How to cut a laminate, choose a file. How to saw a laminate: tips recommendations What kind of jigsaw sawing a laminate

In fact, it turns out that for many it is much easier to assemble a structure from laminated panels than to fit these panels to the desired size. And all because most people who are trying to make repairs with their own hands do not know how to saw a laminate.

In order to understand this, it would not hurt to understand what layers the panel consists of.

About laminate

The processing of any material requires any special tools suitable for this particular composition. You won’t cut ceramic tiles with a hacksaw, and cut metal with a glass cutter, because even the best cutter for one structure will be completely useless for another.

That is why we will figure out what, and also see photos and videos about laminated panels.

What is laminitis made of?

1. The lowest layer, which is marked in the figure with the number 1, consists of unrefined or tarred paper.
   It is a reliable barrier to moisture that can come from the main floor. Sometimes additional paper is added for sound and heat insulation, but this happens only in individual collections and this significantly changes the price of the material.
2. The thickest layer of the laminated panel is marked with the number 2, it is made of high density fibreboard (HDF) and the quality of the product largely depends on its thickness.
   A lock is embedded into this layer and the thicker the fiberboard, the higher the fixing spike of the lock, therefore, the groove is deeper and the connection is tighter (no gap).
3. The number 3 in the figure indicates a decorative layer of paper on which a certain pattern is applied..
   Since the drawing can display many materials, the panels can also imitate various types of wood, wooden and ceramic parquet, stone, sand, marble, and the like.
4. The topmost, fourth layer, consists of acrylic or melamine resin.. Through it, almost without interference, the decorative design of the panel is clearly visible. Depends on the thickness of the protective top layer, and, therefore, its belonging to a commercial or domestic category (the classification of a household (non-commercial) laminate begins with the number 2, and commercial - with the number 3).

Fitting laminated panels

• If there is an instruction on how best to saw a laminate, then it probably looks more like advice, not instruction.
  After all, if you pay attention to its structure, then we can conclude that any file will do. Yes, indeed, this is so, but after all, it can be chopped off with an ax, but not everything that can be done will be useful and correct.
• The clarity of the cut will depend on what the laminate is sawn with (the edge of the panel may have a torn cut). Therefore, the finer the cutting structure of the disc or saw, the smoother the cut line will be.
• But the evenness of the cut depends not only on the fine teeth, but also on the speed with which the blade cuts the panel, as well as on the quality of the metal from which the cutting element is made. So a jigsaw file for a laminate can have large teeth, but at the same time leave an excellent cut.
• I would like to draw attention to the fact that a jigsaw file for a laminate, as such, does not exist at all, but there are simply nail files for wood or metal.
  Any of them is suitable for cutting laminated panels, but a small sheet for metal sticks more in the structure of the laminate, and a large one (for wood) moves much easier, although the cut is almost the same.

• It is very good to cut laminated panels with an electric circular saw, where saw blades for laminate are the most common saw blades for wood.
  Here, again, you can pay attention to the fact that there are no discs specialized for cutting laminate, and almost any blade of a manual electric circular can be called such.
• The inconvenience of this cutting method is that it is extremely difficult to cut in different directions with it, because the saw blade on the laminate cannot be turned to direct the cut along a different line.
  An electric jigsaw does an excellent job with such an operation, and if you need any figured cutout, then a metal file is very well suited for this, as it is thinner.

Advice.
If you are cutting laminate with a manual electric circular saw, the disk on it rotates from the bottom up, therefore, if it is not very sharp, then the paper on the panel will have a torn edge.
To prevent this from happening, turn the board face down when cutting.

• The laminate can also be cut with a grinder, although this method will cause a lot of smoke, but saw blades for laminate in this case will be discs for metal or concrete.
  The high rotation speed of the angle grinder allows you to easily cut not only laminate, but also wood. But you can also insert a blade with teeth into the grinder, although this is not the best option, because the cut is not very even.

