Which hacksaw is best for sawing chipboard? Cutting panels from chipboard and other materials

The furniture in the store is beautiful and attractive. Road. And it doesn’t always turn out to be exactly the desired addition to the interior as it was pictured in the wildly over-the-top imagination.

Another thing is custom-made furniture. The master came (at least that’s what they call themselves), tried on everything, asked everything, assessed everything, and left to fulfill the order. Sometimes for a long time. Less often is not quite what was required. But the price of custom-made furniture is often even higher than its counterpart, which is languishing in the store.

Guided by such considerations, the heads of Russian families with average incomes often think that it would be nice to acquire the skills of the legendary Papa Carlo themselves and sculpt masterpieces of furniture architecture right at the place of their future residence. That is, at home.

Starting, as a rule, with “light infantry” - stools, bedside tables, stands - simple hacksaw and ax workers inevitably face one problem. Her name is Smooth cutting of chipboard. By making reciprocating movements with the same hacksaw, or (what is worse) driving a vibrating jigsaw along the drawn marking line, they get anything but an even cut of the material. Well, maybe even. But this is a rare rarity.

But for cabinet furniture, geometrically perfect ends of wooden slabs are, one might say, critical. This is the quality of fit of the elements among themselves, and appearance decor and so on in general.

In what ways did our ancestors, who were more skilled in this matter, achieve this level of processing?

When working with a hacksaw, the tool itself is most important: its choice depends on the material being processed, its qualities and properties. For the now widespread chipboard, it is highly advisable to use a hacksaw with small teeth set at half the thickness of the blade. A larger spread will result in a wide cut and unwanted chips; narrow - jamming the tool in a sheet of chipboard, which leads to mild psychosis. In addition, if a hacksaw is equipped with hardened teeth, this is only a plus for it - the setting is preserved better and the sharpening is lost more slowly. It is important.

However, cutting long cuts with such a hacksaw is fraught with significant fatigue, since the small and frequent “teeth” quickly become clogged with wood dust and are no longer able to effectively perform their functions in this state. But still, at home, using a tool with exactly these parameters is most preferable. The sawing itself should be done at the most acute angle of the cutting edge of the hacksaw to the slab being cut. This is less tiring, and in addition, it gives the desired even cut.

Of the electrified devices in this area, the following are known: electric jigsaw and a miter saw.

The first is characterized by a rather riotous character when carried out uncontrollably around the workpiece. The methods for restricting his freedom are quite simple and unpretentious. This is, first of all:

• guide – smooth and straight, preferably metal ruler, secured with clamps along the marking line. By resting the sole against it, the tool covers its distance almost perfectly, without “blockages” or chips.
• the file itself - its parameters, this is its rigidity and purpose - for a simple chipboard - with small teeth directed upwards and without setting, for wood - set large teeth, predatorily sticking out in different directions from the plane of the canvas. But you should remember about the first ones that, after about a meter of cutting, their blade will inevitably heat up, lose its qualities and “tear” to the side. Almost always this happens with 100% inevitability;
• adhesive tape pasted from the side where the teeth exit to the surface. Or better yet, both. You never know... Chips appear in these places. However, it is useful to monitor the strength of the bonding of the adhesive tape itself to the surface being treated: if it is subsequently removed, it is capable of creating characteristic flaws, even worse than a file;
• two parallel cuts with a carpenter's knife on both sides of the marking line for the entire length of the intended cut. This also saves from chipping, and is especially important for laminated chipboard sheets.

After sawing, you can refine the cut with a router or grinder However, firstly, this is due to circumstances, and secondly, too many tools are already required for a cabinet that will appear in life once and for many years.

There is only one thing that can be said about a miter saw: it is necessary.

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, everything is on sale now necessary fittings. 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.

The most suitable household tool for cutting chipboard is a hand-held 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: Cut 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 of 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 guide and look from close range 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 longitudinal cut use a hard, 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 position it in the right place for an accurate 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 a metal base plate circular saw rested against the edge of the guide, this ensures maximum stability of the saw during 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 plate 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: Get a blade with more 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-cut runs perpendicular to the grain of the plywood, and even the sharpest 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.

How to cut laminated chipboard without chipping?

laminated chipboard- this is known to everyone particle board, finely polished and coated with a paper-resin film. Lamination is carried out under a pressure of 25-28 MPa at a temperature of 140-210 C. The coating is durable, beautiful, resistant to mechanical damage and thermal effects, which makes laminated chipboard very attractive for furniture production And interior decoration premises.

Many home craftsmen prefer to make their own furniture and buy high-quality chipboard in hardware stores or from manufacturers. Fortunately, the wide range of colors of laminated coatings allows you to easily choose the most suitable one. suitable material. The surface texture is also varied: it can be smooth, imitating wood or a natural stone, embossed with shagreen or wood pores.

