When you look at the price tags of furniture made from chipboard in a store, you are amazed at how expensive it is! But chipboard is one of the most available materials for designing furniture with your own hands. Fortunately, all the necessary accessories are now on sale. And furniture projects, whether on the Internet or in “paper” magazines, can now be found to suit every taste. So what's the problem? The main problem is to carefully cut the chipboard.
Of the household tools, the most suitable for cutting chipboard is a manual Circular Saw. But even when cutting chipboard with its help, a number of problems arise: 1) it is very difficult to follow strictly in a straight line, the saw wobbles; 2) chips form.
Are there ways to solve these problems? Eat. We will talk about them today. By the way, all these tricks also apply to cutting plywood.
Tip 1: Cutting chipboard on the floor with full support
Full support cutting means that when you get the saw to the end, the chipboard you are cutting will not immediately fall off.
If you want to get a very smooth and clear cut, Chipboard is better Just cut on the floor. This way you will 100% get a solid, stable base. The chipboard will not move even if you stand on top of it to complete the cut. You will also be sure that the cut piece will not fall off, crack or fall.
Place 5x10cm pieces of wood under the chipboard sheet perpendicular to the direction of the cut. The bars will have to be sacrificed, since the saw will pass through them. The more stable your chipboard sheet lies, the neater the cut will be.
Tip 2: Adjust the cutting depth
The appropriate cutting depth affects the quality of the cut.
Adjust the depth so that no more than half the disc's teeth protrude beyond the bottom edge of the chipboard or plywood (see photo above). This may not seem important to you, but believe me, the depth of the cut greatly affects the quality of the cut. With this setting, the tooth cuts the material rather than chopping it, and also stabilizes the saw so that it vibrates less during the cutting process. Both of these factors make saw marks on a chipboard cut less noticeable.
Position the saw along the edge of the chipboard, lift the fence and look closely to set the correct cutting depth. By the way, at the same time it would be good to check the saw blade for damage, because a saw with bad teeth will make a rough cut. One more point: the saw is designed in such a way that its stroke goes in the upward direction, so chips most often form on the surface of the chipboard that faces upward, and the cut from the side of the surface facing downward is cleaner. Therefore, place the chipboard with the good side facing down when cutting.
Tip 3: For rip cuts, use a rigid, long, straight object as a guide.
As a guide for making an even straight cut, it is convenient to use a narrow long piece of chipboard, 16mm thick and about 30cm wide, which was cut professionally in a specialized workshop. All you need to do is tighten its ends with a clamp.
The main difficulty is to place it in in the right place for a precise cut. To do this, you need to measure the distance from the edge of the saw support platform to the blade (see photo below).
Add this to your cut width, mark the chipboard on both edges, and apply a guide board. You will also need to factor the thickness of the saw blade into your measurements.
It is usually best to have the metal base plate of the circular saw rest against the edge of the guide to ensure maximum stability of the saw while cutting.
Tip 4: Check the guide before making the cut
This is fine tuning, so to speak. Make a mark with a pencil - a line 5 cm long, thus determining the width of the part to be cut. Then start the saw, press the saw support platform against the guide and cut the chipboard. Make sure that the saw blade begins to rotate in the air before it even touches the sheet to be cut, otherwise the edge of the sheet may split. Now measure the distance from the edge of the sheet to the cut to make sure that you have done everything and calculated it correctly. It’s better, as they say, to measure seven times...
Tip 5: Cut at a constant speed without stopping
Cut without stopping and maintain a constant speed. If you stop, it will leave a mark on the chipboard or plywood.
Cutting speed depends on many factors, including the type of saw and blade sharpness, as well as the material you are cutting. In general, the sharp disc passes through a sheet of chipboard with little resistance, as if it were melting wood. If you feel like you have to force and push the saw, it means either you are sawing too fast or the blade is dull. Cutting too quickly tears the chipboard fibers and leaves noticeable marks on the cut. Too slow can cause the disc to overheat and ignite the wood.
Then you will get both marks and a burnt mark on the cut. This is why it is best to cut on the floor when you make a long cut. You can crawl on your knees right along the chipboard, following the movement of the saw, without the need to reach or bend.
Just calculate in advance whether the length of the electrical cable is enough for you.
Tip 6: Take a disc from big amount teeth
The more teeth on the disc, the sharper the cut will be. And, naturally, the disk must be sharp.
In principle, all the disks from the picture above are capable of making a good cut on chipboard and plywood. As we wrote above, the more teeth, the better the cut. However, the downside of the 140-tooth blade is that it becomes dull faster than the other three types. Especially if you are cutting chipboard. Take a 40 or 56 tooth disc. It's better to keep one more in reserve. A 56-tooth blade is commonly used for cutting.
Tip 7: Cross cutting is best done using duct tape.
