Cut a Laminate Countertop for a Sink - Fine Homebuilding

Rumored Buzz on How To Cut A Formica Countertop That's Already Installed

Drill a starter hole inside the design template marks. The bit ought to be broader than the blade to your jigsaw. Screw a 12 (you can use the very same piece you utilized for a rip fence if it is larger than the sink) to the center of your future hole. This will support the cut away so that its weight won't break any laminate when reaching completion of your cut.

Place the blade into your starter hole and begin cutting. Once again, always have the blade as much as full speed before starting the cut. You will find that it is a little more difficult to control a straight line with a jig saw but not to worry, the lip of the sink will cover any minor slips over your mark.

Post-formed counter top (the kind with the essential backsplash and drip edge) is fast and simple to install-- as long as you do not have to suffice. Then it's awkward to handle, the backsplash needs a separate cut, and the plastic laminate chips easily. Click Here For Additional Info use big fixed saws with 12"- or 14"- dia.

Few people have that kind of equipment, but you can get precise results with a circular saw and a shop-built jig. The jig simulates the simple guide a great deal of people utilize to cut plywood, however it has a second (shorter) leg that twists around the backsplash. I constructed my jig out of scrap 3/4" plywood and utilized some remaining 1/2"- thick crave the cleats that assist the saw.

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Then install the cleat on the brief leg of the jig and trim that side of the jig also. Because the edge of the jig is now completely lined up with the saw's blade, you position this edge on the counter top right on the line where you desire to make your cut.

Before making the backsplash cut, I set the counter top on sawhorses so it rests on the backsplash. This lets me make an almost horizontal cut rather than trying to hold the saw vertically. (KEEP IN MIND: When cutting counter top, use a fine-toothed plywood cutting blade to lessen cracking in the plastic laminate.) When you've got the backsplash cut, set the countertop on sawhorses and cut the broad section.