What kind of jigsaw blade to cut laminate. What is the best saw to cut laminate flooring? Master's advice. Armed with an electric jigsaw

Laminate is the most common floor covering today, which is made from a compressed material - fiberboard (MDF). The appearance of a laminated board is determined by a decorative layer, usually imitating the surface of a tree, although other options are also possible. The board itself consists of 4 layers, sealed ("laminated") in a protective film, due to which the material got its name.

The material is quite simple to install, so both professionals and ordinary home craftsmen who try to do everything with their own hands can do its installation. The technology is such that the laminate must be sawn at the time of laying. Accordingly, the question arises: How to saw the laminate so that the cut is neat and without chips?

About laminate

From practice it can be seen that it is almost impossible to adjust the laminate slabs to the size of the room, they need to be filed under right size. It is necessary to determine which file to cut the laminate so that the cut is even.

To do this, it is important to study the structure of the processed material.

The first, lowest layer of the product consists of unrefined paper. It protects against moisture penetration. Sometimes an additional substrate is added under this layer, which is designed for sound and heat insulation, but this makes the price of the product higher.
The next layer is made of HDF and the greater its density, the better the fixation between the panels.
Then comes the layer decorative paper , on which imitation of various types of wood, stone, sand, marble and other natural materials can be depicted.
The topmost layer is colorless and consists of acrylic resin . Through it is clearly visible decorative pattern on the panel. It is its thickness that affects the wear resistance class of the laminate and its service life.

Laminate flooring can be classified into residential and commercial. The latter is more durable protective coating and is intended for rooms with increased "human traffic".

Sawing tool

When processing any structure, it is imperative to use tools that are suitable for this particular material composition. After all, it is impossible to cut ceramic with a jigsaw floor tiles, and glass cutter - metal products. So the best cutter for one raw material cannot be useful for another.

Any professional or just an "amateur" probably knows that to cut a laminate board, you need a special tool so that the structure of the material is not broken.

These tools include:

jigsaw;
a circular saw;
hacksaw;
laminate cutter.

Electric jigsaw

What is the best way to cut laminate? The best cut is obtained when using a jigsaw. A jigsaw file for laminate should be designed for working with wood.

Advice!
Before making a cut, on the laminated side of the board, it is necessary to draw a cut border with a pencil, then cut the protective film with a paint knife.

The board should be placed on flat surface face down and secure. At the time of cutting, it is very important not to make sudden movements, in order to avoid the formation of chips and damage to the structure of the material. A neat incision can be made both in the transverse and in the longitudinal direction.

Saw

In order to get a neat cut of a laminate board, you can use a hand-held circular saw with a disc for metal, called a grinder. As in the previous case, the board must be laid on a flat surface with the front side, firmly strengthening it. Gently lower the “grinder” disk and draw along the line marked with a pencil.

If neither one nor the other tool is available, you can use a hand saw or a hacksaw for metal. Using this method work with the utmost care. And the whole process takes a lot of time. This method is not easy and the cut is not of sufficient quality.

It can justify itself only with small amounts of work.

Cutter

For cutting laminate in large volumes, you can use a special cutter that looks like a sharp blade that descends on the material with a handle. Using this method, the laminate can only be cut in the transverse direction. The cut line is very precise. This method is convenient for those who are laying laminate flooring on an ongoing basis, since the price of the tool is very “decent”.

What blade to cut laminate?

If the tool has already been selected, then you need to decide on its components. Jigsaw blades for laminate differ in shape, pitch and method of setting the teeth, as well as in the material of the blade. The quality of laying depends on the quality of cutting material elements. If you try to cut a laminate with a saw that is not intended for this, it is more likely to leave multiple chips on the edge of the workpiece.

If there is no special file for a jigsaw on a laminate, any file with fine teeth and a narrow blade can be used. For curly or curvilinear cuts, the narrower the canvas, the more accurate the cut will be.

A wood file should be with the direction of the tops of the teeth in the opposite direction. Due to this, the probability of chipping is excluded when sawing the material from the front side and excludes the “turning” of the decorative layer outward. The evenness of the cut is affected not only by the size of the teeth, but also by the speed with which the panel web is cut, as well as the quality of the metal from which the laminate saw is made.

If the farm has a circular saw, it can also be adapted for cutting laminate.

Instructions for cutting laminate using circular saw looks like that:

It is important that the saw blades on the laminate have fine teeth;
A mark is applied to the front side of the laminate board at the intended location of the cut;
After that, the bar is installed on the machine in a horizontal position and down with a pattern.
The edges of the bar must be held tightly with your hands and slowly pushed away from you in the direction of the rotating disk.
When using saw blades on laminate, you need to be very careful not to hurt your hands. Sleeves outerwear working must be fastened, the disk is closed with a special casing.