The cross section runs perpendicular to the grain of the plywood, and even the most sharp blade easily leaves behind chips. This a big problem, The best decision which, buy a disc for cutting laminate, which we wrote about above. However, you can perform this task using other drives. To do this, stick on both sides of the cut line duct tape. It will prevent the formation of chips.
You need to remove it carefully, pull it in a direction perpendicular to the cut (see photo below) so as not to damage the laminating coating of the chipboard.
And one last piece of advice. If you need to cut expensive material from the front side, cover the saw platform with adhesive tape so that it does not leave scratches on the surface of the sheet.
In general, I have already considered this in a review article, which was devoted to without the use of a format-cutting machine.
Today I decided to dwell in more detail on a method that is accessible to most DIYers - sawing with a jigsaw, since this tool is very widespread. In this lesson I used a household jigsaw Skill 4581LA, by the way, a very good machine.
For the highest quality cut, the following conditions must be met:
- the file should be fine-toothed (a metal file is optimal)
- sawing is carried out at medium speed
In addition, for a cleaner cut, we will use a modification called “scratch” sawing. Its essence lies in the fact that the laminate is scratched to its full depth and its pieces, torn out by the saw teeth, do not extend beyond the scratch boundary. For clarity, here are a few photos.
You need to scratch along the ruler (with any sharp object - I used a perk drill, or you can even use a self-tapping screw.) To prevent the ruler from moving during the scratching process, I additionally secured it with a clamp - maybe a couple.
We scratch to the full depth of the laminate, that is, until sawdust appears in the scratch. 
Then we take the jigsaw and move it so that the file goes as close as possible to the edge of the scratch, without going beyond this border. 
Thus, chips are formed only on the unnecessary side, without going beyond our marking line 
Once again the same cut upon completion. It can be seen that minimal chips still remain, although they can also be found on professional equipment. But the evenness of the cut leaves much to be desired. 
Of course, there are unique people who can cut quite smoothly with a jigsaw. I'm not one of those people. Of course, the class of the tool itself also plays a significant role. As a rule, the file of inexpensive tools is not as stable as in professional models. Due to this, it is pulled towards the sawing.
All in all, this method has a right to exist, but I wouldn’t recommend putting it on stream.
It is believed that without professional tool high-quality wood cutting or sheet materials do not fulfill. Today we will talk about ways to make a clean, even cut without chips, on your own and without using expensive equipment and consumables.
Cutting tools and the mechanics of their work
If you do not take into account stationary sawing machines, alternatives for self made not so much. Among the available tools, we can offer circular and pendulum saws, commonly referred to as miter saws and jigsaws. It is also possible to perform a fairly high-quality cut using an angle grinder, on which a wood saw blade with pobedite teeth is installed. But this is not the most effective and, moreover, far from safe option.
In the process of cutting with any type of power tool, the working parts move at a very high speed, and therefore the mechanics of processing remain behind the scenes. However, understanding it is the key to getting a clean, chip-free edge. The simplest principle underlies the operation of pendulum saws. The cut is carried out with direct movement of the saw blade, and the size of the removed fragments completely depends on the size of the tooth and its setting.
Chips occur due to the heterogeneity of the processed material, in particular due to the hard crust of laminated sheet materials or because the fibers of solid wood have different densities. Chips can form with different sides products depending on the shape of the tooth, the feed force and the speed of movement of the working body. When working with a jigsaw, the appearance of chips is caused either by the fact that the teeth tear out large fragments from the reverse side, or by pushing through the top layer, during which it is not cut off, but breaks out in large fragments.
The operation of the teeth of a circular disk is in many ways similar to a jigsaw, with the only exception that their movement is directed strictly in one direction, and they move at a very high speed. Also a significant factor is the direction (angle) of the applied force: if the jigsaw blade moves strictly perpendicular to the surface, then the circular saw cuts at an arbitrary angle, depending on both the diameter of the disk and the thickness of the part. This can work to your advantage: the oblique immersion of the tooth contributes to more accurate cutting of chips, but with reverse side Due to the tangential movement of the cutting edges, quite large fragments can be torn out. Of course, you can only make a straight cut with a circular saw.
Selection of saw blades and blades
When cutting, cleanliness and processing speed are inversely dependent quantities. It is worth noting that chips on the cut will appear in any case, so the main task is to reduce their size to such a value that they can be easily eliminated by subsequent processing. The smaller the size of the tooth and the closer to right angle, under which cutting edge touches the surface of the material. To select circular saw blade these are the two most important factors out of three.
The third can be called the amount of setting - the displacement of adjacent teeth, which can be easily determined by applying a ruler to them. To ensure a clean cut, the routing should be minimal, but do not forget that in this case, when trying to cut a thick board or sheet of plywood, the disk may simply jam or the end will burn from strong friction.
