Cutting high pressure laminate

[Tony in WV]

My neighbor wants me to cut a very low-end piece of countertop--HPL over particle board.  I'm having a brain f__t and can't remember which side should be facing up on a piece of stock to get the best/cleanest cut.  I've just flipped my lucky coin and it came up--whichever direction has the teeth rotating down into the stock.  Right guess?

Related question. Will the stock blade on a 55 REQ Plunge Cut I bought a year or so ago do a good job on the HPL?

Thanks,

Tony (I'm really almost quite possibly not as dumb as I look.)

 

[Naildrivingman]

You've almost got it.  Yes, you want the tooth to cut into the stock, BUT I don't know that you want to plunge through the material. Rather make your plunge, then enter the material. I have not personally cut HPL, so if there is enough material left over it would be interesting if you could cut from the topside and let us know what your results were. As to the stock blade, it will probably work so long as it has near the same tooth count as the plastic laminate blade that Festool offers. It isn't teeth per inch only that makes for the ideal cut, it is the style, top bevel angle and offset of the teeth to one another. Good luck!  Let us know your results.

 

[Bohdan]

Negative rake angle will also minimise chipping as used on the triple chip laminate cutting blades.

 

[peter halle]

While I am sure that a specialty blade would be superior for laminate I have cut numerous laminate countertops with the standard 48 tooth blade without issues.

Peter

 

[Laminator]

Cut it good side down if possible. Set depth of cut at 38 mm or more. This should yield excellent results unless the blade is really dull. 

 

[ben_r_]

While I am sure that a specialty blade would be superior for laminate I have cut numerous laminate countertops with the standard 48 tooth blade without issues.

Peter

And how do you do it? With the laminate side facing down?

What about cutting the sheets of HPL? The stuff not attached to fiber/particle/MDF board. I have been wondering if I would need to get the laminate blade for the TS 55 REQ to cut that stuff.

 

[WastedP]

To cut sheets of laminate as efficiently and low-tech as possible, use a carbide scoring cutter ($6) and a straight edge.  Score the back of the sheet, make sure the surface you've spread the laminate out on is free of debris.  You can keep scoring along your line until the material separates.  You can also cut rough curves with this method.  Use caution with the cut edges, they are super sharp.

I have seen shops use table saws and even a panel processing center to cut laminate, but I have a hard time with losing all of that material to the kerf.  I use a handheld Virutex slitter for strips under 6".  I have used the motorized Virutex slitter in the past for strips up to about 26" wide.  The price of the motorized slitter doesn't make sense unless you're using it a lot.
http://virutex.com/LaminateSlittersandtools.aspx

 

[peter halle]

[member=58821]ben_r_[/member] ,

I have cut the loose sheets and also the glued to substrate.  I have also cut the product good face up with the useable piece under the guiderail.  If I am cutting sheets down to size prior to glue up then of course I cut slightly oversized and then use a laminate trimmer or resize with the TS-55.

More than one way to defoliate a feline is what my Mom would have said.

Peter

 

[jjowen]

Yes, 'good' face down with teeth rotating _up_ into the stock. I have the laminate blade and it does make a difference. I don't score the surface, I just cut. I am getting a really clean cut on both sides when cutting plywood with HPL. I find Melamine chips a bit more than HPL.