Recently I wrote asking about the thickness of the worktop jigs that you
use with routers. Just for interest, the "budget" jig from Screwfix
(note: not the 12m of oak-effect skirting board that they tried to fob
me off with) is in-fact about 15mm thick.



Anyway, what a day - practiced with jig, no problems, so cut out the
female joint on one worktop - beautiful results, so continued with new
router to route a lip around the worktop (to fit under the tiles - the
original worktop was 30mm, this is 40mm, so there needs to be a rebate
to allow the edge of the worktop under the tile edge). Cut the piece to
size, measured for the kitchen sink, and started cutting with jigsaw.
Damned hard work - with downward cutting blades, the jigsaw bounces a
lot, so I put more and more weight onto the worktop and the jigsaw to
stop the bounce. This worked well, until I made the cut across the depth
of the worktop; all of a sudden gravity kicked in and deposited me, the
still whirring jigsaw and about 1/2 the worktop (say £50 worth) onto the
floor (raises hand for Darwin nomination).

Repeated with the second worktop, although this time routed the sink
hole with the worktop in situ (SWMBO has gone nuts over the sawdust) but
at least this one's in place (shame about the hob, on the other worktop
- that's gonna have to wait for another worktop to be deliver - bang
goes another ton), but hopefully I've learnt a few lessons.*

(* the one I didn't learn, was to remember to route the tongues for the
worktop clamps - SWMBO did query what they were for when she found them
underneath all the sawdust. "Bugger", said I, or words to that effect,
whilst glaring at the newly fitted sink; Still - plan-B - which is
achieveable - is to screw some battens on the underside of each worktop
and clamp between those - there'll be no fouls, and it'll allow me more
space to biscuit the worktops).

What a day.

(sorry for the rant, but I'm just coming off the boil)

Mike.

In article ,
Mike Dodd no-address@lo0 writes:
Anyway, what a day - practiced with jig, no problems, so cut out the
female joint on one worktop - beautiful results, so continued with new
router to route a lip around the worktop (to fit under the tiles - the
original worktop was 30mm, this is 40mm, so there needs to be a rebate
to allow the edge of the worktop under the tile edge). Cut the piece to
size, measured for the kitchen sink, and started cutting with jigsaw.
Damned hard work - with downward cutting blades, the jigsaw bounces a
lot, so I put more and more weight onto the worktop and the jigsaw to
stop the bounce. This worked well, until I made the cut across the depth

I cutout for the sink using a set of hole cutters to cut the 4 holes
for the radiused corners, and then a circular saw (from the rear,
plunge cut) to join the 4 holes together. Need to be very accurate
starting and stopping the cut. I might have used a jigsaw just to
complete the circular saw cut squarely (it's a few years ago and I
can't recall exactly now).

--
Andrew Gabriel

In article , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article ,
Mike Dodd no-address@lo0 writes:
Anyway, what a day - practiced with jig, no problems, so cut out the
female joint on one worktop - beautiful results, so continued with new
router to route a lip around the worktop (to fit under the tiles - the
original worktop was 30mm, this is 40mm, so there needs to be a rebate
to allow the edge of the worktop under the tile edge). Cut the piece to
size, measured for the kitchen sink, and started cutting with jigsaw.
Damned hard work - with downward cutting blades, the jigsaw bounces a
lot, so I put more and more weight onto the worktop and the jigsaw to
stop the bounce. This worked well, until I made the cut across the depth

I cutout for the sink using a set of hole cutters to cut the 4 holes
for the radiused corners, and then a circular saw (from the rear,
plunge cut) to join the 4 holes together. Need to be very accurate
starting and stopping the cut. I might have used a jigsaw just to
complete the circular saw cut squarely (it's a few years ago and I
can't recall exactly now).


And err.. when you've dun all that, coat the cut edges with a good
varnish or similar waterproof, just in case the water should ever leak
into the edges or joints such as it will if given half a chance and the
sight ain't pretty;!....
--
Tony Sayer

Mike Dodd wrote:

stop the bounce. This worked well, until I made the cut across the depth
of the worktop; all of a sudden gravity kicked in and deposited me, the
still whirring jigsaw and about 1/2 the worktop (say £50 worth) onto the
floor (raises hand for Darwin nomination).

Oops, oh well it will probably be funny in a few years (well SWMBO will
think so anyway! ;-)

Perhaps you ought to use the jigsaw to make a cutout (15mm oversize) in
a bit of 1/2" ply. Then use that as a template for the router to make
each of the cutouts...



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
Mike Dodd wrote:

stop the bounce. This worked well, until I made the cut across the
depth of the worktop; all of a sudden gravity kicked in and deposited
me, the still whirring jigsaw and about 1/2 the worktop (say £50
worth) onto the floor (raises hand for Darwin nomination).


Oops, oh well it will probably be funny in a few years (well SWMBO will
think so anyway! ;-)

Perhaps you ought to use the jigsaw to make a cutout (15mm oversize) in
a bit of 1/2" ply. Then use that as a template for the router to make
each of the cutouts...


Ended up using the guide on the router to do the longitudinal cuts, and
the clamped worktop jig as a guide for the lateral cuts (Her idea!).

Might do that (create jig) for when the next piece of worktop gets
delivered - for the hob.

"Mike Dodd" no-address@lo0 wrote in message
...

Recently I wrote asking about the thickness of the worktop jigs that you
use with routers. Just for interest, the "budget" jig from Screwfix (note:
not the 12m of oak-effect skirting board that they tried to fob me off
with) is in-fact about 15mm thick.


Anyway, what a day - practiced with jig, no problems, so cut out the
female joint on one worktop - beautiful results, so continued with new
router to route a lip around the worktop (to fit under the tiles - the
original worktop was 30mm, this is 40mm, so there needs to be a rebate to
allow the edge of the worktop under the tile edge). Cut the piece to size,
measured for the kitchen sink, and started cutting with jigsaw. Damned
hard work - with downward cutting blades, the jigsaw bounces a lot, so I
put more and more weight onto the worktop and the jigsaw to stop the
bounce. This worked well, until I made the cut across the depth of the
worktop; all of a sudden gravity kicked in and deposited me, the still
whirring jigsaw and about 1/2 the worktop (say £50 worth) onto the floor
(raises hand for Darwin nomination).

Glad to hear you're OK
Having contributed my tu'pence to your thread; I've just remembered
something ... when you're cutting out 'great chunks' of worktop for
sinks or hobs etc ... make two parallel cuts for front/back or
left-side/right-side -then screw two battens across the cuts to the
inside of the area. Cut remaining sides - et volia! Nothing
falls out/down ... the cut-off doesn't become more and more wobbly
as your cut progresses ... and the bridging battens are a handy
means of moving the off-cut out of way.
{Saw it on Norm Abram's show ... tried it myself ... why didn't
I mention it?)

--

Brian

Brian Sharrock wrote:

{Saw it on Norm Abram's show ... tried it myself ... why didn't
I mention it?)


Grrr!