Jigsaw blades are more varied. For cutting without chipping, a series of clean-cutting saws are used, for example, BOSCH has a line of blades called CleanWood. Their main difference is their small size and lack of pronounced directionality of the teeth. They usually have the shape of an isosceles triangle and cut in both directions of movement.
Also, saws for clean cutting are distinguished by the almost complete absence of setting and the opposite direction of sharpening of adjacent teeth. In order to ensure the possibility of a figured cut with a small setting, the files have a very small width, which is why they become quite fragile.
For finishing cutting of sheet materials, blades designed to work with metal products. These files have smallest size teeth are from known ones, so the cut is performed slowly, but with the highest quality indicator. Due to the significant width of metal blades, finishing figured cuts can only be carried out with a significant bending radius, on average about 60-80 cm.
Please also note that dull teeth, which is typical for low-quality saw blades with a “mileage” of 3-5 meters, also leads to the formation of chips. Therefore, do not skimp when purchasing consumables if the quality of processing is really important to you.
Zero gap technique
The principle of finishing the sole is most often used by carpentry craftsmen. cutting tool, which consists in reducing the gap between the working body and the pressure platform. This is almost guaranteed to eliminate the effect of “breaking” the crust in the top layer of the material.
Zero clearance is achieved by securing the cover plate to the tool base. The pad has only one narrow hole (or slot) that fits tightly to the cutting organ. Because of this, even with a high feed force, the teeth are guaranteed to cut off small chips and not turn out the chips in the upper layer of the part.
When using overlays, it is extremely important that they do not scratch or damage the surface of the part. Therefore, they are most often made from a material that is inferior in hardness to the material being processed, for example MDF or plasterboard. Unfortunately, such an overlay does not last long, which is why it has to be changed every 4-5 meters of the cut.
More durable linings can be made from sheet plastic (PVC, fluoroplastic), fiberglass or metal. In the latter case, the surface of the lining must be carefully polished and soft metals such as aluminum or duralumin must be used to reduce vibration.
Using adhesive tapes
Using the same principle, you can protect the back side of the material being cut. Tape should be placed along the cutting line to protect against large fragments being torn out. Pasting surfaces is one of the few ways to ensure the cleanliness of a curved cut with a jigsaw. Unfortunately, masking tape not suitable for this in the best possible way due to its low strength.
The best quality cut can be obtained by covering the part with aluminum or fiberglass-reinforced tape. It should be wide enough to cover 15-20 mm on each side of the cutting line. The density of the sticker is also important: the tape must be pressed down well with a dry cloth swab and the formation of folds must be prevented by any means.
You should avoid tapes with very tenacious adhesive. During the tearing process, they can carry along small fibers and fragments of the laminated surface, dissected by microcracks that form during cutting. Also pay attention to how easily traces of glue are removed and whether the adhesive adheres well enough to work with rough materials such as unsanded plywood or OSB.
Ensuring a perfectly clean cut
For most parts, it is enough to reduce the chip size to 0.2-0.5 mm. Such small irregularities trim edge They are not noticeable; if desired, they can be easily eliminated by chamfering with an emery block or covering them with a wax corrector pencil. End grinding is also possible sandpaper, if a sufficient allowance was given during cutting.
However, even at home, it is possible to achieve cut quality comparable to the result of a cutting machine with two high-speed disks. This is only possible when the tool moves along a guide rail, or, in extreme cases, along a temporary stop bar.
First you need to make two cuts about 0.5 mm deep on both sides of the part to indicate the thickness of the cut. Along the edges of the cutting line, you need to scratch two grooves under an even ruler. This is done either with a segmented or oblique shoemaker's knife (for chipboard and uncoated wood), or with a sharply sharpened drill or pobedit cutter (for laminated materials).
The depth of the grooves should be at least half the thickness of the outer layer, which is non-uniform in relation to the main body of material. This method requires high precision matching the grooves and the cutting line, but this is the only way to really ensure a perfectly even cut end that does not require additional processing.
As practice shows, it is very difficult to make high-quality cuts of chipboard with a durable melamine coating. Rough tools often leave nicks in the cuts. You will no longer be able to assemble a neat door or shelf with such defects. Cutting laminated chipboard at home usually occurs when repair work or furniture making.
How to cut chipboard without nicks and chips?
Special equipment
Of course, the most the best option- use a special formatting machine. With its help you can get any cut. But you can’t buy such an instrument for private needs, but manufacturing plant providing sawing services, such a procedure will cost good money. More cheap way- Circular Saw. There are even special saws for chipboard. But they will also require the use of special tools. However, many should have in their arsenal milling machine, which will correct the rough cut with a milling cutter. If you have experience working on such a machine, it will not be difficult to obtain a satisfactory appearance cut.
