Hi,

I am contemplating some serious laminate flooring laying.

Previously I have hand cut the boards, or used a hand held circular saw.

My current mitre saw does not have the breadth to cut a laminate board.

Sliding mitre saws look a good solution, bit also seem expensive.

Three questions:

(1) Are sliding mitre saws a good investment for cutting laminate?
(2) If so, would I need a special fine toothed blade?
(3) If so, can you recommend a saw? Cheapest at Screwfix (Titan 8") is
£79.99 and next cheapest (Erbauer 10") is £129.99. After that, it would be
cheaper to pay someone to lay the flooring!

Supplementary;
Screwfix also offers 7mm laminate at about £7 per sq m or 12mm laminate at
about £15 sq m.
Do you get double the value for double the price?
Any good deals on laminate at the moment?

TIA

Dave R

--

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

Three questions:

(1) Are sliding mitre saws a good investment for cutting laminate?

More of a workshop tool than an investment, but they are ideal for
cutting laminate and other types of floor boards.


(2) If so, would I need a special fine toothed blade?

You need a reasonably fine blade, such as a 60 or 80 tooth TCT.


(3) If so, can you recommend a saw? Cheapest at Screwfix (Titan 8") is
£79.99 and next cheapest (Erbauer 10") is £129.99. After that, it would be
cheaper to pay someone to lay the flooring!

Stretch to £160 and get this one:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...66347&id=27291

It is *extremely* good for the price - I really can't recommend it
enough. Sure it doesn't have the precision of a £500 Makita, but it's
cheap, light, and a pleasure to use. In addition, it comes with a nice
fine blade.


Supplementary;
Screwfix also offers 7mm laminate at about £7 per sq m or 12mm laminate at
about £15 sq m.
Do you get double the value for double the price?

Definitely go for the thicker stuff (but I don't know how good
Screwfix's laminate is in the first place).



--
Grunff

"Grunff" wrote in message
...
snip

You need a reasonably fine blade, such as a 60 or 80 tooth TCT.


(3) If so, can you recommend a saw? Cheapest at Screwfix (Titan 8") is
£79.99 and next cheapest (Erbauer 10") is £129.99. After that, it would
be
cheaper to pay someone to lay the flooring!

Stretch to £160 and get this one:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...66347&id=27291

It is *extremely* good for the price - I really can't recommend it
enough. Sure it doesn't have the precision of a £500 Makita, but it's
cheap, light, and a pleasure to use. In addition, it comes with a nice
fine blade.

Tooth count?
Web site doesn't say.

Thanks for the recommendation!

Anyone know any in e.g. Homebase (which has a 10% day on Thursday) with
similar price/performance?

Cheers
Dave R

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

Tooth count?
Web site doesn't say.

Dunno - I haven't counted, and it's over at my mother in law's, so can't
count just now - I reckon it's a 60 (which is a lot for an 8.5" blade).


--
Grunff

David W.E. Roberts wrote:
Hi,

I am contemplating some serious laminate flooring laying.

Previously I have hand cut the boards, or used a hand held circular
saw.

My current mitre saw does not have the breadth to cut a laminate
board.

Sliding mitre saws look a good solution, bit also seem expensive.

use a jigsaw with a downcut blade as all cut ends will be hidden
either under the skirting or under the edging.

(1) Are sliding mitre saws a good investment for cutting laminate?

Yes.

(2) If so, would I need a special fine toothed blade?

Ideally, but it won't matter as the cut edge will be hidden under skirting.

(3) If so, can you recommend a saw? Cheapest at Screwfix (Titan 8") is
£79.99 and next cheapest (Erbauer 10") is £129.99. After that, it would be
cheaper to pay someone to lay the flooring!

I got mine from B&Q. They do a wide range of own brand Performance Power and
PP Pros. Good features to look for are things like twin metal slides and
255mm discs. Frivolities are things like laser sights.

Please remember to replace your skirtings. Those stick on beadings look
absolutely foul. The sliding mitre saw is essential to cut the new skirting.

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote:

snip good advice

The sliding mitre saw is essential to cut the new skirting.

tell that to the old fellas that cut and perfectly fitted the 7" skirting in
our old house which was built in 1901 LOL

tell that to the old fellas that cut and perfectly fitted the 7" skirting
in
our old house which was built in 1901 LOL

Yes and on sixpence a day, they could afford to spend time cutting by hand.

However, it is worth spending some time scribing and cutting internal
corners, rather than mitreing them. It looks better that way.

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote:
tell that to the old fellas that cut and perfectly fitted the 7"
skirting in our old house which was built in 1901 LOL

Yes and on sixpence a day, they could afford to spend time cutting by
hand.

However, it is worth spending some time scribing and cutting internal
corners, rather than mitreing them. It looks better that way.

if, and only *if* the walls are at 90 degrees, which is rare ime.

even using one of these

http://www.screwfix.com/sfd/i/cat/59/p1907059_x.jpg

and a mitre saw you will end up smearing a finger full of gap filling adhesive
and/or wood filler into the join and having to finish it which takes more time
than it does to do it the olden days way.

YMMWV

"Owain" wrote in message
...
Christian McArdle wrote:
(2) If so, would I need a special fine toothed blade?
Ideally, but it won't matter as the cut edge will be hidden under
skirting.

