What is the best way to cut furniture board

[paulrichardson]

Hi Guys,

I got some furniture board last time I went to Magnums.

I'm ready to start cutting it to shape, but am not sure of the best thing to cut it with.

It is so thin that I'm sure my Jigsaw and Circular Saw will both rip it to bits and I'm not good with a hand saw.

I wondered if a Stanley Knife would go through it, but I'm scared to try (even from Magnums it's expensive stuff).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Paul

[n8rbos]

Use very fine teeth on your jigsaw/circular saw, put masking tape over the base of jigsaw so it dosen't mark wood.

[limitedblack]

Down cut blades are best on a jigsaw, working from the side you can see, make sure there is zero stroke set on the jigsaw too. How thin is this stuff, and what's it made of?

[paulrichardson]

How thin is this stuff, and what's it made of?

Hi there,

The board is 3mm thick, I'm guessing it's ordinary plywood with a "pretty bit" stuck on top.

This is the stuff:-

http://www.magnummotorhomes.co.uk/view_product.asp?productID=1137&catID=116&subcatID=

Regards,

Paul

[paulrichardson]

Use very fine teeth on your jigsaw/circular saw,.

Hi there,

I've got a blade for my Jigsaw, which is supposed to be for metal which has very fine teeth, do you think it would be OK to use it on wood?

Regards,

Paul

[limitedblack]

Best advice, go slow and take your time, you can get thin blades for cutting difficult shapes, use higher quality like bosch and don't try to rush the cut, make sure that stroke is off as this is what "rips" the finish off. Don't use an ordinary wood blade as they are designed to cut in the up stroke. At 3mm you may just be able to score and snap the cut off. Wait till it comes, but most likely to be some kind of fibre board that thin.

[paulrichardson]

Best advice, go slow and take your time, you can get thin blades for cutting difficult shapes, use higher quality like bosch and don't try to rush the cut, make sure that stroke is off as this is what "rips" the finish off. Don't use an ordinary wood blade as they are designed to cut in the up stroke. At 3mm you may just be able to score and snap the cut off. Wait till it comes, but most likely to be some kind of fibre board that thin.

Many thanks for all the advice, I'll go to my local DIY shop and see what they can offer in the way of blades and give it a go.

Thanks again,

Paul

[misty]

Paul,
I cut my 3mm magnum stuff with a Stanley knife, just take your time and don't let the blade wander off you straight edge, which is easy done if you scribe to much in one go,
If you are facing cupboards, mark the door blanks from behind drill a 1mm hole in each corner, dot to dot cutting, and your blank matches the rest, just remember to put it the right way up,, don't ask
Misty

[Honey monster]

As LB has said down cut blades like these.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bosch-T101BR- ... 1e68f7d637

[misty]

its 3mm ply paper faced, you can cut it with a good pair of sissors, but i would go with the stanley knife,
Misty

[Louey]

Another good method is to place some scrap wood under the board as you use the jigsaw, eliminates the ripping effect - only thing is that you need a lot of scrap wood.

[paulrichardson]

Hi guys,

Many thanks for all your advice.

I cut my first piece with almost 100% success. (If I hadn't got the template backwards it would have been perfect).

I used a down cut blade, with a piece of my lining carpet glued to the underneath of the jigsaw

No scratches on the finish and no chipped off bits.

Off to do some more, thanks again for all of your tips.

Regards,

Paul