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Hardware working with IS Plastic Laminate A Narrow Strips. Tin snips work great for cutting narrow strips and odd shapes of plastic laminate. When most people think of plastic laminate, kitchen countertops often come to mind. But for a woodworker, plastic laminate is a great material for shop jigs and fixtures. Laminate has a lot of things going for it. First, it can be trimmed to almost any size with woodworking tools. And once it's glued down to a substrate (typically plywood or MDF), it creates a rock-solid surface that resists moisture and wear encountered in the shop. It's smooth, slick surface makes it ideal for table tops or jigs where you don't want a lot of friction. And best of all, it's inexpensive and widely available. Finally, laminate is easy to work with. There are three simple steps — cutting, gluing, and trimming. CUTTING Plastic laminate can be cut to size a number of ways — with a utility knife, hand saw, or power tools. ALUMINUM ANGLE PREVENTS LAMINATE FROM SLIDING 1 "-"">" RIP I like to use the table saw when working with larger pieces. A combination blade works fine. But to prevent chipping of the laminate, it's best to use a triple-chip blade. The only real challenge you might encounter is the tendency of the thin laminate to slip underneath the rip fence. You can prevent this by clamping a long piece of aluminum angle to your rip fence like you see in Figure 1. Cutting Small Pieces. It's often difficult to cut small pieces on the table saw. So I use a pair of tin snips (photo at left). If you take small bites without closing the jaws completely, they make a nice, clean cut. 10 ShopNotes No. 89 |
