The Festool track saws are very good at cutting melamine covered sheet
goods. The circular saw blade comes up from underneath the melamine.
So the melamine is not chipped. That is the bottom of the melamine.
The top of the melamine is covered by the track. The track has a
rubber edge along it. That rubber edge restricts the top melamine
from chipping as the blade comes up through the melamine.

On a table saw zero clearance blade inserts/surrounds help to prevent
chipping on the bottom of the melamine.



On Mar 18, 7:02*am, "busbus" wrote:
Hello,

I have the need to cut a piece of melamine shelf into about 16-inch pieces.
The shelf is six-feet long and 12-inches wide and it is a bit unruly for me
to hold on the table saw by myself. *So I figured I should make 18-inch wide
piece with my circular saw then cut them down to final size on the table
saw.

I have three questions:

1. I do not have a melamine blade on either saw. *Do you think I can keep
chipping to a minimum by running a piece of masking tape over the line I am
cutting?

2. Which side is facing up for the circular saw?

3. Which side is facing up for the table saw?

Thanks!
ray