The complexity of the whole cutting process is that saw blade on laminate is not designed for curved cutting. But this task can be easily handled by an electric jigsaw. Thanks to the use of this tool, you can make any curly cut.

When cutting laminate with a manual circular saw, it is important to know that the disk on it rotates from the bottom up, respectively, if it is not sharp enough, torn edges will remain on the material. To avoid this, when preparing the board for the cut, it must be laid face down.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a little about how professionals saw laminate. People who face such work every day most often use a special laminate cutting machine in their practice. It has a very sharp blade that makes a precise and even cut. With it, professionals cope with cutting large amounts of material very quickly.

This tool is almost indispensable for professional hairstylists. floor coverings. In order to make the whole process more visual, you can view photos and video materials on this topic.

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.

Laminate floors today are perhaps at the peak of popularity. Laying laminated material is available for do-it-yourself. For this you need: desire, accuracy and a little free time. To perform the installation, you need to purchase materials, a set of tools. Here the question arises: what tool is needed for laying and how to cut the laminate at home.

Sometimes it is difficult to choose one type of slats, so huge is the variety of colors, textures, decors with various patterns, reliable imitations: natural wood, natural stone, metal and even reptile skin. As practice shows, the variety of the external appearance of the lamellas is not a factor affecting the cutting of the material. Therefore, in most cases, an independent cut will not cause difficulties.

Everything can be produced installation work without purchasing a specialized tool, using the available stock of inventory in the home pantry. Today we will look at what tools are needed for cutting panels than cutting laminate when laying with our own hands.

Cut the laminated panel in such a way that there are no torn marks and damage at the cut point, so that the cutting line is even and straight. To accomplish the task, tools specially designed for this purpose are used, which we will consider, and also talk about how this is done.

A few tips to help you make a quality cut:

laminated boards are well cut even with the help of a well-known manual hacksaw, only it will take longer, and you should try to make the cut clear and without burrs;
so that the edge of the panel after cutting is free of terry, cracks and chips, you can use any saw, but it must be with fine teeth;
with a poor-quality cut - if there are cracks or chips at the end, such a lamella will need to be hidden by the bad side under the plinth so that the marriage is not noticeable;
you should not rush to trim, first you need to take accurate measurements, draw the direction of the cut on the board and check again that everything is done correctly;
to achieve a good cut on the front side of the panel, when cutting, place it horizontally on a support, with the front surface up;
do not apply too much force when cutting, so as not to break off the edge of the board.

The hacksaw is used for cutting laminated panels in the absence of more accurate electric tools with a small amount of work. Here you need to try to get an even and high-quality cut, without damaging the edge and without deviating from the intended course. What kind of saw can cut laminate? Sawing can be performed with any saw, only satisfying the quality of sharpening.

But this tool is not one of the best for cutting laminate with a large amount of work. Technically, a hacksaw will cope with a large number of panels, but it is not so easy to achieve normal cut quality during the whole work.

Let's just say that this is the most optimal and fast way trimming lamellas, after all manual way rather laborious and inaccurate. If you intend to continue to carry out any kind of repair work in the house, it is worth having an electric jigsaw in your arsenal.

With the help of this electrical appliance it is easy to make a cut along or across the lamellas, at any angle. There are devices that will allow you to make cuts located at the same distance from the edge of the board, even without marking.

Even with a single cut, such a tool shows an excellent result. The answer to the question, what is the best way to cut a laminate with a curly cut line, becomes clear: with an electric jigsaw. This tool helps to get the rounded cuts needed when meeting with heating pipes. To do this, you just need to choose the right file with fine teeth, which will increase the quality of the cut.

Of course, this tool also performs a straight cut with high quality. The advantage of an electric jigsaw is that even a novice builder can achieve excellent results with it.

The disadvantages of the device include

noise at work;
a lot of dust is generated.

Note that other power tools also have these shortcomings.
How to cut laminate with a jigsaw:

The tool is equipped with a file with a fine reverse tooth. If there is none included with the jigsaw, it must be purchased. This is the answer to the question of which jigsaw file to cut laminate.
Marking is applied to the panel that needs to be trimmed. The cutting line is drawn on the back of the panel.
The board is laid on a solid base with a decorative surface up, after which trimming begins along the intended line.

How to cut laminate flooring with a circular saw

Not everyone will acquire such a tool, but those who have it will enjoy working with it.

Device advantages:

high speed of work;
it is possible to work with several lamellas at once.

