Cutting melamine boards with handtools

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jacob
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Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by jacob »

I finally made a countertop. (Things move slowly at ERE HQ.)

I've dreaded this for years, postponing it, trying to find a way to build a countertop that wasn't a $100 butcher block or required a table saw or a trim router or the likes. In retrospect, cutting a melamine MDF board with handtools is trivial. The method worked although I was not all that certain it would before I started. I suppose what kept me back was the horrible thought of ruining a $10 board "for science" to find out. You know the adage about how to "think thrice, measure twice, cut once"; well, I'm more like "think 10 times over, measure once(*), cut once, then regret and redesign".
  1. Clamp something (I used a known straight board) where the cut will go. Do this on the nice (top) side.
  2. Use a sharp knife to score the cut. One is never supposed to score more than once but I scored multiple times.
  3. Unclamp the board.
  4. Follow the score with a wide chisel (I used the widest I have) all the way over making the score deeper.
  5. Use the chisel again to chip out a grove about 1mm wide (or the width of your saw kerf. Make the groove on the kerf side. (This + previous step is similar to what you'd do to make a nice mortise after running a mortising gauge.)
  6. Cover the grove with masking tape. I used one layer. The masking tape helps against blowout.
  7. I also added a strip of masking side on the other side to prevent too much blowout on that side. One could repeat the above process here too.
  8. Saw all the way through. I used a 8TPI rip panel saw. This would normally be pretty brutal, but it actually worked great. A higher TPI crosscutter would be better if you have one.
  9. Remove all tape.
Et viola! Almost no tear out on the nice side. (Actually less than the factory finished sides.)

(*) 'cause I can do it in the mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtfZbj4J71A

Quadalupe
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by Quadalupe »

You can’t share this nice project without also showing us the final result! :D

Also, what does ‘score a cut’ mean? My quick google search didn’t work ...

jacob
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by jacob »

Maybe I'm just butchering the vernacular (as usual), but with scoring you use a knife tip instead of a pencil to mark the saw line. The advantages are that the knife makes a thinner line and that it's easier to track with a handsaw. I like to follow the score with a pencil. That way I can both see it and feel it.

There are special scoring knives with a flat back (left handed and right handed). I just use a utility knife, because I'm ghetto that way :-P

intellectualpersuit
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by intellectualpersuit »

What about sanding?

jacob
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by jacob »

Sanding what? The side? The MDF is hard (and toxic) and an bad cut easily chips 2mm off the melamine, so a generous cut followed by sanding one's way into the actual line would be quite the shitjob---of course depending on the size of the piece.

I think the easiest way in the "good enough" department is to use masking tape on both sides to prevent blowout and then a high TPI (12+) crosscut at an acute angle.

jacob
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by jacob »

Observations after having done a second board ...

1) Melamine boards are not all the same. Some are thicker than others.
2) A low angle plane is a good way to clean up a manual cut with a handsaw. It cuts the melamine well! => Result is not ugly.
3) A block plane also works well for cleaning up the "floss". Angle it a bit (70-80 degs) and run along the edge, with courage!

2 & 3 are equal to sanding in terms of the result ... but much faster in terms of the process. I used a #5 low angle followed by a block plane.

For edge banding, I use some 3/4 pine ... saw a 1/4 thick band (1/4 x 3/4 x whatever length), then plane one side and glue it to the board. Sand the visible sides after attaching it.

Campitor
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by Campitor »

I’ve cut melamine with a hand saw and I have success with the induction hardened Stanley shark bite saws. I avoid melamine because I hate its strength properties. I prefer solid wood or furniture grade plywood; It’s acceptable for counter tops in my humble opinion since it has plenty of support in most cases.

jacob
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by jacob »

Melamine has its uses. I like how it's easy to wipe off (dust, etc.) so it makes a good surface for office work or electronics, watchmaking, etc. It does result in a certain look, call it "Institutional Scandinavian" :P I've used it for my kitchen countertops and my "repair/project"-desk. Another surface---one that I used to make DW's sewing table---is to use some cheap plywood, then raise the banding (see above) by 1/4" and buy a 1/4" MDF panel. DW's desk is exactly so dimensioned (2x4 plywood + edge banding) that I can drop a new 2x4x1/4 MDF panel right in there when the old one gets ugly. Downside with MDF is that you're screwed if it ever gets wet. However, unlike melamine, one can cut into it w/o heartache... and it's still smoother/easier to wipe down than fancy plywood.

I've made a couple of glued solid wood countertops over the years... but I think they work best for either non-working (dinner tables) or hardworking (woodworking) surfaces where constant flatness doesn't matter that much.

(This is just my amateurish opinion. Basically, I'm just glad I finally added melamine to the arsenal.)

Campitor
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Re: Cutting melamine boards with handtools

Post by Campitor »

I didn't mean to imply the melamine isn't a good product. Only that I haven't used it because of the requirements of my projects. I typically use plywood with a laminate top/edge banding glued with contact cement to get the same effect as a melamine surface.

Usually someone else is paying for the materials so the cost of the plywood, melamine, or laminate isn't coming out of my pocket. No one has asked me to build them a laminate bookcase or counter - they buy that stuff from the local Ikea/Walmart/Target.

Kudos Jacob for using hand tool to cut melamine. I have powertools but I hate the noise complaints they generate. Hand tools let me work late into the evening on my hobbies and projects without disturbing the neighbors. Favorite tool is my Japanese handsaw - thing cuts wood like butter and has such a narrow kerf. The blade is very polished so it allows me to use the reflection in the blade to cut straight and true - if the yaw, pitch, and angle are perfectly reflected then you know the blade will cut straight. :D

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