Handy tools
You can cut chipboard with a jigsaw, but this will be a rough cut. The edges may turn out not straight, but sinusoidal, and in the worst case, the edge will not be perpendicular to the front surface.
When cutting, you must be prepared for the fact that the jigsaw file will begin to “walk” due to the bend. You need to cut with a margin of 4 mm, and then level the edge.
Cutting laminated chipboard at home using a jigsaw reduces the formation of chips. When cutting, you need to increase the speed and reduce the feed, setting the pumping to 0. Only sharp saw blades designed for special cutting of chipboard should be used. Only by following these rules can you achieve a good result. After cutting, the end that will be visible can be sanded down. Additionally, before cutting, as already mentioned, you need to cut a line along which the cut will take place. But we do not move the file along this line, but near it - then the chips will not touch the limits you need. In the end, all that remains is to finish the edges with sandpaper.
Indents from the contour can be up to 4 mm. Then these few millimeters are removed with a cylindrical cutter using a hand-held electric router with a bearing. The bearing is guided along a long level fixed to the back of the sheet.
In addition, if the chips are in a non-working, low-visibility area, they can be disguised with a marker or felt-tip pen matched to their color.
The most undesirable way to cut chipboard- with a file (oddly enough, in old textbooks a lot of material is devoted to this method). You can use a plane, but preferably an electric one with carbide knives. But here we must take into account that dust from under the plane will scatter throughout the room.
And the most comfortable way- by using hand router along the guide. The end should be smooth and at 90 degrees, there will be no chips, and when the vacuum cleaner is turned on, there will be almost no dust.
Craftsmen recommend using a hacksaw for such cutting. If you have a saw with a fine tooth, then the operating procedure is as follows:
1) Draw a cutting line with a knife. Sharpen your saw before starting work. The knife should be applied with slight pressure to cut the laminated upper layer.
2) Glue a tape with an adhesive base along the intended cutting line. It will help keep the decorative layer from cracking. You can also use paper tape.
3) The tool should be held at a very sharp angle. In this case, the angle should not be higher than 30 degrees - this will reduce the likelihood of chipping. During the cutting process, you need to apply light pressure on the saw. If the work is performed with a power tool, such as a jigsaw, then there is no need to rush and press on it
4) After finishing cutting, the cut can be cleaned with a file. But in many cases this is not necessary, since the small teeth of the saw prevent the laminate from being deformed. If formed torn edges, then delicate work with a rasp will bring the cut into proper shape. The grinding tool must be guided towards the center from the edge - this will minimize possible damage to the top layer.
5) The glued strip of veneer will give the final beauty to the cut.
Of course cutting laminated chipboard at home does not imply professional quality And high speed work. For those who are in a hurry, you can offer sawing of chipboard with a grinder. As cutting element a wood disc is used. A strip is attached to the chipboard with clamps so that the grinder can be guided along it for an even cut. After cutting, possible chips are processed with the same grinder, only with a different attachment - for grinding. But a more gentle option is to use sandpaper.
We recently bought coffee table, the price is inexpensive, but there is a “but”. The height of the table is too big for our interior. It would be nice to reduce the height of centimeters by 10. As they say, we are not looking for easy ways, I decided that
I can handle it with my own hands.
I remembered that on our website there is an asoleg specialist who did it, I am, of course, far from him, but some recommendations may help. I contacted him, explained the problem and he kindly shared his secret. With his permission, I publish his cutting technology furniture chipboard no chips.
Everything turned out to be banally simple. Mark the cutting line. Then stationery knife, using a ruler, cut through the top layer of chipboard. Just run the knife several times with little effort along the cut line. (I recommend practicing on an unnecessary piece of wood particle board) If you press very hard, the decorative layer will begin to swell and the result will not be very beautiful.
Next, retreating 1-2 millimeters from the intended line towards the rough part, we cut with a jigsaw or a suitable saw with teeth directed towards the saw handle. We make a notch on the opposite side of the cut to prevent chipping when completing the cut. And saw through to the end. You need to cut carefully, slowly. Then, using medium-grain sandpaper attached to a block, we clean the end of the part. If necessary, we remove the millimeter that we retreated. My cut turned out to be almost perfect; after sanding, there were no burrs at all. The photo shows the difference between the left and right side cutting Well, accordingly, if both parts of the chipboard are needed, we cut with a knife on both sides of the cut. We measure the thickness of the cut with a jigsaw or file and add 2 millimeters. The result is the distance that should be between the slits made with a stationery knife. We cut exactly between these lines. Then there will be no scuffing on the other side either. Naturally, you need to use a sharp tool, I use a tool.
Everything turned out great. On the finished table, my wife did not find the place where I cut.
Thank you for your assistance and assistance asoleg.
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If you like to do things with your own hands, read the article.
