Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

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ertyu
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Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by ertyu »

I salvaged a piece of particle board and want to make a lap desk from it. The plan is, cut particle board to size, wrap it in contact paper to take care of rough edges, make a pouch filled with stuff, nail this pouch to underside of particle board with thumb tacks.

I need to make one cut, approximately 50cm long. I don't anticipate to need the tool for anything else. Youtube's suggestions basically come down to, "so we come to my workshop at my fancy rotating table saw-" which is a no.

1. What are your suggestions on the cheapest way to make this one cut? Cleanest cut for least money is the goal. Am willing to sacrifice tool in process.

2. Do you approve of my overall plan for lap desk construction?

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Alphaville
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Alphaville »

how thick is it?

ertyu
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by ertyu »

cheap-bookshelf-from-wallmart thick

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Alphaville
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Alphaville »

won’t a hand saw work? it’s nota bad tool to have in general... this kind:

Image

othat’s a cheap walmart one ($11] but if you need cheaper you could look for a used one and clean off the rust (there’s always a rusty saw somewhere) but a newer sharper one should get better results. you could always borrow from someone for 5 minutes...

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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by jacob »

See viewtopic.php?t=10907 ... The saw pictured above is a cross cutter.

Add: Since you're going to wrap the entire panel, rough edges or even straight cuts won't matter, so a handsaw like above will work fine. The best way to make the cut straight is to draw the cutting line on BOTH sides. Check that they're not offset by looking! Then saw a little bit on one side (like 1-3cm at a 30-40 deg angle). Flip the board. Saw the same distance on the other side. And so on.

It's also conceivable that you can take it to a place that sells lumber and ask if they will cut it for you. Over here they typically charge $0.25 per cut.

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Ego
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Ego »

Serrated steak knife. :lol: Line the cut with tape. Score the surface along the line. Cut away at a shallow angle. Wear glasses and gloves

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

Work on creating a social network so you can borrow tools from people who own them. Or invest in a saw. Cheap is fine, get one that allows for cross or rip cuts if you buy new. Otherwise old saws can be great but you can also end up wasting time and money buying junk. Or try asking to borrow on Nextdoor if you have it where you are.

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Alphaville
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Alphaville »

just occurred to me because what @gdp said about a social network to borrow tools... do they have freecycle in your city??

ertyu
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by ertyu »

Thanks for the tips everyone. I'll see if we have a place that can cut it for me. If that exists, it would be the best option. If not, I'll try to see if I can borrow a handsaw (in spite of how misanthropic i am right now). I do own a serrated steak knife but i wonder if it would survive long enough to make the full cut, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Thanks

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Alphaville
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Alphaville »

hahaha do not attempt, the steak knife is a joke! :D

you might manage with a sharp drywall saw, but the ergonomics are bad and your cut would be shit, and maybe you stab yourself accidentally.

i did once cut a school desk in half with a swiss army knife saw, though. a bit of teenage rebellion or something lol. and wow that was a sharp tool.

but for a decent straight cut go with the classic hand saw.

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Ego
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Ego »

No joke! Try the knife. https://youtu.be/jur6Dt8u0ww

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Alphaville
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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Alphaville »

Ego wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 3:53 pm
No joke! Try the knife. https://youtu.be/jur6Dt8u0ww
hahah, cool.

but the proportions are reversed here...

youtube guy is making a short cut with a long breadknife. @ertyu would be making a long cut (50cm) with a short (and thin) steak knife. the possibility of snapping the blade and slashing himself in the process is not trivial.

short and thick saw (e.g swiss army knife blade) would be better because it doesn’t break, but it would be harder to make a straight cut imo.

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Re: Most ratchet way to cut particle board?

Post by Dream of Freedom »

You could probably do it by knife or borrowing. Though, a multi-tool doesn't have to cost a whole lot and can fit in your pocket. So space is not an issue. It could even increase what you can scavenge because you can just take hardware if that is the part that is still good. One with a saw and plyers would work.

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