Cutting Melamine w/o Splintering

[Chuck Schultz]

I'm about to begin sawing up a bunch of melamine for some laundry room cabinets, and I want to ensure I get the cuts as clean as possible. I'll need to rip down the 4x8 sheets initially with my circular saw, then run them through the table saw to finalize the dimensions. I'l also need to make numerous dados to fit everything together.

I have a 50 tooth combo blade in the saw right now that I was planning on using for making all the finish cuts, and a 6" stacked dado set for the dados.

What is the best way to have splinter free cuts? Slow down the feed rate? Put masking tape on the melamine where the cuts are?

Thanks for your input.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Chuck - I've worked with melamine before and always been frustrated with the cuts. But it was for shelving for toys in the kids' playroom, so it didn't really "kill" me.

I recently went to add a few shelves, and I was using a new Freud Hi-ATB blade I had recently purchased (instead of my usual "combination" blade), and all I can say is WOW, what a difference! the cuts were perfect.

Note, there were a few other changes besides the blade - I was using both a x-cut sled and also just making 'normal' cuts, but I now have a ZCI. Also, I previously used the standard table insert (non-ZCI), which I think contributed to chipping. Also - I had adjusted the fence to be more || to the blade...I think before it was a little off. Makes a world of difference.

[Bob Vavricka]

Chuck,
I just did my first work with melamine and the masking tape didn't seem to help much. What worked for me was to make a scoring cut first to just cut through the bottom melamine layer, then raising the blade and making the cut through the panel. It seemed to me that I got better results on the top surface if I raised the blade a little higher than I normally do.
It's more work making every cut twice, but the results were worth it to me. I did use a zero clearance insert for all the cuts.
I didn't cut any dados so maybe someone else can tell you what works best for dados.
Bob

[Chris Padilla]

You need a very high tooth count blade like the one John above used.

Combo blades get you decent cuts in most situations. The correct blade for the material and grain direction you are cutting will get you excellent cuts all the time. Yes, it means changing blades all the time and more money/storage for blades but if you want excellent cuts all the time, it is the name of the game.

CMT makes a "Fine Cut/Melamine" blade. The Freud is excellent as well. Just about any blade designed for crosscuting will get you nice cuts in melamine.

[Chuck Schultz]

Thanks for the input. I like the idea of running a scoring cut first, then making the final cut. Mainly I like it b/c it costs me less cash. I might run a few test cuts with that approach tonight and see what the results are. If that doesn't work well, I guess I'll have to purchase a new blade.

I would think then that I could use the same technique when cutting dados?

[John Sanford]

Use a SHARP blade designed for cutting Melamine/plywood
Scoring Cut
Zero Clearance Insert.
Tape. Yes, it does help some. Whether it helps enough to justify the time is a personal decision.
Patience.

[Ben Franz]

+1 on CMT Melamine blade - also good for furniture grade plywood. ZCI also a huge difference.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I hated spending the $$ on a Festool TS55EQ,,,but,,it excels at making nearly flawless cuts in Melamine w/the stock blade.
Plus, the accuracy of the tool mostly eliminates the need to "trim things up" on the table saw.
W/a little extra effort it can also break the edges of the Melamine so dados are perfect - or nearly so.

Granted ~ 5 bills is a lot, but, it works so well on so many things I don't regret a penny of it.

[Jay Yoder]

I use Freuds double sided melamine blade! Works like a champ!!

[Peter Quinn]

I use a high ATB blade melamine blade for plywood and melamine. The tooth geometry is everything. I don't cut a lot of melamine but when i do I use this blade having had marginal results with other blades. I think mine is an Amana? These blades are in the $120 range, not cheap so other tests may be worth it if you can get results within your acceptable range with your current blade. Scoring and a ZCI should help. Some have resorted to scoring using a climb cut with very minimal blade exposed, maybe 1/16", then running a second full depth pass going the standard direction. Do that at your own risk, but it does create similar conditions to a sliding table saw with a scoring blade.

[Bill Keehn]

I haven't tried this with melamine but I think it should work. Try using a backing board. Using double stick tape, stick a couple of narrow strips of the MDF over and under the cut line. Use a couple of strips on the saw table to support the edges of the board when you make the cut.

