Has anyone figured out how to cut this material without the edges chipping? I’m using a 60 tooth blade in circular saw and, while it chips much less, it still chips.
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How neat do you want it? Heard of top and bottom blades? I can't remember the exact name.
I suppose I want it perfect, however this is my 3rd time using the material in the past year and I think I'm at my wits end with the stuff. Its rarely a clean cut and I'm almost to the point where I'm ready to tell clients that unless they can tolerate some chipped edges that they should not request the material. Interestingly, I do get cleaner cuts when I run a piece thru my table saw with a 10" 60 tooth blade than on the & 7 1/4" 60 tooth circ. saw.
In my opinion you arent going to get perfect results without a scoring saw. A blade designed for melamine will give good results in a table saw when its sharp but they dull fairly quickly and performance drops off quickly for me. The skill saw probably gives worse results because it wobbles more than the table saw, all other things being equal. It may be best to stop using it unless absolutely necessary. I have. I have also taken it to a shop with a scoring saw on their panel saw and it cuts like a dream for them.
In my opinion you arent going to get perfect results without a scoring saw.
It's easier with a scoring blade, but I've never had one. Cut miles of melamine, including a few sheets yesterday, with a triple chip blade on my Unisaw. When it starts to dull you have to adjust the blade height. Blade height is critical, as is sheet support. Eventually it will only be able to give a perfect cut on one side. Then off to the sharpener.
Before I got my hands on a good triple chip blade, I used to cut oversize and run panels through an edge sander. Tedious, but it worked. Once shared a shop with a guy who couldn't be bothered to adjust the blade to get a good cut. His solution was a jointer with carbide blades. I couldn't see any advantage in the extra step and the extra sharpening of the knives.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I get good results using a circular saw and shooting board then run planer over cut for "perfect" result
Smile. It could be worse. You could be me working for you.
I use a melamine-specific blade (like the Freud) and tape the line before I cut - no chips.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
I'm done with it now for this project but I had entertained the idea of taping the lines while my frutstrations had escalated. For future reference, do you feel taping reduced chipping?
It seems to reduce chipping while cutting, but where taping really helps is to reduce chipping while handling the sheets after cutting..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
As Phil said in the absence of a scoring saw get a melamine specific blade.There are 3 types that I know 1) hollow faced tooth 2)double tri chip(every tooth corners relieved ,every second tooth slightly taller and corners very relieved.3)ATB with acute angled tips .Also cut yourself a zero clearance throat plate for the saw.As mentioned blade height is critical.I also find that 10 or 15 sheets cut up into boxes is about all I can get before resharpening.I tried the Modulus attachment but found that was a pain in the &*&^%$$ and gave it back.Check Freud or FS tool
I had the Modulus attachment and kept it on a saw specific for melamine. It worked great for low volume stuff. I still have a Freud blade that gives great but not perfect cuts in melamine--can't remember the details but it has lotsa teeth and you go very slow with it. For a while I had access to a Schelling computerized beam saw--it had a scoring blade that went first and a 14" main blade that came right behind. Cut up to 12 feet long, three inches thick at a time, and zero chips. Panels floated on air tables while you moved them around with one finger. Man, I loved using that thing.
You may find that your local cabinet shop with a beam saw will cut and edgeband panels for you very economically. They probably have panel optimizing software that uploads right to the saw so the operator can slice up your stuff. They deliver your parts shrink-wrapped on a pallet. Once I found a shop that did that I never bought another sheet of melamine. If you're in a decent sized town, someone's doing parts on a pallet.
Thanks for the informative response on the blades. I'll look further into that.
It is true that the best way to do it is with a scoring blade. Next would be a negative rake, triple chip blade. Don't spend the money if you're only cutting a handfull of sheets. Try taping the underside first and try it on a piece of scrap.
i cut lots of melamine coated partical board and use the following technique
first set up a straight edgefor the circular saw to follow, for my portercable saw its 5 inches back from the cut line
get top quality melamine blade ie freud is what i use
set the blade depth to a bare minimum ie 1/16 inch and score
reset the blade to cut all the way through and recut
another method is to cut the piece oversized maybe an eighth and then trim with a router and a straight edge
If you're not doing massive amounts, a scoring attachment would be prohibitive. Try this: Raise the blade just enough to scratch thru the mel finish plus hair, and then run your parts thru the saw backwards. Then raise the blade and go forwards. What you've done is what a scoring blade does.
A scoring blade is not a piece of cake. Such an attachment has to be perfectly aligned with cutter blade, plus it has to be sharpened (and dulled) at the same dimensions as the cutting blade. This is a massive headache.
Chipping can be "hidden" by taking a flat block and adhering fine sandpaper and shooting the edges at a 45 angle, just enuff to whiff out the chips. If you have to go much, you will have to do some touch-up with paint to cover the edge. Inside a cabinet, these discrepancies will disappear with a glorious exterior done with matchless craftmanship.
I cut it slightly oversized with a 60 tooth blade on the circular saw and then hit it with the router and a flush trim bit. After this project, I'm swearing off melamine.
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
no one scores it first with a knife? i thought it was a pretty standard practice... i've never had tearout even using cheap blades
started out with nothing.... and have most of it left
Pony
You and me both. I find I get much better results when I run it thru the table saw but the 4x8 sheets are so damn heavy they're a bear to run on the table at full size so I'm forced to use the circ saw to get them to managable size.
Blue masking tape. Prior to cutting the piece, run a strip of blue masking tape along the proposed cut line. Cut right through the tape and when you peel it off, no chips. Works like a charm for me. I am cutting it in a panel saw if that makes any difference.
Mike
putting the tape on the cutline (top) does this keep both sides from chipping?
ps
the saw blade entering from the bottom of the work will not chip out, most of the time.
About 25 years ago I saw a craftsman do it. IIRC, he would score the face with a knife (he used a linoleum knife), then break the material, bending it towards the face. This sounds backwards, I know, but it worked a treat.