Cutting Formica Countertop With Circular Saw
Purchase the size of formica sheet that fits best for your project.
Cutting formica countertop with circular saw. Measure the length of your cut at the top and bottom of your counter. Used with a 40 toothed carbide blade the circular saw works efficiently at cutting formica. A circular power saw with 40 teeth is ideal for cutting these countertops. Push the saw along the line through to the end.
Place the blade carefully against the start of the cut line and the outside edge of the saw guard up against the wooden guide fence. A circular saw is good for making longer cuts. How to cut formica countertops without chipping when working with unmounted formica countertops start by placing the counter laminate side up on your saw horses. Cutting formica countertops to size involves sawing both the formica sheet and the particle board layer that gives the counter its strength.
Add 1 16th of an inch to your measurement so that your cut is actually a little wide of the mark. Mark the cutting line on the formica with a pen or pencil. These materials contain large amounts of glue that quickly dull the edges of saw steel that is not carbide tipped. Measure the distance from the blade on your circular saw to the edge of its shoe.
Use your saw to cut slowly along the whole line to cut the countertop. Press down the power button of your circular saw to get the blade up to full speed first. Most of the cutting is done with power saws while the finishing is carried out with a power jigsaw. Using a circular saw to cut formica 1.
Then connect the marks with a strip of thick masking tape which will protect the laminate from tears. There is a myriad of other options you can employ to cut and customize formica as well. A sawhorse is used as a platform or base for cutting countertops out of formica. This way if there is any minor chipping to the laminate then you can sand it out with the belt sander and the counter will still be the correct size.
Measure the area you wish to laminate with a tape measure. The jigsaw thus helps in cutting the countertop without damaging the adjoining wall. It is not ideal for smaller and detailed laminate cuts. Formica sheets are between 1 16 and 1 32 of an.
Mark off the line you want to cut using masking tape and make sure to leave a bit of extra room for overhang which you can later cut off. The jigsaw is by far one of the most convenient and cost effective tools for cutting formica.