On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 20:06:23 -0400, "Dick Snyder"
calmly ranted:
I am making Norm's Router Station.(
http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct3.cgi?813). The top has high pressure
laminate (like melamine) bonded to it. The dimensions of the top are such
that I would have had to buy a 4' x 8' sheet to have a single piece to bond
to the top so instead I got two pieces 2' x 4'. I need to cut both sheets
and here is my question.
I've heard that you can break it like glass. Score the top,
set the scored area over a very sharp edge, and snap. If I
were to try that, I'd put a piece of MDF over the top to hold
the laminate down, rest another on top of the piece to snap,
and push quickly and smoothly. Read below how I recently cut
some--the more conservative way.
I have searched the web and there seem to be two general approaches to
cutting this stuff. One is to score it deeply on the back and then cut it
with a jig saw maybe using masking tape to minimize the chip out. The second
approach seems to be to do it with a table saw taking care to prevent the
melamine from slipping under the fence (see
http://www.cabinetmaking.com/laminate.htm). I'd like some input from the
readers on this group as to the way that has worked best for you.
When I did the kitchen counters, I got an extra piece of laminate
in the same pattern of the preformed sinktop I bought. The two small
2 x 2.5' counters on the stove side of the kitchen got new tops. I
used the 18T Ryobi cordless circular saw on the laminate (upside down
to cut) and cut 1/4" oversize. I glued the side strips on and used a
router with a laminate trimmer bit to trim the top, glued the top on,
let it dry, and trimmed that flush with the sides.
The coarse, 18-tooth 5-1/2" circ saw did a great job with very little
chipout. I set the laminate good-side-down on scrap plywood, set the
saw blade 1/16" deeper than the thickness of the laminate, and cut
quickly and smoothly using a StrateCut(tm) aloonimuminum guide.
It was then that I learned how quickly a battery pack gets sucked
dead by the saw. They last a whole lot longer on the drill motor.
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