"Zephyr" wrote in message
...
On Apr 22, 9:56 am, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:
My next assignment at a friend's new-used house is to cut some ready-made
Home Depot countertop to correct length, and cut the hole for the sink.
I've
got some concerns, mostly due to the fact that I've never done this before
and it's her money.

The pieces will have a backsplash. Cutting a flat piece of countertop
seems
easy, if all precautions & preparations are done right. But, continuing
the
cut to wrap around the backsplash seems dicey. I'll be using a sabre saw
and
I envision doing the cutting from the bottom, as mentioned in the
brochure.
I assume it's done this way because the sabre saw blade cuts on the
upstroke, so the teeth won't be trying to push the laminate off the
underlying board.

What's the trick for the backsplash? Cut from the top edge toward the
counter, then cut from the counter's front edge toward the backsplash, and
then join the two cuts (while praying)? Maybe finish that cut with a
keyhole
saw? My friend will be buying the end cap kit mentioned in the brochure,
but
I don't know yet how much fractional error these kits can cover up, if
any.

I used a circular saw to cut a countertop recently myself, its easier
to be straight with the circular saw as opposed to a sabre saw, chalk
a line on the back side of the counter, run a practice cut an inch
over, and also put a piece of painters tape on the good side of the
countertop ( cut thru the tape) its really not that hard. the
difficult part is getting the joints to be perfectly flush.

Dave

=================

These are in-stock pieces from Home Depot, and they come with the 45 degree
cuts already made. (I have no idea how well that's done, however.) I'm going
to the store tonight to check out the things and decide whether I want to
continue being the volunteer for this deal.