How to Cut a Countertop Without Chips with a Jigsaw

How to Cut a Countertop Without Chips with a Jigsaw

In the manufacture of kitchen furniture it is very important to know all the subtleties. So, one of the most difficult moments during the work were and remain subtleties with chipboard. The reason for this is quite simple: the board or a simple chipboard is then perfectly sanded and covered with materials of interest as needed, while the chipboard is already covered, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to replace it.

The countertop is one of the most important components of kitchen furniture.

Most often, the problem arises from the question of how to cut a countertop, because there are all kinds of situations, and the result should be perfect. To begin with, it is worth noting that there are many tools for cutting, and not one, but several will be used. So, a circular saw will give a wonderful result, but a high-quality unit costs a lot of money, therefore it is found only in special factories. The angle grinder, in turn, despite the similarity, will give a huge number of chips.

In practice, two professional interchangeable tools are used. A jigsaw and a jigsaw.

Specialists divide the canvases (nail files) into 2 categories: tearing a little on both sides or tearing strongly on one side. In this case, those that are torn on one side will be required.

The secondary instrument will be used according to the scalpel of a surgeon’s doctor. You need a very sharpened blade that will sit comfortably in your hand. With this blade, before sawing, you need to make a groove 2-3 mm deep, which will allow you to perform the job painlessly.

Chipboard and the nuances of its processing

In order to cut the countertop without chips, you can use a circular saw.

For work you will need:

In practice, chipboard began to be used only in 1940 in the United States, but after a very short time popularity spread throughout the world, due to which all sorts of varieties appeared. The most popular variety was chipboard, which is not just a product of pressing sawdust with glue under the influence of high temperature, but also additional physical and chemical protection in the form of a melamine film.

How to Cut a Countertop Without Chips with a Jigsaw

When cutting a simple chipboard, complications can not arise, but with a chipboard everything is much more complicated. Often, countertops are covered by the manufacturer with HPL laminate, which further complicates the process. Coatings can vary greatly in their properties, but they are always polymeric, which is why they have the same nuances during processing.

The process itself is quite simple and can be described step by step:

  • Using a sharpened blade, a groove is made 2-3 mm deep. If there is a polymer coating of any plan, then the blade must first be warmed up and used immediately. With the pressure of cold steel on hard plastic, even with very serious sharpening, microcracks will go, which is desirable to avoid;
  • With the help of a jigsaw, slowly and carefully adjusting the direction, an incision is made. If there are places where the direction changes, then it is better to use a hand jigsaw or to find the thinnest nail file in an electrical analogue (inconvenient, but sometimes necessary).

Final cutting steps

The device of a circular saw.

For this stage you will need:

  • Rasp or file;
  • Sandpaper;
  • Paste GOI;
  • Duct tape;
  • Decorative corner from duralumin.

Everything is already quite simple here, but you will not need to use millimeter accuracy, and each stage is performed in several versions.

At the very beginning, you need to polish the tree. To do this, first use the rasp (file), which removes excess. Then, using a grinding machine (sandpaper nulevka), the tree is brought into a nice view. This stage is necessary even in cases where after it is not planned to do anything. Torn wood elements pull moisture much faster, which is why wear occurs at an incredible rate.

After the tree is brought back to normal, the plastic must be brought into the same condition. Usually special polishes are enough, but finding them in retail is not always easy. In addition, there is one more complication. It will take quite a bit of polish, and the remaining will be thrown out by AL-KO. The ideal option is GOI paste, which is in almost every house, and the directions in its use allow you not to be afraid for future use.

Even with a successful cut and high-quality grinding, you need to make sure that even missed millimeters do not make themselves felt. To do this, you can use the special furniture decorative corner from duralumin. The corner is attached in its place, while not spoiling the appearance.

There is one more advice from experts: when cutting, you can use a guide tape with an adhesive layer, which will prevent the blade from deviating from the route.

Do not be afraid to cut the countertop without chips yourself when it is really needed, but if possible, it is better to take it to the nearest workshop, where it will be done on special equipment very quickly and with the highest quality.