Fun with laminate

[Kyle Kraft]

This weekend was my first experience cutting laminate to make a countertop. What a stinkin' disaster....I saw someone on TV remark how easy it is to cut with tin snips. Yeah they work great if you cut the material 2" bigger overall to allow for the ripped hang nails on the edge.

Next try was scoring the cut line with a stanley knife before using the snips...boy, did that work great....NOT!!

Final and most successful attempt was at the top of the safety "don't do" list.....the trusty table saw. I clamped a straightedge to the fence so that the laminate wouldn't slip under the fence face, and let her rip, so to speak. Not much chipping and nice straight edges.

Is there and easier, safer way?

[Grant Morris]

This is the one of the most useful jobs of a laminate trimmer. A router will suffice too. Use the smallest straight bit you have to minimize waste. Using either of these methods will leave the edges so smooth you can use them to butt up to overhanging pieces of laminate although you should be putting the edge/strips onto the piece first...

[Jesse Espe]

I had to make a new table saw extension when I increased the length of my rails recently. I bought a piece of laminate and also had issues like you. I cut the piece oversize; it was a bit ugly cutting the piece initially, but then I used a router and straight bit with bearing to route along the edges. Finished clean as a whistle. Not sure if this method would fit your application.

Another way that comes to mind is if you had some circular saw guide system (e.g. Festool, EZ Smart, etc).

Hope this helps,
Jesse

[Matt Meiser]

I always thought it was common to cut it on the TS. That's how I've done it and haven't felt endangerd doing so. I could see it being scary with small pieces. When I've done it, I've always cut the pieces to approximate size, but left an extra 1-2" for trimming so the cut didn't need to be exact. I apply it to the edges first, trim them, then put on the top and trim that.

I've also crosscut it with a circular saw and a guide rail which was clamped to the laminate. Support is critical there.

[Warren Clemans]

Final and most successful attempt was at the top of the safety "don't do" list.....the trusty table saw. I clamped a straightedge to the fence so that the laminate wouldn't slip under the fence face, and let her rip, so to speak. Not much chipping and nice straight edges.

Is there and easier, safer way?

Just curious--what's the reason for not cutting on the table saw, assuming you prevent the laminate from getting under the fence (as you did)? I always thought of this as standard practice. Is the dust toxic or something?

[frank shic]

warren, as long as you prevent the laminate from sliding underneath the fence, you should have no problems cutting laminate on the TS.

[Nancy Laird]

I always thought it was common to cut it on the TS. That's how I've done it and haven't felt endangerd doing so. I could see it being scary with small pieces. When I've done it, I've always cut the pieces to approximate size, but left an extra 1-2" for trimming so the cut didn't need to be exact. I apply it to the edges first, trim them, then put on the top and trim that.

I've also crosscut it with a circular saw and a guide rail which was clamped to the laminate. Support is critical there.


Just curious--what's the reason for not cutting on the table saw, assuming you prevent the laminate from getting under the fence (as you did)? I always thought of this as standard practice. Is the dust toxic or something?


warren, as long as you prevent the laminate from sliding underneath the fence, you should have no problems cutting laminate on the TS.

Since hubby worked in a countertop shop for 4 years and I've seen him (and helped him) put laminate on many tops in our own house, I feel qualified to respond to this. Matt and Warren have it exactly right, it is common to cut the laminate on the table saw--cut it about 2" larger than the substrate, glue it on the EDGES first, trim with a laminate trimmer, then glue on the top and trim the edges.

Cutting with tin snips will leave ugly shards of laminate along the edge which WILL impart a nasty cut to body parts. Even broken pieces of laminate will do the same thing.

Nancy (53 days)

[alex grams]

I have done professional laminate work for several years (Thanks to the family Cabinet Business). It was always common practice to cut it on a table saw and leave about 1/2-1" overhang to route off once it was glued on. Granted, it was a sliding top table saw, but if you take precaution with a normal table saw, you should be able to achieve similar results. A spring guide/weight to hold down the laminate next to the blade to prevent 'chatter', and a 0 clearance insert when cutting would be essential for optimal results, but there is really no better way to cut it to get a straight edge you can butt together to form a smooth seam.

I am all for knowing a better way, but this is my best advice.

[Rod Sheridan]

I made a sacrificial fence for my tablesaw out of a 42 inch long 3 inch wide piece of laminate, and 42 inch long piece of melamine coated particle board.

The laminate is glued to the bottom edge of the particle board to leave aproximately 2 3/8 inch wide strip of laminate on the saw table, with the particle board clamped to the fence.

The laminate to be cut, rides on top of the laminate fence strip so it cannot slip under the fence.

Simple and idiot proof (I know about idiot proof, being an idiot).

Regards, Rod.

[Hank Knight]

Kyle,

Nobody has mentioned this, so I will. You can score the laminate with a sharp-pointed piece of carbide and break it. The BORG will sell you a laminate scoring tool for about ten bucks. It's nothing more than a piece of pointed carbide set in a handle. Score a heavy line on the finished side of the laminate with a straight edge and snap the waste laminate off. It will break along the scored line. I clamp it to the edge of my bench with a board on top to keep it in place and the waste hanging off the edge.Then simply press down on the waste. SNAP! it's done. This is for breaking down a large sheet to rough size. It leaves a ragged, sharp edge that you can blunt for safety with a file. Glue it down to your work leaving an overhang as everyone else has mentioned and trim it with a router. Easy.

