Does anyone have any tips for cutting a kitchen worktop (laminate top) such that the end is as smooth and chip free as possible. I've not attempted it yet, but soon I'll need to chop one down to size. I planned on using a bosch jigsaw with a guide attached.
Should I do it by hand, or get a special blade for the jigsaw?
thanks
JB
I've just finished doing a kitchen, I used a downcutting blade and the results were very good the downside is the blade is quite thin, so it bends easily. I also used a circular saw to rough cut and then finish the edge off with a router.
HTH
Jeff
Jeff,
You mean that if you were cutting from the top of the worktop, the tines (name?) would be pointing downward. yes? I seem to recall the bloke at the hardware shop mentioning upward pointing ones, but I asked if turning the worktop upside down would have the same effect and he was a bit surprised.
What's a router?
thanks
JB
i got a set of new blades; it tells you on the back which are suitable for worktops. i also clamped a length of wood onto the worktop to guide the saw along and found cutting it with the right side up gives a smooother edge.
sammi
Circular saw = much easier and neater. If you're going to use the jigsaw, get a 4" bimetal blade
My kitchen worktops meet at right angles forming an L shape. I cut the joint with a recently sharpened (not newly sharpened) hand saw of the "panel" type. I cut a mitred joint at the inside corner with the same. It's quite interesting to find what a professional quality job simple traditional hand tools can do. They do it relatively cheaply too.
they look something like this
Useful, but expensive power tool take a look at
It's very difficult to get a straight cut with a jigsaw. A circular saw is much better - cutting from the underside and starting from the front edge. That way, you'll minimise chipping.
As someone else has said, you *could* cut it slightly oversize and then finish off with a router.
[A router is a machine which uses rotary cutters for making grooves in things, or rounding the edge of skirting board etc. In the context of finishing a worktop, you would use a long parallel cutter to machine the vertical edge.]
Bloody hell - is that what they mean?!?
Last time I did one this way I spent *ages* rubbing it down with my Belkin, but I didn't get the finish I wanted.
If you buy one from B&Q they have a timber cutter (in most stores) and will cut it down for you free of charge. The trick in worktops is joining them, bet way is to use one of the brackets underneath. only problem is you need a router.. as far as I know.
Brad
If you'd have used a Cisco one, you wouldn't have had a problem.
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
LOL!
Interesting and amusing that we use the same word (router) to describe a "rowter" which cuts grooves and a "rooter" which directs internet traffic via various routes!
Just to make life even more confusing, the Americans refer to the Cisco variety as a "rowter"!
Do not under any circumstances allow the monkeys in the likes of B&Q to cut the worktop to the exact dimensions you need to fit the kitchen! It should be cut (about) 5mm oversize, and then trimmed with a router to give a perfect edge.
I have seen worktops that were cut to the perfect size by the monkeys, and invariably the laminate edge is chipped. When this happens there's nothing I can do to rescue the worktop.
PoP
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Its not a very good tool, but very crefl cuttong works reasomnably. Cut with the top upside down, and masking tape across the laminate surface where the cut will go.
I find that trimming with a router with a long bit smooths the edges up much better.
errrr.. Ummm.. Actually, the "Monkeys" at ikea said they cut the mitre'd bit for me along the "L" join. I'm only interested in trimming the other ends that I asked for "a bit too big to allow for changes" down the the exact size once all the units are in place etc. Only one end of the total of 6 I'll finish up with will be visible, so I hoped I'd manage it.
Thanks for all the replies. I'm terribly worried about the monkeys now. I hope the join is going to be ok...sob sob...
JB
Ask them if they can present you with the Complete Works of Shakespeare. If they can, then you should be OK.
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
Unfortunately many people haven't the faintest idea how to use hand tools properly. Mind you, this goes for electric hand tools, too!
J.B.
Teeth.
J.B.
You really need a downward cutting blade to avoid pulling chips off the laminate. A fine hand saw works well if sharp and well set. Sticking masking tape down the cut line helps too.
Andrew Mawson
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