But to make with my own hands unique furniture or exclusive interior, it’s not enough to just buy laminated chipboard and cut it according to patterns. The thin laminated coating has a fragile structure. With rough, illiterate actions, the cut turns out to be torn, and deep cavities appear on the edges of the coating. To cut laminated chipboard without chips and cracks, you need to know some tricks of working with it.

Rules for sawing laminated chipboard

You can cut laminated chipboard at home hand saw with fine teeth, circular saw, jigsaw. In order for the work to go without a hitch, you need to:

1. Secure the adhesive tape tightly along the cut line to prevent the teeth from damaging the front part of the coating.2. Using a sharp knife, cut through the laminated coating and the layer of chips underneath along the cut line. Thus, the saw will cut the inner layers of chipboard, affecting the coating only tangentially.3. When working, place the hand saw at a very acute angle to the surface of the board.4. Sawing electric tools perform with minimal feed.5. On the resulting part, use a sharp knife to cut off a thin layer of the coating edge at an angle of 45.6. Grind the cut with a fine file, processing the cut in the direction from the edges to the center.

To prevent the edge of the sawn chipboard from forming chips and cracks during further operation, it must be protected with special overlays. This can be a self-adhesive melamine tape, a C-shaped overlay edge, or a T-shaped edge.

Do it yourself or order it?

A custom cut will be smoother

• Cut the slabs yourself using available hand tools

• Tools and materials
• How to cut chipboard without chipping?
• Figure cutting
• What not to cut chipboard

If you have at least once tried to cut chipboard at home, then you know for sure that this work is by no means easy and requires not only skill, but also the presence good tool. Laminated chipboard is especially difficult to process; when cutting it, many chips often form. That is why many craftsmen, faced with such a problem, come to the conclusion that it is better to cut chipboard when purchasing, especially since many trading organizations provide similar services and the price is quite reasonable.

Chipboard sawing is carried out using precise format-cutting machines, which will help obtain workpieces of a given size and shape.

Modern models allow smooth sawing of slab materials not only in horizontal and vertical directions, but also at an angle.

In addition to cutting sheets, they will help you calculate and provide in the form of a visual video file several options for competent and economical cutting of sheet material (using special computer programs) and, if necessary, perform edging. However, if for some reason you prefer to do this work yourself, you will have to do some preparatory work before cutting the chipboard.

Tools and materials

If possible, it is best to cut chipboard with a hand router using homemade guides. This method is not very convenient when cutting large sheets, because when working with this tool you need a table. In addition, with this method it is necessary to change cutters frequently. But as a result, you will get cleanly processed, “trimmed” edges.

An electric jigsaw is the most popular tool for cutting chipboard.

Some craftsmen use a jigsaw in their work, however, in the absence of skill, it is difficult to make an even cut, and chips may form.

You can try installing a bimetallic blade with teeth pointed inward, designed for laminate, on a jigsaw. When cutting with a jigsaw, you should increase the speed, with a small feed, so that breaks do not form.

If such methods do not suit you, then to cut chipboard at home, we will prepare for work:

• a hacksaw with fine teeth (the one designed for metal work is best). In this case, the teeth must be set apart by 1/2 the thickness of the blade and be hardened
• paper adhesive tape
• file for roughing cut line
• sandpaper to finish the cut line.

How to cut chipboard without chipping?

Before starting to cut chipboard, especially laminated chipboard, we cut a line along which we will cut with a sharp tool and glue paper tape along it with sticky layer. This will help minimize damage to the decorative chipboard layer.

To ensure that there are as few chips as possible, it is necessary to direct the movement of the hacksaw at an acute angle to the surface (no more than 30°). Movements should be smooth, without excessive pressure on the plate or sudden jerks.

If chips still cannot be avoided, we process the cut first with a file, working in the direction from the edges to the center, and then with fine-grained sandpaper. You can also mask all defects by using, where possible, a flexible profile.

Figure cutting

It is even more difficult to obtain curved surfaces of a given configuration at home, and you will have to spend additional money on purchasing a router that will help you get rid of chips and nicks formed when you cut chipboard.

The price of a hand router can vary significantly, depending on the manufacturer, power, availability additional functions. If you do not plan to produce furniture professionally, then it is advisable to purchase an inexpensive model.

To cut chipboard you need to follow these steps:

1. Having marked the contours of the required part on a sheet of chipboard, we cut it out with a jigsaw, trying to cut just a couple of millimeters from the intended cutting line
2. we make templates of the design radius from fiberboard or plywood and carefully sand the ends with sandpaper
3. Having attached the template to the part to be finished, clamp it with clamps and process it with a hand-held copying cutter with a bearing, removing excess material exactly to the intended line.

In this case, it does not matter which cutter (with two or four knives is used). The only condition is that the knives must cover the entire thickness of the cut being processed.

How to cut chipboard?

After processing, all that remains is to glue the edge onto the part. Watch the video to see how this is done:

What not to cut chipboard

If the volume of work is large enough and the quality requirements are low, some craftsmen advise sawing chipboard at home using a grinder (angle grinder, commonly called an angle grinder). In doing so, they use a disk designed for working with wood. To make cutting easier, a guide bar is secured along the cutting line using clamps. Cutting chipboard using a grinder can sometimes be seen in the video.

