I don't usually work with melamine, but need to cut some closet parts.

My normal blades, a WWII and a Freud, chip the edges of melamine more
than I can tough up and hide. I was ready to go out a drop $90 on a
"real" melamine blade, when I noticed that the highest rated melamine
blades all have a negative tooth hook angle. My Forrest Chopmaster
also has a negative hook angle, so I moved it from the SCMS to the
table saw and let it rip.

The Chopmaster does a fantastic job of cutting melamine on the table
saw! I use a sled, so the bottom is supported.

If you've got a Chopmaster, and need to work a small amount of
laminate material, give it a try!

Bonehenge (B A R R Y) wrote:
I don't usually work with melamine, but need to cut some closet parts.

My normal blades, a WWII and a Freud, chip the edges of melamine more
than I can tough up and hide. I was ready to go out a drop $90 on a
"real" melamine blade, when I noticed that the highest rated melamine
blades all have a negative tooth hook angle. My Forrest Chopmaster
also has a negative hook angle, so I moved it from the SCMS to the
table saw and let it rip.

The Chopmaster does a fantastic job of cutting melamine on the table
saw! I use a sled, so the bottom is supported.

If you've got a Chopmaster, and need to work a small amount of
laminate material, give it a try!

Before I had a table saw, I had a
similar problem and used a handheld
circular saw with a guide.

Depth of cut was about 2/3 the thickness
of the thickness of the board, and then
again on the other side. No chipping at
all.
--
Tanus

This is not really a sig.

http://www.home.mycybernet.net/~waugh/shop/

Putting masking tape (or the low-tack blue tape from 3M) over the cut
line is supposed to reduce or even eliminate chipping.

I haven't tried it myself buut know those who swear by it.

On Jan 30, 11:11*pm, Wolf Lahti wrote:
Putting masking tape (or the low-tack blue tape from 3M) over the cut
line is supposed to reduce or even eliminate chipping.

I haven't tried it myself buut know those who swear by it.

Till you pull off the tape. Even the low-tack.

The only way, after having cut thousands upon thousands of sheets of
melamine of varying qualities, is either with a scoring saw or a
router-clean-up after a saw cut. Barry just got lucky by having
everything 'just right'.

Robatoy wrote:

Till you pull off the tape. Even the low-tack.

I've never had luck with tape, either.

The only way, after having cut thousands upon thousands of sheets of
melamine of varying qualities, is either with a scoring saw or a
router-clean-up after a saw cut. Barry just got lucky by having
everything 'just right'.

I didn't even think about router clean up. I'll remember that in case
I start to see edge damage.

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:41:21 +0000, Bonehenge (B A R R Y) wrote:

I don't usually work with melamine, but need to cut some closet parts.

My normal blades, a WWII and a Freud, chip the edges of melamine more
than I can tough up and hide. I was ready to go out a drop $90 on a
"real" melamine blade, when I noticed that the highest rated melamine
blades all have a negative tooth hook angle. My Forrest Chopmaster also
has a negative hook angle, so I moved it from the SCMS to the table saw
and let it rip.

The Chopmaster does a fantastic job of cutting melamine on the table
saw! I use a sled, so the bottom is supported.

If you've got a Chopmaster, and need to work a small amount of laminate
material, give it a try!



I've covered my saw line with masking tape which seems to help.

"franz fripplfrappl" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:41:21 +0000, Bonehenge (B A R R Y) wrote:



I've covered my saw line with masking tape which seems to help.

The blade's the answer. ATB works to scribe the sides of the cut, negative
rake doesn't hammer the flakes loose. Not sure the tape would reduce the
impact and chipping much with a conventional blade, but it isn't going to
make nasties. Means it's a cheap, though not the best, option.