Cutting laminate flooring - sliding mitre saw?

Hi,

I am contemplating some serious laminate flooring laying.

Previously I have hand cut the boards, or used a hand held circular saw.

My current mitre saw does not have the breadth to cut a laminate board.

Sliding mitre saws look a good solution, bit also seem expensive.

Three questions:

(1) Are sliding mitre saws a good investment for cutting laminate? (2) If so, would I need a special fine toothed blade? (3) If so, can you recommend a saw? Cheapest at Screwfix (Titan 8") is £79.99 and next cheapest (Erbauer 10") is £129.99. After that, it would be cheaper to pay someone to lay the flooring!

Supplementary; Screwfix also offers 7mm laminate at about £7 per sq m or 12mm laminate at about £15 sq m. Do you get double the value for double the price? Any good deals on laminate at the moment?

TIA

Dave R

Reply to
David W.E. Roberts
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More of a workshop tool than an investment, but they are ideal for cutting laminate and other types of floor boards.

You need a reasonably fine blade, such as a 60 or 80 tooth TCT.

Stretch to £160 and get this one:

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is *extremely* good for the price - I really can't recommend it enough. Sure it doesn't have the precision of a £500 Makita, but it's cheap, light, and a pleasure to use. In addition, it comes with a nice fine blade.

Definitely go for the thicker stuff (but I don't know how good Screwfix's laminate is in the first place).

Reply to
Grunff

Tooth count? Web site doesn't say.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Anyone know any in e.g. Homebase (which has a 10% day on Thursday) with similar price/performance?

Cheers Dave R

Reply to
David W.E. Roberts

Dunno - I haven't counted, and it's over at my mother in law's, so can't count just now - I reckon it's a 60 (which is a lot for an 8.5" blade).

Reply to
Grunff

use a jigsaw with a downcut blade as all cut ends will be hidden either under the skirting or under the edging.

Reply to
.

Ideally, but it won't matter as the cut edge will be hidden under skirting.

I got mine from B&Q. They do a wide range of own brand Performance Power and PP Pros. Good features to look for are things like twin metal slides and

255mm discs. Frivolities are things like laser sights.

Please remember to replace your skirtings. Those stick on beadings look absolutely foul. The sliding mitre saw is essential to cut the new skirting.

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

tell that to the old fellas that cut and perfectly fitted the 7" skirting in our old house which was built in 1901 LOL

Reply to
.

Yes and on sixpence a day, they could afford to spend time cutting by hand.

However, it is worth spending some time scribing and cutting internal corners, rather than mitreing them. It looks better that way.

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

if, and only *if* the walls are at 90 degrees, which is rare ime.

even using one of these

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a mitre saw you will end up smearing a finger full of gap filling adhesive and/or wood filler into the join and having to finish it which takes more time than it does to do it the olden days way.

YMMWV

Reply to
.

Doesn't that assume single lengths of laminate across the room? Which might not be practical if the room is bigger than the laminate, or if the laminate is bigger than the room and has to be cut to get in the room, or would be very wasteful.

(Not that I would know, I've never laid laminate and am very unlikely ever to!)

Owain

Reply to
Owain

As I think we would have guessed from your response :-)

I though that at first, but you start with a full piece, then keep going till you reach the other wall. At this point you cut a board. The cut end is against the wall. You take the other part back to where you started, and place the cut end agaist that wall. You then keep on laying full boards until you hit wall again.

The cuts are always against the wall :-)

Many thanks to all contributors; the yearning for a pull saw is mainly for speed and ease of cutting. I can cut with a hand saw, circular saw, or jig saw, but there is the issue of clamping the board then cutting a straight line freehand, or clamping a guide on before sawing.

My freehand cutting is pretty shaky.

I fancy a quick mark up, a clamp to the saw bed, wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg and then back to lay the board.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David W.E. Roberts

NB There is no reason why you shouldn't cut part way through the board with a circular saw, turn it around, then saw from the other side - so sawing a wider board than the maximum allowed by the saw (but less than twice the maximum).

Reply to
John Cartmell

If you want a new toy just go out and buy one, then you can look for more projects to use it on. Brian

Reply to
brian

I shall quote you. Good man!

Reply to
David W.E. Roberts

on many of the budget chop saws if you exceed the maximum cut width by much the blade guard would hit the wood first making any cut impossible alas...

Reply to
John Rumm

Get your priorities right. We all know it's the whole wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg experience you're really after.

The laminate is an optional extra.

Reply to
Ian White

(1) Yes and loads of other stuff e.g 6 x 2 joists. (2) See below (3) I just bought the Axminster one which comes with a free stand and a free

60T CMT ultra thin kerf saw blade. Brilliant bit of kit, well pleased with it for £139 all in.
Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Where did you get it?

Online or in a store?

Can't see it in my Screwfix list.

Any URLs much appreciated.

Cheers

Dave R

Reply to
David W.E. Roberts

That would be because it's Axminsters own brand :-)

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Reply to
The Medway Handyman

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