Attention, important! This method is absolutely unacceptable, since the likelihood of injury during work is very high, especially if discs are used large diameter and the protective casing is removed from the grinder.

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How to cut a pipe evenly with a grinder?

When working with construction or plumbing tasks, you need to know how to cut a pipe evenly with a grinder. In this article we will look at quick and easy ways of how to properly cut a pipe with a grinder so that the result is perfect.

Cutting pipe at an angle of 45 and 90 degrees

If you need to cut a pipe at an angle of 45 degrees, which is often required when laying water and heating pipes. Often steel and cast iron pipes that have a cylindrical shape are used. IN installation work Rectangular or profile pipes are used. However, you should cut the pipe correctly with a grinder so that you can easily connect it later. Therefore, you should carefully mark the pipe.

Some craftsmen try to mark the cutting area using a tape measure, but we warn you that the result will most likely be negative. And for positive result, consider the following recommendation from professionals.

Take a sheet of paper or cardboard, preferably A4, fold it diagonally and wrap it around the pipe where you plan to make an even cut. The edges of the paper must be absolutely aligned with each other. And the side of the paper that is closer to the end of the pipe was perpendicular to the axis. Then mark a cutting line in a circle.

If you need to cut exactly at an angle of 90 degrees, then solve the problem quickly using paper or masking tape. Wrap it around the pipe so that the ends match. Make an even mark and saw off.

How to cut a profile pipe evenly?

Experts advise using it when cutting profile pipe square To do this, apply the square to the sides one by one, and turn and apply marks with smooth movements. After the steps, secure the pipe and cut. Prepare yourself a template that will be useful in the future and will save time. Better action make with a grinder, so the cut will be smoother.

How to cut cast iron pipe?

When working with a cast iron pipe, keep in mind that it brittle material. Therefore, we will find a way to cut such metal without damage.

Before starting work, make notes for the cut, as in working with steel pipes. Submit wooden beam for support. Run a grinder around the circumference of the pipe, making small cuts. Then take the chisels, insert them into the groove and apply swipe with a hammer. Please note that Bakelite-based cutting discs are used to cut cast iron pipes.

If you don’t have a grinder at hand to cut a cast iron sewer pipe or other purposes, use a hacksaw, chisels or special pipe cutters.

How to cut a gas pipe?

Cutting a gas pipe is a dangerous action, so it is best to leave it to professionals. But if you are confident in your abilities, then to cut metal, take a grinder, welding, hacksaw, or gas welding.

Trimming instructions:

• Before work, turn off the gas supply riser. Then release the rest of the gas from the pipe. To do this, light the gas in the burners and wait for it to go out.
• After these steps, cut. Using a welding method, the metal base burns when exposed to high temperature. The result is fast and effective. But remember that for pruning or rooting gas pipes Again, experience is needed.

Methods for cutting large diameter pipes

For cutting large diameter pipes, such as sewer pipes, there are a number of reliable tools available. Next, let's look at some of them in detail:

• The grinder is inexpensive and affordable option, but is considered not the safest to work with such materials. If you decide to use this method, be careful and use protective equipment.
• A roller machine (pipe cutter) is a tool adapted for such manipulations. The device is attached and material removal begins. The clamping force is adjusted using mechanical devices. It is important to note that machine models differ in shape, so before use, consider the size relationship with the pipe.
• Gas cutting is the most popular option for cutting larger diameter pipes, sheet metal. The cut occurs due to the action of a high intensity flame, the metal melts and leaves the cut zone with a gas flow. This method is convenient and effective.

How to cut a pipe lengthwise correctly?

A quick way to cut a pipe lengthwise using a grinder:

• Pay main attention to the markings.
• For this case, use painting thread, which is widely used when marking walls.
• Before starting work, secure the pipe and, using small movements, carefully saw the pipe.
• It’s better not to rush, but delicately and slowly process parts of the pipe, so cutting disc will not jump off the marking lines. Remember safety precautions.

How to cut thin-walled pipes?

Thin-walled pipes are made of non-ferrous metals: aluminum, copper.

How to cut laminated chipboard with a jigsaw without chipping

Such work should be done delicately, as there is a high probability of deformation of the material. For cutting, fillers such as sand are used. Actions can be carried out using a grinder or a special machine.

To summarize, we emphasize that cutting metal pipes The process is complex, but every willing master can strengthen it. Using the advice of professionals, you can easily cope with cutting pipes of various sizes and materials. Also, do not forget to process the edges of the pipes after cutting with a file or sandpaper. And the most important thing to remember when starting such actions is safety precautions. When starting work, wear a special suit (casing), mask or closed-type glasses. Your hands should also be reliably protected from sparks, so use thick gloves.

Cutting panels from chipboard and other materials