Laminate was to the taste of many - this inexpensive floor material is very practical and beautiful. It’s just that not everyone can gently saw off even pieces from him. And you have to cut, and more than once - at the end of each row, at least. So how and with what to saw the laminate so that the cut line is pleasing to the eye - we will consider methods and tools that can be used to saw the laminate.
Content:
Pick up a hacksaw
Laminate hacksaw, of course, sawn, but not very suitable for such work. After all, the teeth of a hacksaw designed for woodwork are eerily large, and the top film of the floor covering is so thin. Togo and look - ugly marks will remain from these teeth. Yes, and sawing a pressed laminate structure with a hacksaw is hard. Hands get tired.
To get a better result, arm ourselves with a hacksaw with small teeth. For example, a hacksaw designed for sawing metal may well come up. Chips on the cut will be avoided, but cutting with a fine-tooth hacksaw will be more difficult than a woodworking tool. However, if you do not intend to saw the laminate in large quantities, then this method is suitable. The cut quality, of course, is not ideal, but quite tolerable.
And here are the promised little tricks: before sawing, stick a piece of masking tape on this place. If this is done, then chips will not form at the cutting site. Moreover, the laminate board must be placed face up. And so that the cut is smooth and clean, the hacksaw must have small, frequent teeth.
Since the laminate is pressed using special mechanisms, it is naturally better to saw it not by hand, but by an electric tool.
For example, an electric saw, (reciprocating saw), which is increasingly used by home craftsmen, is quite suitable for this.
We are equipped with an electric jigsaw
It is good if you have a jigsaw equipped with a file for wooden surfaces at home.
Using this tool is the best option.
Before sawing, with a pencil, mark the cut line, and then with a knife or awl cut through the film of the laminated coating. Now tightly clamp the board (face down).
The speed of the power tool should be high. You must try to cut smoothly enough, without jerking the jigsaw, so that chips do not happen. Having adapted, it is possible to quickly and accurately saw through the laminate boards. Moreover, an excellent result is obtained when cutting both along and across the board. It seems that the answer to the question, what is the best way to saw the laminate, is clear - of course with a jigsaw.
Video: How to cut electric jigsaw without chips
Circular Saw - Requires Expertise
And you can cut the laminate with a circular saw, equipping it with a disc for metal work. At the same time, we put the board prepared for cutting and the marked board on some even plane. The laminated film should not be at the bottom, as when working with a jigsaw, but at the top. Slowly and smoothly moving the circular disc along the cut line, we get a smooth and high-quality cut surface. During operation, the disc does not get stuck in the laminate.
But for those who have never picked up such a tool, out of habit it will be hard. It is necessary to make a lot of effort and effort to achieve the desired result. Having acquired dexterity over time, it will be possible to saw the laminate very quickly and efficiently. But this process requires patience.
If you have not previously sawed other materials with this tool, then it is better to prefer a jigsaw.
Cutter specially designed for cutting laminate
This cutter is a bit like a guillotine.The sharpest knife, falling down from above, instantly cuts the laminate, like butter. The cut line is perfect and as accurate as possible. Just cut this tool can only across the boards. And if you need to saw the floorboard along, then again we turn to one of the methods described above.
In addition, such a cutter is very expensive, so buying it can be beneficial only to professionals who are engaged in laying laminate flooring on an ongoing basis. If you just want to change the floor in a couple of rooms in your apartment, then you are unlikely to make such a purchase.
Important: with any method, it is better to measure several times, and then cut it - then. As a rule, laminate is bought a little more than it turned out according to calculations. It takes into account that you have to cut some boards, and then dock them correctly.
Video: Laminate Cutter
