a lngth of metal or wood to the worktop to act an an accurate guide for the saw.
works fine for me
joe
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I agree with all that for straight cuts.
If you are joining 2 worktops at right angles with the bit near the rolled edge mitred (I think it's called a Mason joint) you really need to do it with a router and jig. If you're only doing one or two, the best plan is to pay an expert to do it for you. It will proabably cost you as much to hire the kit - or even more if you scrap some worktops while practising!
I actually managed this with a plain woodsaw, the type with a solid metal blade maybe 24-30" long. It produced a straight cut and no chipping. It required a bit of care though. I wanted to cut the front of the worktop a bit further back to give better access, as it stuck out in front of a doorway. I faced the cut worktop off with oak stripwood I got from Homebase. All worked out nicely.
Andy.
I cut my worktops using a 1/2" Router with a long 1/2" bit in it. Didn't want to fork out for a worktop jig so I cut the worktop to within 5mm of the line with a jigsaw and trimmed to the line with the router against a batten clamped to the worktop.
The first cut I made with the router caused the laminate to chip but I found if I cut in the right direction there was no chipping. Not sure how best to describe how to cut in the right direction - I'm sure someone more "router literate" could explain the correct technique here.
ETV
Like everyone else has said, circular saw, fine tooth TCT blade, cut with laminate down, going into the visible edge. Blade depth set so that teeth clear to gullet, tape on underside..................
................. and make up one of these - brilliant!
That's the big "IF". If it's an end cut, then almost anything will do because it can be bodged with filler or adhesive.
For a worktop/worktop joint, the choices are to bodge it with a circular saw or to do it properly with a router.
Always use the router travelling anti clock wise into the job, as the cutter is going clockwise this keeps the router against the guide & stops it 'running away'
Always start from the roll front otherwise you will chip the front as the cutter comes through
I always pull the router towards me, so I have total control, 'sods law' says that if you are pushing & it tries to 'run away' your push will help it.
Make sure you have no loose clothing etc. for the cutter to get hold of! at
20K or so revs per min it will soon spill some 'claret'Thanks all most helpful. As I do have a circular saw and do not have a router I shall go with the saw. Final clarification before I make my one cut across the worktop. Have I understood you correctly that I cut from the visible side to the wall side? Also you say a "slightly finer blade" for the saw. Can you be more specific on this so I can go buy one. Again thanks Graham
In article , snipped-for-privacy@btinternet.com writes
Don't do it!!!. Just go and get the cheap Trend router and they can be had for less than 30 quid, and that makes a very fine edge and is the way a Pro would do it. You'll then have a very useful tool for other applications:)
Bin there and tried that and ruined the worktop with a circular saw:((
He can test first by slicing an odd bit off.
On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:35:03 +0100, tony sayer scrawled:
That's the way a pro *could* do it, not neccesarily the only way though. I'd use a circular saw, quicker, easier and the same finish.
Then either your crap with DIY and\or your tools are s**te. I have cut many a worktop with a circular saw and have never had a problem. You're probably using the cheapo blade that you get free with the saw that has about 4 huge teeth on it. Absolutely useless for anything other than rough work.
Assuming you are using a hand-held circular saw rather than a saw bench, the worktop must be upside down - so that its underside is visible. Start cutting from the rolled edge so that the cut finishes with the edge which goes against the wall.
Use a TCT blade designed for laminate and chipboard. This will have approx twice as many teeth as a crosscut/ripping blade - with the actual number of teeth depending on the blade diameter.
So have I, also without problems. Buy a cheapo circular saw (Makro have them for a tenner) spend the same on a 30-40 tooth TCT blade & follow instructions given elsewhare. The 'sawboard' makes life so easy, make one up.
Dave
And so have I, more times than I care to remember, formerly with a good quality Elu saw, and more recently with a £30 Power Devil (20 teeth). No difference whatsoever in the quality of the cut. What the hell is a circular saw for if not to do straight cuts?
Indeed. An essential accessory. Also a spacer in the form of a piece of hardboard 6" long and as wide as the distance between the tooth and the edge of the saw base. Put the spacer against the mark you want to cut, slide the T square up to it, and away you go. If the long section of the "T" is wide enough, you can hold it in place without clamping.
In article , Lurch writes
Oi!, Come outside and say that;)
Nope it was the small variations that you get in the length of the worktop that spoilt it. Course you can use filler but I works to higher standards than that!..
And theres nowt wrong with my tool/s either !.....
You mean the cut edge wasn't straight? Not possible with a guide. Give me the job and I'll finish the tools....:-)
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