"Eric Johnson" wrote in message
...
I am planning to put down wood laminate in my office/den, and am
wondering what type of saw is best for the cutting needed. One friend
used a jigsaw, which sounds like it would take considerable time and
eat up a lot of saw blades. I also have a handheld circular saw. One
thought I had was to buy a sliding mitre saw, but that could be pretty
expensive, though I do plan to install laminate in other rooms
eventually. And I suppose a sliding mitre saw wouldn't work for the
last row of planks where you have to trim the actual width.

All feedback is welcome, thanks!

Eric

I have only installed it once, 3 rooms. Some cuts may have to be done with
a jig saw. It tends to chip along the cut line. My preferred tool was a
10" miter saw with the fine toothed carbide blade that came with the saw.
Smooth clean cross cuts with virtually no chipping. Not a sliding miter,
just your basic Delta compound miter saw. The compound function isn't needed
for the flooring but will come in handy in your future projects. After doing
several projects including this flooring job I am still using the same blade
4 years later. So if you get a good blade the flooring won't ruin it.

I used a circular saw with a 40 tooth blade and a rip fence for the rip
cuts. Minor chipping but well hidden under the shoe or baseboard. I recall
one or two cuts where the room wasn't square. I used a straight piece of 1 x
4 as a rip guide held in place with clamps. Do read your directions as you
cut the board face up with one saw and face down with the other. At this
moment I can't recall which was which.

Hope this helps you.


Colbyt