Thread: Cutting Melamine with a Circular Saw

So i didn't have time to measure the stair cavity, i was too busy cleaning up the mess our dog left during the day... and taking everything out from under the stairs so we don't have a repeat performance today... My shed has even more household items in it now

One thing i did notice is i have less height then i thought, so it won't have a coat hook/rail in there. It'll likely just be a 3 or 4 high shoe rack + some extra storage in the smallest corner. Less height should mean it'll be easier to make rigid. especially if i fix the shelves in rather than making them adjustable, there's not a lot of height so not much point in making them adjustable, i'll also probably get some of the extra 16mm melamine for a backing and a base board... that should do the trick.

Hopefully I can find some time over the weekend to fire up my laptop and get something designed on Sketchup... first priority though is cleaning up the shed and finding space to put all the junk in there... might put a few narrow sheets of ply in the attic to store some of the lighter stuff and organise a council cleanup for the other useless cr@p we have in there...

Originally Posted by Dibbers

Woops! I thought i'd put it in Woodworking - General... must have misread in my haste. Apologies

How do you move a thread???

Ask a mod by clicking on the little triangle at the bottom of each post. Although it says " Report Post" it is the easy and quick way of contacting one.

Peter.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

Ask a mod by clicking on the little triangle at the bottom of each post. Although it says " Report Post" it is the easy and quick way of contacting one.

Peter.

Done,

Thanks and sorry to the woodturners on here for clogging up your space with novice Circ Saw issues!!!

Originally Posted by Handyjack

Some tips that I found useful to cut melamine before I had a Festool saw and guide rail.

I was just going to comment that whatever the default blade is on a Festool TS55 REBQ cuts melamine with zero chip out on both sides of the cut provided you use the splinter guard on the rail.

I'm not suggesting you run out and buy a Festool

Use some painters tape to mimick as best you can the splinter guard (actually won't hurt to do it both sides).

Shockingly, the Festool blade is this one: https://www.festool.com.au/products/...8-tooth_491952

Yes, it's a 160mm blade, which is smaller than most, but amazingly, it's only 48 tooth. I'd try to find something similar to that blade.

Hi Dibbers

I have used a lot of melamine for jobs like storage cabinets, laundry rebuild, wardrobes and total kitchen rebuild and avoid the issues you mention by subbing.

Big Chains add a margin of over 100% to the price of melamine sheets; put another way, you local cabinet maker can buy a pallet of melamine for about half the per sheet cost at retail.

I give a very accurate cutting list to a small local cabinet maker and get him to supply, cut and edge band all the melamine. The advantages are:

• Price is only slightly above the retail price of the melamine,
• Extremely accurate cutting, within 0.1 mm, and zero chipping,
• No cutting mistakes,
• His edge banding is far superior to any iron on stuff, and
• I don't have to breathe melamine and chipboard dust.

Its a win/win/win deal.

I usually use 18 mm HMR melamine rather than the more common 16 mm as it is slightly more rigid, is more foregiving of errant screws, and only costs about 10% more.


Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Hi Dibbers

I have used a lot of melamine for jobs like storage cabinets, laundry rebuild, wardrobes and total kitchen rebuild and avoid the issues you mention by subbing.

Big Chains add a margin of over 100% to the price of melamine sheets; put another way, you local cabinet maker can buy a pallet of melamine for about half the per sheet cost at retail.

I give a very accurate cutting list to a small local cabinet maker and get him to supply, cut and edge band all the melamine. The advantages are:

• Price is only slightly above the retail price of the melamine,
• Extremely accurate cutting, within 0.1 mm, and zero chipping,
• No cutting mistakes,
• His edge banding is far superior to any iron on stuff, and
• I don't have to breathe melamine and chipboard dust.

Its a win/win/win deal.

I usually use 18 mm HMR melamine rather than the more common 16 mm as it is slightly more rigid, is more foregiving of errant screws, and only costs about 10% more.


Cheers

Graeme

I have come to the same conclusion the hard way. In the process I now have a track saw and more experience, yada yada but I'm still thinking I'd be better off in the long run getting everything cut for me.
I'm very seriously considering getting my local sheet goods supplier to cut up parts for some cabinets I want in the bedroom. Even though they charge $5 per cut. I have a strong suspicion it will end up being worthwhile.
That said I have found melamine chip out with a high tooth blade, tape and going slow is not too bad.

Put some thought into how you will join the parts together. Melamine is not so great in this regard.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Plenty of Cut To Size options in Sydney these days. Save yourself the bother, draw up a cutting sheet or supply a list of sizes and the job will be done in the time it takes you to gather all the bits and pieces required to stuff it up yourself.