The power of the sawing device is much higher than that of other power tools. Therefore, if you are choosing the best way to saw a durable and hard commercial grade laminate, then you should stop at choosing a circular saw.

The sequence of actions when working with a circular saw for cutting laminated boards:

choose a disc for a circular device with fine teeth;
on the decorative surface boards to apply markings for trimming;
boards are placed on top decorative layer in turn, one by one, onto the machine, holding the panel by the edge, slowly guide it forward towards the rotating disk.

When working with a circular saw, extreme care must be taken, as it is possible to injure your hands.

Is it possible to saw a laminate with a grinder

Yes, you can, but you should not work with a grinder without experience. First, you still need to learn from unnecessary boards.

There are different disks for the device: for working with wood, for metal, etc. Experts advise cutting a laminate with a grinder using a metal disk that has small and thin teeth, this will help avoid cracking on the board.

There are discs specifically for working with laminate, you can buy them in construction stores. Its format is 160 mm, it has 48 teeth.
Before cutting, the lamella is placed on a solid base with a pattern up, fixed. The saw should be lowered smoothly and slowly - to avoid damage to the panel.

Guillotine for laminated boards

This is a new special small machine designed for mechanical action blades on the laminated material by pressing the handle of the device. The machine is easy to use, does not require huge efforts of the user.

If you are wondering how to cut a laminate at home, then you should consider this tool. Compared to a hacksaw, it works much faster and better, and when compared with an electric angle grinder and a circular saw, it is much cheaper and easier to maintain. The machine does not require a power source. The tool does not form dust, sawdust, does not allow chips on the panels and works without noise.

it best option for home master, who set himself the task of decorating all the floors in the apartment with laminated parquet.
This laminate cutting tool should be used as follows:

a lamella is located on the base of the cutting device - horizontally;
a marking line drawn on the board is drawn directly under the cutter;
the handle goes down to the laminated board, thus forming a neat and clear cut made by the cutter.

This machine is capable of cutting a large number panels pretty quickly and with high quality. practical and useful tool worth buying for professional styling laminated coating.

The better to cut vinyl laminate when laying

Vinyl or PVC laminate is gaining popularity due to its remarkable qualities: water resistance, wear resistance, ease of installation, variety of decor. This material easy to care for and not at all afraid of water. More often these are flexible panels similar to linoleum.

How can you cut vinyl laminate at home? There is no need to apply the tools listed earlier here. Vinyl tiles are easy to cut with a clerical knife, this is good decision for them.

How to choose the right tool

There are two factors to take into account here:

panel properties, scope of work;
tool specifications.

For example, how should you cut laminate at home? It makes no sense to purchase expensive powerful electrical equipment, such a quantity of laminated boards will perfectly help to cut a machine with the name: guillotine. When finishing a commercial laminate floor for a large area in an office, it makes sense to choose a circular saw.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to increase the technological gap at the wall, left insufficiently sized by mistake. How then to cut the laminate against the wall to increase the size of the gap? An example of using a jigsaw to solve this problem is shown in the video:

Whichever tool you choose, not everything depends on it. It is necessary to act carefully, slowly, carefully taking measurements and drawing marking lines for trimming. Do not apply too much force to the board during cutting, so as not to break off the edge.
We wish you good luck!

It is known that in production cutting of lamellas is carried out using special machines, which are equipped with two files:

The first is called trimming, it is small and rotates in the direction of movement of the part, while removing the bottom layer;
The second one makes the main cut of the board, rotating in the opposite direction.

Precise work is always characteristic of such a machine, as a result of which lamellas are obtained without chips with right angles. But what if you do not have such a tool when you lay a laminate flooring at home? How to cut laminate? Achievement maximum result perhaps even in everyday life if you use the "right" devices.

How to cut laminate at home?

You can choose one of the most popular and available options. Before you pay for the device, learn more about its capabilities and the nature of the work:

