10-05-2012, 08:10 PM
Hi,
Thanks Joe; the problem wasn't so much the tenon saw but that the Formica wasn't properly supported and the sheer size of the sheet made it awkward to work with. I've cut Formica successfully with a hand saw but many many years ago.
I'm sure your mitre saw fitted with an 80T blade would cut the Formica very well Mark; my big Evolution mitre saw would also possibly cut it but I was ripping at 20" wide for the full length of the sheet so this ruled out the mitre saw and as the sheet was so big ruled out my other big saws which too would have cut it easily enough.
The trick in cutting laminate and also plywood is to use a zero clearance throat plate. This is simply achieved by running say an offcut of MDF halfway into the blade whether it be circular saw or band-saw and leave it in position; now run the laminate or plywood over this MDF and it will be fully supported during the cut preventing much of the break out. It's an old trick but works wonders.
For once Mark I got lucky in buying these materials as I visited two decent local timber merchants. Both Timber Specialists and Boards I can recommend. I've used offcuts for many years and much of our furniture is made from them costing us very little. As you rightly say though Mark converting offcuts into usable dimensions is difficult and time consuming especially if only hand tools are available
If you do go for a planer/thicknesser Mark go for the biggest one you can afford and accommodate in your workshop. Mine at 10" wide is very useful allowing quite wide boards to be planed in one pass rather than having to rip them first into narrow widths. I used to have dedicated machines but they do take up a lot of space so eventually I bought the scrap Startrite combination machine with five functions but it needed a lot of work to get it back into good condition although now after owning and using it for around 12 years I cold get more for it than I paid for it; it was expensive at £1,000 when I bought it but it has earned it's keep and is a pleasure to own and use. At one point I bought a massive cast iron 24" planer/thicknesser when I intended to start my own cabinet making company but ended fully retiring instead which I've never regretted.
I'm not in a hurry with this project but my enthusiasm is building and the desk is taking shape in my head which is always a good sign. I'll keep updating as work progresses as I think many of the techniques I use could apply to cabinet working in general. Hopefully by rambling on at length I won't miss passing on any useful tips I've picked up over the years. I find cabinetwork to be most satisfying and I hope to do more projects in future.
The rain finally stopped here Joe giving us a lovely sunny evening; pity it wasn't sunny all day when I could have enjoyed it more; it's no fun to have it belting down with rain one minute then watching steam rise from the extension roof when the sun hits it. What a climate; at least we'll never get flooded up here on the mountain side.
Kind regards, Col.
Thanks Joe; the problem wasn't so much the tenon saw but that the Formica wasn't properly supported and the sheer size of the sheet made it awkward to work with. I've cut Formica successfully with a hand saw but many many years ago.
I'm sure your mitre saw fitted with an 80T blade would cut the Formica very well Mark; my big Evolution mitre saw would also possibly cut it but I was ripping at 20" wide for the full length of the sheet so this ruled out the mitre saw and as the sheet was so big ruled out my other big saws which too would have cut it easily enough.
The trick in cutting laminate and also plywood is to use a zero clearance throat plate. This is simply achieved by running say an offcut of MDF halfway into the blade whether it be circular saw or band-saw and leave it in position; now run the laminate or plywood over this MDF and it will be fully supported during the cut preventing much of the break out. It's an old trick but works wonders.
For once Mark I got lucky in buying these materials as I visited two decent local timber merchants. Both Timber Specialists and Boards I can recommend. I've used offcuts for many years and much of our furniture is made from them costing us very little. As you rightly say though Mark converting offcuts into usable dimensions is difficult and time consuming especially if only hand tools are available
If you do go for a planer/thicknesser Mark go for the biggest one you can afford and accommodate in your workshop. Mine at 10" wide is very useful allowing quite wide boards to be planed in one pass rather than having to rip them first into narrow widths. I used to have dedicated machines but they do take up a lot of space so eventually I bought the scrap Startrite combination machine with five functions but it needed a lot of work to get it back into good condition although now after owning and using it for around 12 years I cold get more for it than I paid for it; it was expensive at £1,000 when I bought it but it has earned it's keep and is a pleasure to own and use. At one point I bought a massive cast iron 24" planer/thicknesser when I intended to start my own cabinet making company but ended fully retiring instead which I've never regretted.
I'm not in a hurry with this project but my enthusiasm is building and the desk is taking shape in my head which is always a good sign. I'll keep updating as work progresses as I think many of the techniques I use could apply to cabinet working in general. Hopefully by rambling on at length I won't miss passing on any useful tips I've picked up over the years. I find cabinetwork to be most satisfying and I hope to do more projects in future.
The rain finally stopped here Joe giving us a lovely sunny evening; pity it wasn't sunny all day when I could have enjoyed it more; it's no fun to have it belting down with rain one minute then watching steam rise from the extension roof when the sun hits it. What a climate; at least we'll never get flooded up here on the mountain side.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