Doesn't that assume single lengths of laminate across the room? Which
might not be practical if the room is bigger than the laminate, or if
the laminate is bigger than the room and has to be cut to get in the
room, or would be very wasteful.

(Not that I would know, I've never laid laminate and am very unlikely
ever to!)

As I think we would have guessed from your response :-)

I though that at first, but you start with a full piece, then keep going
till you reach the other wall.
At this point you cut a board.
The cut end is against the wall.
You take the other part back to where you started, and place the cut end
agaist that wall.
You then keep on laying full boards until you hit wall again.

The cuts are always against the wall :-)

Many thanks to all contributors; the yearning for a pull saw is mainly for
speed and ease of cutting.
I can cut with a hand saw, circular saw, or jig saw, but there is the issue
of clamping the board then cutting a straight line freehand, or clamping a
guide on before sawing.

My freehand cutting is pretty shaky.

I fancy a quick mark up, a clamp to the saw bed,
wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg and then back to lay the board.

Cheers

Dave R

In article ,
David W.E. Roberts wrote:
I fancy a quick mark up, a clamp to the saw bed,
wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg and then back to lay the board.

NB There is no reason why you shouldn't cut part way through the board with a
circular saw, turn it around, then saw from the other side - so sawing a wider
board than the maximum allowed by the saw (but less than twice the maximum).

--
John Cartmell john@ followed by finnybank.com 0845 006 8822
Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
Qercus - the best guide to RISC OS computing

John Cartmell wrote:
In article ,
David W.E. Roberts wrote:
I fancy a quick mark up, a clamp to the saw bed,
wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg and then back to lay the board.

NB There is no reason why you shouldn't cut part way through the board with a
circular saw, turn it around, then saw from the other side - so sawing a wider
board than the maximum allowed by the saw (but less than twice the maximum).

If you want a new toy just go out and buy one, then you can look for
more projects to use it on.
Brian

"brian" wrote in message
oups.com...

John Cartmell wrote:
In article ,
David W.E. Roberts wrote:
I fancy a quick mark up, a clamp to the saw bed,
wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg and then back to lay the board.

NB There is no reason why you shouldn't cut part way through the board
with a
circular saw, turn it around, then saw from the other side - so sawing a
wider
board than the maximum allowed by the saw (but less than twice the
maximum).

If you want a new toy just go out and buy one, then you can look for
more projects to use it on.
Brian


I shall quote you.
Good man!

John Cartmell wrote:

In article ,
David W.E. Roberts wrote:

I fancy a quick mark up, a clamp to the saw bed,
wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg and then back to lay the board.


NB There is no reason why you shouldn't cut part way through the board with a
circular saw, turn it around, then saw from the other side - so sawing a wider
board than the maximum allowed by the saw (but less than twice the maximum).

on many of the budget chop saws if you exceed the maximum cut width by
much the blade guard would hit the wood first making any cut impossible
alas...

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

I fancy a quick mark up, a clamp to the saw bed,
wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg and then back to lay the board.


Get your priorities right. We all know it's the whole
wheeeeeeeeerrrrriiiiipppptannnggg experience you're really after.

The laminate is an optional extra.


--
Ian White

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

Sliding mitre saws look a good solution, bit also seem expensive.

Three questions:

(1) Are sliding mitre saws a good investment for cutting laminate?
(2) If so, would I need a special fine toothed blade?
(3) If so, can you recommend a saw? Cheapest at Screwfix (Titan 8") is
£79.99 and next cheapest (Erbauer 10") is £129.99. After that, it
would be cheaper to pay someone to lay the flooring!

(1) Yes and loads of other stuff e.g 6 x 2 joists.
(2) See below
(3) I just bought the Axminster one which comes with a free stand and a free
60T CMT ultra thin kerf saw blade. Brilliant bit of kit, well pleased with
it for £139 all in.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257










Supplementary;
Screwfix also offers 7mm laminate at about £7 per sq m or 12mm
laminate at about £15 sq m.
Do you get double the value for double the price?
Any good deals on laminate at the moment?

TIA

Dave R

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. uk...
David W.E. Roberts wrote:

Sliding mitre saws look a good solution, bit also seem expensive.

Three questions:

(1) Are sliding mitre saws a good investment for cutting laminate?
(2) If so, would I need a special fine toothed blade?
(3) If so, can you recommend a saw? Cheapest at Screwfix (Titan 8") is
£79.99 and next cheapest (Erbauer 10") is £129.99. After that, it
would be cheaper to pay someone to lay the flooring!

(1) Yes and loads of other stuff e.g 6 x 2 joists.
(2) See below
(3) I just bought the Axminster one which comes with a free stand and a
free
60T CMT ultra thin kerf saw blade. Brilliant bit of kit, well pleased
with
it for £139 all in.

Where did you get it?

Online or in a store?

Can't see it in my Screwfix list.

Any URLs much appreciated.

Cheers

Dave R

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

(3) I just bought the Axminster one which comes with a free stand
and a free 60T CMT ultra thin kerf saw blade. Brilliant bit of kit,
well pleased with it for £139 all in.

Where did you get it?

Online or in a store?

Can't see it in my Screwfix list.

That would be because it's Axminsters own brand :-)

Any URLs much appreciated.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/recno/14/...-Saw-21386.htm


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257