Hacksaw. Can't say it's modern version, but in some cases it turns out to be very useful. The hacksaw never fails. For the best work result, it is better to use a hacksaw for metal or wood with a fine tooth. Start cutting with reverse side panels to prevent possible chips on the surface of the board;
Bulgarian. This is an angle grinder with a disc for metal. How to cut laminate correctly? Fix the lamella and slowly lower the angle grinder so that it does not break out of your hands and does not stall. Get ready for what will appear during work bad smell due to heating of the disk;
cutter. Here is another popular device for cutting laminated material. It allows you to cut boards quickly and efficiently. The cutter effortlessly handles both thin and thick panels. Such an ideal result cannot be achieved either using a grinder or using a jigsaw. This device is with sharp blade, which is easily set in motion with a handle. Such a mechanism works very quietly, without noise and dust and does not need power supply;
a circular saw. What blade to cut laminate? This is an option for accurate cutting, equipped with a special disc. Lay the board face up on a hard, flat surface, fix it securely, and mark the cutting line. Then gently lower the disc of the grinder and gradually move it along the intended line without getting stuck in the board. It is this option that requires skills in working with a circular saw, as well as a lot of patience. But, the advantage is in high-quality and fast results. Are there any downsides? Yes, if the smell of burnt wood, which appears during sawing, can be considered a minus;
electric jigsaw. This is quite effective, but simple option. Make sure the jigsaw is equipped with a special wood attachment. Before starting work, you need to fix the lamella on the floor. Turn on the device and set it to high speed to protect the material from possible chips. Your movements should be smooth.

! A minimum of two people must work with the jigsaw.

Special attention I would like to pay attention to the files for the laminate, which are used in conjunction with a jigsaw:

The goal is a quick cut: if you need to cut many boards at once in a short period, then it is better to choose the option with a large tooth. The fact is that the larger the tooth, the faster the work will proceed. The only negative is that the cut will be less accurate, the cut is not smooth. For this purpose, as a rule, they buy a tool marked T101D, since it is suitable even for a thickness of 75 mm. For 100mm choose 244D, 200mm choose 344D;
the goal is a clean cut: here you need to use the T101B option. It is characterized by a smaller tooth, so the cut is smoother. There are no chips in this case. Of course, even 75 mm can be cut with such a file, but it will take several times more time.

The laminate file is equipped with a reverse tooth, which, compared to other options, is directed in the opposite direction. Why is this needed? This is done so that chips do not form on the front side of the lamella and do not deteriorate. appearance.

! Such boards can be easily sawn with a blade withsmall divorce and moderate tooth size. At the same time, the speed of the jigsaw should also be moderate. So the tool does not get stuck and does not tear the edges.

How to cut laminate correctly: straight and curly cuts

How to make straight cuts?

Method 1. You can use a hacksaw or a circular saw with as many teeth as possible to avoid chipping. First, make a markup and mark the part of the board that you are going to cut. You can do this with both chalk and pencil. It is very easy to erase the chalk afterwards. Well, after that, just cut the lamella along the marked line.

Method 2. You can also use an electric jigsaw. This option is several times simpler than the previous one. Fix the guide on the device, and then lead it over the edge of the workpiece. In this case, the movement of the file will be even relative to the edge.

! Are you working with a thin lamella? Be prepared for the appearance of chips on its front. The matter is that in the first variant the tool will move up. To prevent such an outcome, you can place the workpiece face down. Another way is to use anti-slip pads.

How to make curly cuts?

How to cut a laminate in a curve? For such work will do only a jigsaw with a special blade with very fine teeth for laminate flooring or even with a standard blade. Special variant better, as it helps to cut the pattern up and without chipping.

First, prepare the desired template from paper or cardboard. It is needed in order to calculate the cut and maintain the integrity of the board;
attach a template and circle the desired pattern;
cut out the drawing and attach the template again to make sure it is accurate;
now just trace the sample along the contour on the surface of the lamella;
make a cut. If you are using a standard canvas, lay the board pattern side down and attach the template upside down. Hold the jigsaw vertically only. If you need to cut with the right side, stick a strip of masking tape on the cut line so that you do not have chips when cutting. Then measure over the adhesive tape the lines along which you are going to cut the lamella. For this, a special canvas is used, intended for such flooring.

! Sometimes the template needs to be applied several times in order to get a sample of the desired shape. In this case, it is important not to rush: take the time to make the template, and then you will spend less time and effort on cutting the boards. 2

laminated board- This is the most popular flooring today, obtained by pressing wood-fiber board (MDF). How the surface of such a trim part will look depends on the special decorative layer.

More often it repeats the pattern of wood, but sometimes it has a more complex ornament. Internal structure board includes 4 layers that are "laminated" on the outside protective film, which gave the name to the material itself.

Useful information ! Thanks to a carefully thought-out design, the material is extremely easy to use, which makes it accessible to artists of all levels, from those with years of experience to beginners.

The peculiarity of working with laminate is, among other things, that it is sawn directly on site before laying. The question becomes quite reasonable: How to get an even cut and not spoil the part?

A little about the device laminate

The experience of thousands of repairs shows that laying out the floor in the room with solid parts of the laminate is not possible. Sooner or later there comes a time when it becomes necessary to adjust their size.

