Cutting Formica With Circular Saw

Another way of cutting formica with a circular saw is reverse cutting.

Cutting formica with circular saw.

This is not an easy technique and should not be tried by anyone who is a beginner to woodworking or adequately practiced. What i mean is that rather than pushing the circular saw forward so that the rotation of the blade is pulling the finish side of the laminate up and causing it to chip you kerf the laminate running the skill saw in a reverse motion. The trick to this is using the circular saw in a reverse motion when making the cut on the finished side. Once you install the formica use a jigsaw to do any trimming or make any round cuts.

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. The circular saw will leave a portion of the backsplash that will be cut in the next step. You will want to clamp a 1 2 to use as a rip fence. Then put masking tape on the cutting line lay the formica on a flat surface and cut along the lines.

The tape will tear instead of the laminate. It is possible to cut counter tops smoothly without much preparation with carbide tip blades. A circular power saw with 40 teeth is ideal for cutting these countertops. Add 1 16th of an inch to your measurement so that your cut is actually a little wide of the mark.

Cutting formica countertops to size involves sawing both the formica sheet and the particle board layer that gives the counter its strength. Then connect the marks with a strip of thick masking tape which will protect the laminate from tears. Last but not least for a thinner piece of formica you can use a utility knife for cutting. On the other hand a circular saw is for cutting straight cuts.

Measure the distance from the blade on your circular saw to the edge of its shoe. Measure the length of your cut at the top and bottom of your counter. When you are installing cabinets that have plastic laminate on them the process of cutting the formica when scribing to fit can be done with a skill saw. A sawhorse is used as a platform or base for cutting countertops out of formica.

Cut the final section with the handsaw. That means cutting the material by pulling the saw into that piece and cutting from the back end of your blade. To cut formica with a circular saw start by measuring the area you want to laminate with a tape measure and mark the cutting line on the formica with a pencil. Stores charge a lot to cut counter tops.

When working with unmounted formica countertops start by placing the counter laminate side up on your saw horses. Place the circular saw close to the front of the top at the line. Turn the saw on and slowly cut the line all the way across the top. Use this measurement so that the saw rests against the fence and the blade is lined up with your mark.

These materials contain large amounts of glue that quickly dull the edges of saw steel that is not carbide tipped.