[Bill Keehn]

I recently bought a Porter-Cable Razor Carbide 50 tooth blade, with the variable tooth spacing. It was cheap so I thought I'd give it a try. I had just gotten it and decided to use it to rip a long piece of melamine for a jig I was building. I quickly changed out my blade and set everything up.

As I was making the cut I was noticing how nice the edge was. It seemed much better than what I got from my Amana ATB. Only I couldn't understand why so much material was being ejected from the blade at such a high velocity even though I had the dust collector on. The little bits of plastic sting when they hit your arm. My Amana blade never did that.

I started to wonder if somehow the thin kerf was creating airflow starvation and defeating my dust collector. Maybe it was the geometry of the anti-kickback raker teeth. I stared at the teeth for a couple of minutes trying to imagine what the problem might be.

It was then that I realized I had installed the blade backwards! :o

After I reinstalled the blade, it stopped throwing shrapnel at me, and the next cut was even cleaner. What really suprised me however was how much easier it was to feed the material. Seriously it was much easier than the Amana had ever been.

[Greg Hines, MD]

A while back I got a tester model of the final cut sawblade from Carbide Processors, and that was the test I had for it, and it did great, no splintering even with melamine.

Contact Creeker Tom Walz and I am sure he can give you a good deal, or contact Emily Erskine at sales@carbideprocessors.com.

Doc

[Dave Falkenstein]

I have cut lots of melamine making cabinets and installing storage systems.

On the table saw I use an Amana Hi-ATB blade for melamine and get great cuts on the table saw without using a scoring cut. I use a Freud 8" Super Dado and get excellent dados. It is hard to get perfect cuts in melamine, but these blades come close. A sharp Forrest Woodworker II will cut almost as well as the Hi-ATB blade.

Another alternative that works really well is the Festool saw and guide rail, but I don't think you will like the price.

I tried an expensive Forrest blade in a conventional circular saw and got OK results, but not nearly as clean as the other methods mentioned above.

[Rod Sheridan]

I use a blade designed for melamine, however one issue that hasn't been mentioned is that the quality of the material plays a large part in how well your cut will turn out.

I've found that the melamine coated junk you get at a Borg, is not equivalent to the material sold by specialty vendors (120 weight or something???).

The material I buy from suppliers in my area has a denser, more consistent core, and thicker, more chip resistant surfaces. The cost differential is about $8 per sheet.

Regards, Rod.

[frank shic]

modulus 2000 - it's a bit pricey at $400 but it'll give you completely chip free without all the other fussing around once you get it installed and tuned lol

[Bill Keehn]

One of those specialty blades for cutting melamine sounds like just the thing for Chuck's project, at least for cutting the panels to size. Your dado set might not be so good though.

Has anyone tried cutting dados in melamine using a router with a downcut spiral bit? From what I've been reading it seems like the way to go.

[Tom Walz]

Thank you, Dr. Hines

We have it on special at $25 for the first one.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/store/finalcut.html

tom

[Chuck Schultz]

I bit the bullet and picked up a melamine blade to make all the cuts with. They turned out great and had no chip out on any of the cuts.

I haven't yet made the dados, but I'm leaning more towards using the router to make these now as I don't have a ton to make, and I'm sure it will give a cleaner cut than the dado stack.

[Mike Wilkins]

I posted the same inquiry back in Dec. and here is what I did.
I did not have the funds to purchase a dedicated melamine blade, nor do I cut it often enough to justify the purchase of one.
So I just put in a 60 tooth crosscut blade, taped both the top and bottom of the cut line with masking tape, and used a smooth steady feed rate; not too fast or too slow. Came through with great results, with virtually no tear-out on the top or bottom of the cut.
Try this on some scraps to see if it works for you; make sure the saw is tuned well and the blade is parallel with the fence.
Good luck and watch those fingers.

[Mark Boyette]

If you use a score free blade you won't be able to tell which is the "clean" side. They work that well even on a 3/8" throat opening. I cut a few hundred sheets a year and found these blades work very well.
this one is good for the money.
http://www.amanatool.com/circular-saw-blades/double-face-melamine-laminate-mb86400.html
Mark.