• The simplest cutting tool for laminate can be a hacksaw for metal or wood, but with fine teeth.
  In this case, the metal blade will leave a sharper cut, but it is difficult to cut wide panels or cut them to length.

Laying laminate- the task is not difficult, but, as in any business, there are secrets and tricks here. It's about how to speed up, improve the quality and expand the possibilities of laying laminate with jigsaw. Practice shows that the quality of laying strongly depends on the quality of cutting the laminate elements on site. Nowadays, there is a jigsaw in almost any home, and professionals even more so.

Do I need to mention that the material to be cut requires a certain type of jigsaw blades? If you try to cut a laminate with a saw that is not intended for this, then there is a high probability of spoiling the workpiece with chips, uncontrolled “wobbles” of the file.

For satisfactory cutting of the laminate with a jigsaw, you will need a special file. Before you go to the store for a laminate saw, carefully read the contents of the case with your jigsaw. Indeed, in recent years, manufacturers, in response to demand, began to add to the tool delivery set and special saw blades for laminate. Features of sawing on a laminate - the shape, pitch and method of setting the teeth, as well as the material of the saw blade. So, for example, Bosch positions one of the manufactured bimetallic blades "Special for laminate" as a saw blade for laminate, which is distinguished by its flexibility and high strength.

If it was not possible to buy a specialized file for laminate, then you can use a file with fine teeth and a narrow blade. For straight cuts, a wider file is also suitable. For figured and curvilinear cutting, the rule applies: the narrower the canvas, the more accurate the cut. It is recommended to cut on the reverse side of the laminate panels. This achieves an increased cleanliness of the edge of the cuts on the front side.

In some cases, laminate saws are used with the reverse direction of the tops of the teeth. In this way, the likelihood of chips when sawing from the front side of the material is excluded.

In any case, when choosing files for laminate, do not forget which file shank is required for your jigsaw. Please note that jigsaws usually allow the use of blades with several types of shanks. "omnivorous" jigsaws are also known, the clamping device of which securely fixes any files.

Saw blades for laminate, fiberboard, chipboard and plywood are manufactured by Bosch (Bosch T101AIF, Bosch T101BF, T101BR), DeWALT (DT2164, DT2165, DT2220) and others.

Bosch T101BR- a standard jigsaw blade for laminate, equipped with a reverse tooth. When working with this file, the glossy surface of the laminate does not tear, so the cut is smooth and neat. It is also suitable for work on glued wood.

Anyone who has ever sawn a wooden board with a regular saw or a hand jigsaw knows perfectly well how difficult it is to achieve a smooth edge with such tools. And for someone who has ever had to cut a laminate, it is no secret that, armed with an ordinary saw, you cannot lay a laminate floor, or lay it, but you are thoroughly tormented. Here you need a special tool - a jigsaw. In addition, representatives of the stronger sex usually know that it will not work to cut both a wooden board and a metal pipe with the same file. Each material has its own file. So how do you cut laminate flooring?

If for an ordinary floorboard you need a file with a large tooth, then a laminate, like MDF panels, will fit only a small one. Blade manufacturers have developed a saw blade designed specifically for laminate flooring. Its teeth are characterized by a certain pitch and specific wiring, which protects the edge of the laminated board from annoying chips. In addition, the blade has an optimal width for cutting laminate, which allows you to make both straight and curly cuts with extreme accuracy. The file is made of a special material that, thanks to its flexibility, remains strong even in the most difficult situations. The world's leading manufacturers are well versed in the needs of their customers. That is why jigsaws with well-known names have an additional set of the most popular saw blades in the sales kit. A special file for laminate is no exception. If you are still unlucky, and you got your tool without a useful kit, you will have to go to the store and buy the necessary file.