Hank

[Kyle Kraft]

Thanks for all the tips!!!!

Hank....tell me more about the pointy carbide thingy. When you say pointy do you mean something similar to a scriber point or a lathe tool bit ground to a point, like a threading tool?

Rod...great tip for the sacrificial fence.

I didn't realize the amount of overhang required was so great, but I can certainly see how the extra material could make ones life easier for positioning the laminate at glue-up time.

I appreciate the wisdom of the SMC group!!

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Had a friend who put a blade in his circular saw backwards and used that.

I use the TS

[Bill White]

I have a scribe that I use for laminate and "KALUX" brand plastic sheets. Got it a Lowe's several years back. Think it was $4.00 +-.
Bill

[Dale Lesak]

You can use the tool they use to cut Plexiglas. it will make three or four cuts before it need to be resharpened. real cheap and most hardware stores carry them.

[Jason Beam]

Had a friend who put a blade in his circular saw backwards and used that.

I'm always amazed how popular this advice seems to be. Cutting plastic, aluminum, phenolic, umhw ... putting the blade on backwards always gets brought up. I have to say it amazes me how prolific this advice is. I refuse to do it so I can't say if it works or not.

But people need to know NEVER to put a carbide tipped blade on backwards. Those teeth will NOT stay on for long if you do that. Do you want tiny bits of SHARP carbide flying around you? I don't. I can see no logical reason for running a blade in any way other than the way it was designed for. If you don't have the right blade, buy one. They're far FAR cheaper than a trip to the ER.


Cliff, I know you weren't advocating the advice. I am NOT criticizing you at all. None of my response was directed at you in anyway. I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was firing at you. :)

[Per Swenson]

Hi all,

I cut laminate.

Today I use the festool ts 55.

Before, I used a regular circular saw and a straight edge.

Before I seamed cutting two pieces together overlapped with a

piece of masking tape over the cut.

To day I use the festool.

Seams come out perfect.

Trim the other up with a laminate trimmer.

Per

[Hank Knight]

Thanks for all the tips!!!!

Hank....tell me more about the pointy carbide thingy. When you say pointy do you mean something similar to a scriber point or a lathe tool bit ground to a point, like a threading tool?



Kyle,

The scoring tool I bought has a small piece of carbide approximately 3/8 to 1/2 inch long and maybe 1/8 or 5/32 square with a point on the business end (think of a pointed piece of key stock for an electric motor pulley). It's fastened (however they fasten carbide) to a metal handle. It' s the most basic of tools, but it works. I don't see why you couldn't use any sharp pointed piece of carbide, as long as you could get a good grasp of it, or anything else, for that matter, as long as it was hard enough to score the laminate face. I tried cutting laminate sheets to rough size with scissors, snips, table saw, router - all of the above, and this is by far the easiest method for me.

Hank

[Steve Clardy]

I use both the tablesaw [blade on normal] and a pair of PC electric shears.

[Doug Rogers]

1) For small pieces they make hand held laminate cutters. They look similar to tin snips, but have two cutters separated by an 1/8 of an inch. The finished edge is straight with no chips.

2) If you need to cut strips of laminate, get a hand held laminate slitter by Virutex. It can also be clamped to a bench top. This tool will allow you to cut perfect strips from a 1/4" to 6" wide. Yesterday I cut the laminate for all four sides of a kitchen cabinet door (18" x 30") in less than 2 minutes. The door material was 3/4" plywood. I cut the strips 1 1/4" wide so they would be super easy to apply and trim.

3) For breaking down full sheets I use the EZ-guide system. I put the laminate, to be cut, face up on a sheet of plywood. I place the guide on top of the laminate and set the blade depth to just cut through the laminate. The cuts are straight with no chipping. Read my post at the EurekaZone. (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=636005#poststop)

If you have a lot of cabinets to make the above mentioned tools are worth the investment. Cutting the pieces is the easiest and fastest part of the job. Your waste is reduced by 30-50%. Another tip to speed up the work is to use a spray gun to apply the contact cement. The contact cement comes in a 38 lb. bottle. You need a glue nozzle and a 12' hose. A swivel to separate the hose and the nozzel also makes life wonderful. The 38 lb. bottle seems to last for ever. Once you attach the hose and turn on the tank, leave the valve open. Control the flow and shut down the volume using the nozzel. Once the flow is stopped take the tip off and soak it in lacquer thinner. Leave it there until you start up again. No clogging problem.

It works for me!
Doug Rogers

[Neil Lamens]

Kyle:

I don't know, laminate is another material that is fun. Laminate imorted from Italy can get awfully beautful.

TS is thte way to go. I see where you tack a sacrificial fence to your fence, that works, you can also.Set your TS fence, lay a piece of 1/4" luan flat on the table against the fence, clamp it down, run your blade through it for zero clearance. Doesn't matter if it for edge treatment or top. Set your dimension.

Also get yourself in a position where you use the material to aid you in cutting. As you know, it bends.....use the physics to advantage.

Last thing.......you know those tin snips you mentioned, they work great for cutting your 1" x 96" length edges to dimension. Tin snips work for veneer better than laminate if cutting a distance.

Neil

[Jim Fox]

Hello from a another Kalamazooian (or something to that effect)

Another vote for the Table Saw. You got the fence taken care of so it won't go under it. Should be ok!

I have done it with a straight edge and a utility knife. Scored it, then broke it. Like you said, not the cleanest, but it works since you will clean it up after you trim route it.