I can't remember what I used last time to cut a worktop. Pretty sure at the advice of the local DIY gaff I used a jigsaw and guide and it went well.
I have a circular saw too, is there a suitable blade for that?
I do have a router but one of the knobs is broken making using it a bit of a faff and a wrestle (and I don't know where/what condition it is in). But if that's the most sensible option i'll find and fettle it.
The edges will be up against a wall and a tall unit so don't need to be mint.
I have a template to assist the mating of worktops with a router. I now wouldn't do it any other way.
I guess if you use mastic to hide the cut edge then either way, but cut with the saw from the bottom to keep the top surface intact.
I have successfully used a handsaw in the past, on a couple of tresles, but it was separate from any attachments.
I posted about this a few months ago. Including which blades I used and which way up I had the worktop.
If only I were better at searching.
Good grief! I found it.
Well done, I couldn't but I was searching on my own messages and they only go back to September!
I always forget about Google Groups, Cheers,
I have used various saws to rough out followed by a side pass with a router to get really clean edges.
I am perplexed. in general worktops have 4 edges...or are you saying you don't need to shape the back?
+1, although I have a jig for making ?masons mitres? up to 900mm wide which can easily be used to produce perpendicular straight cuts in 600mm worktops so I tend to router all the way through.
Last time I was able to scribe the rear of a worktop to a wall was back in the days of imperial sizes. With metric units you have no leeway for scribing without leaving the worktop short at the front. The only way is get an extra wide worktop such as those for breakfast bars and waste a lot of material. Last couple of kitchens I fitted, I tiled the walls and was able to take out any unevenness in the walls using the tiles.
Richard
Is this one with a laminate surface?
Jigsaw I would only recommend on laminate for rough cut-outs that won't be seen (like a hole for a hob or inset basin), or short visible cuts with a down cut blade (i.e. cuts on the push rather than the pull).
If you need to make straight cuts (or even cut-outs), then this is the way to go.
*HOWEVER* Make sure you cut from the underside - so that the teeth of the blade arr cutting into the laminate surface and not away from it. That will prevent chipping. A good sharp TCT cross cut blade is best.If you must cut from the top surface, then remove the riving knife from the saw, cut against a guide, start at the far end of the cut and pull the saw slowly *backwards" through the cut. That way, the teeth of the blade are still cutting into the laminate surface and not away from it.
(for any sawing operation, you can also pre score the cut with a sharp knife, and cut with the blade just on the waste side of the score. Sometimes applying masking tape over the cut line prior to cutting can further protect the surface)
Router is the only decent way of of doing a mason's mitre cut for proper worktop joints. And you will need a suitable worktop cutting jig to do those.
Circular saw then... unless the wall is wonky and you need to scribe it to the wall.
I paid the worktop supplier to do the joint, was £40 for a pair, I haven't seen it yet, they are still wrapped up, but i'm assuming they can do a better job than me.
snip
How would you rate a biscuit joint as a second best?
One of the few things I've paid somebody to do - and he just glued 2 flat edges of worktop with a piece of wood screwed underneath the join. Of course, the join has failed, and I happen to have a biscuit joiner . . .
Its not even an alternative - since a biscuit jointer can't cut a worktop.
For the avoidance of doubt, the worktop jig is a thing like:
However once the joint is cut, and the rebates on the underside have been routed, then the biscuit jointer is very useful to help alignment of the two parts during gluing and clamping.
[1] e.g:A good worktop join needs several things to work well IMHO:
1) The matching parts need to fit very well with a close joint (Hence router and jig) 2) The cut ends must be very well sealed prior to assembly (several coats of SBR or poly varnish applied and allowed to fully cure. 3) You need at least three pockets cut in the underside and the right clamps/bolts to pull the job together. 4) Biscuit slots and no. 20 biscuits for alignment. 5) Copious amount or glue/sealant (preferably colour matched) in the joint before its clamped up.That way it should all stay aligned, be strong, water proof (and not risk absorbing water and swelling in wet service areas), and be nearly invisible.
If that requires the worktops to be at a right angles to one another it'd not be much use here :((
And no, I'm not going to try to strip and re-plaster/line the walls to make them square. I know my place.
I had a completely bowed wall. So I put the high level cupboards up using spacers, and used 16mm MDF sheet below them down to the worktop with a massive gap behind large enough to take back boxes and cables :-)
No need to re-plaster, just dig-out the plaster high points so that the worktop goes in and is near-enough to the wall at the low points. Once the tiles or upstand are fitted it all gets hidden
Cutting to length isn't too bad (or reducing the depth)- ie straight cuts. I've always used a TCT circular saw, face side down, with a bit of wood clamped to provide a fence for the saw base to slide against.
The first few times I put tape on the cutting line (face side) but I forgot once and it didn't matter, so I didn't bother since.
I wouldn't do it with an old blade, one that is has seen some use it fine, but not a knackered one.
Always seal the edges, if moisture gets in, .....
It is not a matter of high points; it is a matter of a parallelogram.
It probably could, but no-one would seriously recommend it :)
I've had triple chip blades clean cut melamine, but a router cuts in a far better direction for this, so would much rather rely on that.
Knobs are generally easy to make using a cut-off screw & a drill as a lathe. Very coarse sandpaper to get the initial shape. Or they can be cut/shaped with a router.
NT
For straight cuts a sharp fine toothed handsaw. For cutting holes for hobs etc a jigsaw.
Mike
I tried my jigsaw, but even with a guide I couldn't get a straight edge, the blade was wafting all over the place.
So I used my circular saw with the blade it came with, upside down, front first, the results were surprisingly good.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.