Going to the store for files, do not forget to look at what kind of file is used for it. Not every file will fit your tool. It is not necessary to look for a saw blade of the same brand as the jigsaw. The main thing is that the file you choose has the appropriate type of shank. Each jigsaw fits a shank of a certain shape. There are jigsaws that are suitable for files with any shanks, but this is only if the power tool is equipped with a universal fastening mechanism. Do not be discouraged if you did not find a special file in the store. Choose a canvas, guided by a few simple tips. For a figured cut of a laminate, select the narrowest and most flexible canvas. The teeth must be small. Such a file will allow high-quality cutting and will not damage the surface decorative coating. If you do not need curly cuts, you can choose a wider blade, but always with a fine tooth. Pay attention to the files, in which the tops of the teeth are directed in the opposite direction. This trick will help preserve the decorative laminated board and prevent chipping. If you can't buy a saw blade with a reverse tooth direction, try sawing the panels with the laminate facing down. In this case, the front side of the board will not suffer.

As you can see, everything is quite simple. How to cut a laminate is not difficult to figure out. Choose the right jigsaw blade and you won't have to pay a master to install laminate flooring, you can handle this task yourself, although it's not just about choosing the right blade 😉

For those who have a jigsaw in their household, from time to time they must purchase files for it. There are a lot of varieties and manufacturers. The most common types of files are of course for wood, in addition to them there are canvases for metal, tiles. In order not to get particularly confused in the choice, we will consider the most popular files in everyday life, from the Bosch company. In terms of price / quality - a good choice. The letter "T" in the marking indicates the type of shank - T-shaped. The most common type of saws.

Wood saws. There are several types, it all depends on the nature of the work being done.

For example, if you need to quickly cut a bunch of boards, then a file with a large tooth is best. The larger the tooth, the faster the cut will be, but less accurate, the cut is not very smooth, but if you are making a fence, or building a barn, then accuracy, in principle, is not needed.
For these purposes, you can take a file marked T101D. Suitable for boards up to 75mm thick.
If the board or bar is up to 100mm, a 244D saw will be required.
For boards up to 200mm - long file 344D.
It can be seen that the larger the number in the marking, the thicker the board is intended for sawing.
It should be noted that a thick board will require.

For a clean cut, you will need a file, for example, T101B.

File for a clean cut Т101B

Her tooth is noticeably smaller, respectively, the cut is smoother. This is suitable for assembling furniture, where you need an accurate and even cut, without chips.
Often it is used for sawing fiberboard, plywood, chipboard.
She can also saw thick boards of course (up to 75 mm), but in time it will take longer than files with a large tooth.

File for laminate.
It has a reverse tooth, directed in the opposite direction compared to the rest of the files. This is done in order to prevent chips from the front side of the laminate, not to spoil the appearance. Fine tooth for a clean cut. It is marked T101BR.

The letter "R" - stands for reverse (reverse). And so it is no different from a simple tree T101B.

Files for a figured cut.

Their tooth is always small, they are used for sawing out a radius, a circle, they are used in the manufacture of furniture. In shape, they are noticeably narrower than all the others, this is done so that the file does not pinch when turning the jigsaw.
From personal experience I can say that I sawed a circle in a fiberboard plate for washing, the cut turned out to be very accurate and even.
The marking of such files with the letter "O" in the name is T119BO.

They always have a small tooth, so that it is easier to recognize them, they have a blue shank. If you are sawing metal up to 3mm, a T118A file is suitable, it can also cut plastic, for metal up to 6mm - T123X, for aluminum - T227D, its tooth is larger.

Combined file.

You can cut both wood and metal with this. Her tooth is small on one half of the canvas, large on the other. Marking T345XF.

File for ceramic tiles. It is marked T150RIFF, T130RIFF. On the edge it has a carbide coating.

Coated with carbide

Most often, the files are clamped into a jigsaw with a 3mm hex wrench, sometimes there is a quick-clamping mechanism.

As for prices: the most popular files cost about 25-40 rubles, long ones for a thick board are about 80 rubles. A file for ceramics stands out from the general range, its price is 150-170 rubles. Prices are current for 2012.