cutting arborite with ts55

[gnlman]

Hi all. Well I've searched this to death and not sure I am using the correct words...lol
Looking to find out if it will be very hard on my stock blade with ts 55 to cut what I call arborite.....or what some people call laminate.....
I'm talking about the stuff that covers kitchen countertops that you buy in sheets and use contact cement on the wood surface and the surface of the arborite let it dry and stick them together.......You would not believe the hits I got trying to search this out.....lol
Thanks for any help, and excuse my lack of technical terms for this product!! haha
Greg

 

[Slappy]

there is a laminate TS55 blade made just for laminate
https://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/solid-surface-laminate-saw-blades/p/496309/

 

[gnlman]

Hi. Thanks I saw this blade, but was thinking it was more for flooring type laminate, not the thin material I was thinking about. I suppose it would cut it as well just wondering if it will explode or suffer severe chipout......then again I will be cutting oversize somewhat so it should work.
Thanks,
Greg

 

[Slappy]

you'd want to set a really shallow depth of the blade anyway if cutting this thin stock so that the teeth are shaving off material instead of chipping it out with   the full face of the blade
IF the blade is set to where the depth is deep that makes the teeth strikes at a perpendicular angle that would make the material shatter .
Cutting plastics & plexiglass the same rule is followed  the blade depth is just enough to make the cut & no more , this gives a shaving effect & also prevents the blade from heating up there by melting the product ,fouling the blade ,
on really thick plexi it's best to make many smaller depth cuts than try to cut the whole thickness at once .
I know I have ruined some really expensive thick  Plexi & ruined the blade as well by not knowing what I was doing

 

[peter halle]

I have used the fine tooth blade to cut plastic laminate numerous times.  You will normally be cutting the product oversize and then trimming it to the substrate once glued, so there is forgiveness in the quality of cut department.  Throw it on a sheet of foam and cut is my approach.

Peter

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Any of the fine tooth blades will give good results cutting the laminate. The thing that makes the laminate blade different is not its cutting performance, but the durability of the teeth when cutting harder materials. The triple chip grind blade stays sharp longer than an ATB blade.

 

[Slappy]

Any of the fine tooth blades will give good results cutting the laminate. The thing that makes the laminate blade different is not its cutting performance, but the durability of the teeth when cutting harder materials. The triple chip grind blade stays sharp longer than an ATB blade.

so while they cost more they then last way longer if your cutting lotsa laminates  is that the idea ?
I'm a firm believer on using the correct blades for each different material . i'm not against sharpening blades but feel it's best to keep them sharp by using the correct blade .  I'm new to the TS55REQ myself & would be prone to error on side of caution .
I'll admit I ruined allota skillsaw blades & allota material by taking short cuts (pun intended)  So i'm soaking up as much knowledge here as possible  [blink]

[cool]

 

[Rick Christopherson]

A TCG blade lasts longer because it lacks the sharp corners that can dull easily. It is actually more appropriately called a TCG/R (Triple Chip Grind with Raker), but the "R" is generally just assumed. The trapezoidal teeth do the majority of the cutting, and the lower and squared Raker teeth clean up the small amount to the sides.

In a similar manner, the low-angle ATB from Festool will last longer than higher angle ATB blades from other manufacturers. The higher angle blades give super excellent performance at first, but quickly degrade that performance because the sharper the point, the faster it dulls. In a way, it is like the saying, "slow and steady wins the race."

 

[Laminator]

Although I have not cut any laminate with the ts55 that was not already glued to its substrate (layed up), I have ripped a few miles of it with a table saw.  I raise the blade higher than normal, say about an inch and a half, and make provision so that the laminate cannot get under the fence and use a 60t triple chip blade.  Works like a charm in certain instances.

You should be able to rip with the ts55 as long as the material is supported fully including the off cut, but I can't say that I have cut any in this manner.

Hope this helps.

 

[gnlman]

Hi. Thanks for the replies again.
I always cut on foam sheets, and support both sides of what I am cutting.
I will not be cutting a great deal of this stuff, just was wondering if it would dull my original ts55 blade, as I know it's a little hard on router bits.....lol
I think I'll go ahead and give it a try, much more comfortable cutting with a track saw than putting it up on the smallish table saw I have.....
Thanks again for the help.
Greg.