TS55 oak worktop advice needed

[Flying Swan]

Hi there.

I'm gearing up to fit some 40mm oak worktops. I've got a panther blade for rip cuts.

My problem - I'll also be cutting out an undercount belfast sink. As I'm not great with a router, I was going to try using my plunge saw. The idea is to drill out two 16mm holes and then cut to them. The problem is the back cut as its the only one that will require a plunge.

My plan is to do it in as many passes as it takes, but I'm worried about that back cut. I've never plunged into something as dense as these worktops before and need to get it right (I'll test on offcut first). I'm worried about kickbacks/burns etc.

Any advice on this back cut? Will it make a difference if I remove the waste with a jig saw first so that the fibres are less tight? Is a panther blade the best tool for a plunge cut like this or would I be better off with more teeth? Will it make a difference if the back edge of the blade starts in the hole, or should I just get in there!?

Thanks

 

[Mismarked]

To prevent kickback, this might help.
https://www.festoolusa.com/power-tool-accessories/track-saws/stops-and-accessories/limit-stop-491582

I used two when I was cutting the edges of a long deep mortise in hard maple using the TS55.  Put one stop behind the saw for the starting point and one in front for the stopping point.  Worked fine for me.  Probably easiest to gauge the placement of the stops by laying the track along the front edge of your worktop and lowering the blade so you can see how close you are getting to the two holes you drilled.

For the back cut, I would think the Panther blade should work fine.  For the other cuts, the universal or cross cut blades might be better.

Can't really advise about burning.  Haven't figured out that one yet

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Flying Swan and welcome to the FOG

The Panther blade is a ripping blade and I imagine that two of your three cuts are cross cut. I would try the Universal (28 tooth) blade as it is good for both.

Cutting to a 16 mm hole will be very tricky as you have to stop at the tangent point of the 16 mm hole. You will still have some work to do even if you repeat the cut from the other side (above and below).

The saw will want to kick back on the plunge but a slow plunge with a firm grip should work. You can use the kick back stop as a safety measure.

Taking some of the meat out with a jigsaw will probably not help much. If you were to be able to cut to within 1.5 mm of your line then that might make the cut easier but very dusty.

Is the router really out of the question? How do you intend to tidy up the two corners?

I assume that the Belfast sink has back corners which are 8 mm radius to match your 16 mm holes. I would be tempted to do the donkey work on the underside to within 10 mm of the top surface. That way you can overshoot the 16 mm holes and it will not show. Then take out the meat with a jigsaw leaving that last few mm to be trimmed with a ball bearing flush trim cutter with your router.

Peter

 

[Svar]

My plan is to do it in as many passes as it takes, but I'm worried about that back cut. I've never plunged into something as dense as these worktops before and need to get it right (I'll test on offcut first). I'm worried about kickbacks/burns etc.

Any advice on this back cut? Will it make a difference if I remove the waste with a jig saw first so that the fibres are less tight? Is a panther blade the best tool for a plunge cut like this or would I be better off with more teeth? Will it make a difference if the back edge of the blade starts in the hole, or should I just get in there!?

Thanks

I plunge cut 40 mm hard maple with TS75 and universal blade. No problem. Use rail stop to prevent kickback! Clamp the rail, hold the saw with both hands.

 

[Flying Swan]

Thanks guys.

Peter - the radius is closer to 10mm. I just picked an arbitrary size that I though would look good. Due to the 10mm overhang on all sides, I figured it didn't really matter what the radius of the sink corner was?

Router is not completely out of the question. I just get scared by offsets and tear out. It's not something I've used a lot and I'd rather not make £1000 piece of wood my training field

Open to try it on an offcut and see how I get on. Don't have a jig, but assume some ply wood do the job? I have some new straight bits, but not of any great quality.

 

[Svar]

If I was doing it myself, I'd use jigsaw and then clean up with router and some guide.

 

[Flying Swan]

My jigsaw is rather underpowered for the job. My router is also only 1400w, but I don't mind being patient with many cuts.

Would someone mind having a look here and telling me if any of these cutters would work for cleaning up the edge? Would like to get what I need rather than ordering online. Another thing that overwhelms me about routers - the number of bits!
http://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/routing/cat5990016?cm_sp=managedredirect-_-pta-_-routercutters

 

[Stone Message]

Hi [member=64629]Flying Swan[/member]

Maybe there is someone not too far away from you who can lend you a Carvex. Roughly where in the country are you?

Peter

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

If I was doing it myself, I'd use jigsaw and then clean up with router and some guide.

As Svar said,.....this is exactly the way I,ve been doing it for years.

I use my TS55 & TS75 for doing plunge cuts on man made boards all the time & always using the kickback stops but with a solid oak worktop, I would just cut it a couple of mm under the finished width x depth and do the final trimming with a template and router cutter.

 

[Flying Swan]

Thanks guys. I'll have a go with an off cut and see how I get on. If someone could provide a link to the type of cutter I should be looking for trimming edge, I'd appreciate it.

Peter - I'm in Manchester, UK. But I'm working on it today - so the new plan is to see how I get on with my jig saw, and turn to the TS55 for waste removal if I need to.