On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:56:26 -0400, the infamous "JoeSpareBedroom"
scrawled the following:

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.

I drilled the sink cutout corners from the top with a large holesaw,
then used a circular saw from the bottom for the straight cuts. It's
much cleaner and quicker than a sabre saw.


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

Nope, top to bottom, then back to front, continuing the first cut.


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.

The last one I cut was with my portable table saw. I had to remove the
kickback pawls and the shield, but left the guide for a cleaner cut.
It was a 6' piece cut down to about 5' so it was easy to maneuver. The
client's son helped guide with a few fingertips.

I put masking tape over the top of the laminate, drew the cutline with
a Sharpie, put the blade up all the way, then cut the backsplash (and
a few inches of counter) first, with the bulk of the counter tilted
upright. I then turned off the saw, lowered the counter to nearly
flat, and started the saw again, making the second cut in one slow
pass. It cleaned up quickly with a file and I glued on the end with no
trouble.

Total time for cut and glue: less than an hour, including setup.

--
I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life
which are the real ones after all. --Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957)