Instead of sending a couple to the landfill by trial and error square meters rather expensive material, it is advisable to immediately decide on the choice of devices to obtain a neat cut.

The presentation of the internal structure of a laminated board will only help to competently approach such a crucial moment.

A layer of moisture-resistant paper is located on the bottom surface of the product and its purpose is clear from the name. Some varieties of laminate are additionally equipped with a substrate insulating against cold and noise, which significantly affects the price.
The main layer in terms of volume consists of compacted fiberboard. The value of this density determines the quality of connection between the panels.
The next is a layer of paper with a printed image that repeats either patterns natural materials, or geometric fantasies of the designer.
Due to the absence of color in the top layer, which consists of acrylic resin, the characteristic pattern is fully visible. But only the thickness of this invisible layer depends on the level of stability of the laminate and the duration of its service life.
According to the level of security, the laminate is divided into two areas. The household level is characterized by moderate cost and average wear protection. Commercial models are more expensive, but can withstand much longer and more intense loads.

Sawing accessories

Almost every material corresponds well certain group processing tools. It is hard to imagine the result from the idea of cutting ceramic floor tiles with an electric jigsaw, and metal tiles with a clerical knife. The most expensive diamond glass cutter will be useless when cutting a regular sheet of paper.

Anyone who has encountered a similar problem understands that to cut a laminate board, you need to use a special tool that saves internal organization material.

These tools include:

Electric jigsaw;
Circular Saw;
Hand saw;
Laminate cutter.

Electric jigsaw

What tool to choose for sawing laminate? One of the most best results gives the use of an electric jigsaw. The file for this device when cutting a laminate is selected special for working with wood.

Note to the master! In order to perform a high-quality and even cut on front surface boards, you need to mark the cut line with a pencil, and then cut the top layer with a clerical knife.

The part prepared for cutting is laid on a flat, stable base with the substrate up and fixed.

Movements during cutting must be smooth and uniform, otherwise, chips may form and the structure of the workpiece may be disturbed. A high-quality cut is obtained regardless of the direction of movement of the tool.

Saw

To obtain a clear cut of a laminate board, it is possible to use a hand-held electric saw with a disc for metal, more simply, a grinder. Similarly, the workpiece is placed on a flat base and secured. The saw blade is carefully drawn along a pre-drawn line.

In the case when it is not possible to use the two previous tools, a replacement can be hand saw or a hacksaw for metal. When working with such a device, maximum care should be taken.

Important! Despite the length and difficulty of this method, it is not always possible to achieve good quality cut. It is advisable to use this method only in isolated cases.

Cutter

When a large amount of laminate is at work, a specialized cutter made in the form of a sharpened blade can be used. Through the handle, the force from the hand is transmitted to the cutting edge.

The cutter is only capable of making transverse cuts, but in return we get exceptional accuracy. Looking at the cost of this tool, we conclude that it is used only experienced craftsmen having a lot of orders.

What file to use for cutting laminate?

After choosing a tool, you need to correctly select accessories for it. There are many varieties of files for an electric jigsaw only for laminate.

The appearance of the finished coating depends on how clean the cuts are made. Attempts to cut the laminate with the first file that comes to hand can end in a very unseemly result.

If it is problematic to find a special file for an electric jigsaw on a laminate, you can use another file that has a minimum blade width and fine teeth. A narrow blade will help make the curved cut clean and precise.

For a greater likelihood of obtaining a high-quality cut, you should choose a wood file that has the opposite direction of the tops of the teeth. Not the last role in the quality of cutting is played by the correctly chosen speed of the blade and the quality of the metal.

Owners circular machine will also be able to use their machine for cutting laminate.

The main features of the use of a circular saw for processing laminate are as follows:

The decisive parameter is the size of the teeth on the discs. The smaller they are, the cleaner the cut will turn out;
It is better to mark the cut line on the front side of the board;
The fastening of the part on the machine is done with a pattern down;
The workpiece moves towards the disk, and it must be held securely;
Special attention security measures should be taken. When working at the machine, clothes and long hair must be carefully tucked in, the disc is equipped with a protective cover.
One of the disadvantages of cutting a laminated board on a machine is the inability to perform curvilinear operations. With such details, a jigsaw does a better job.
Placing the workpiece face down on the machine is because rotating the disc from bottom to top can cause torn edges to form on the surface.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let us briefly dwell on professional tool. A specialized machine for working with laminate allows you to a short time cut a large amount of material.

For those who install flooring professionally and permanently, it is difficult to find more essential tool. For greater clarity of the considered processes, a photo report and a video clip illustrating this topic are offered.