Replies

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Jul 12, 2002 10:21pm | #1

   Lay a piece of paper on the substrate -- rosin paper, taped-together newspapars, whatever.  The paper should be somewhat smaller than the substrate, so it lies flat.  Cut a couple windows through the paper so you can see the substrate.  Put tape across the windows, so it tacks to both the substrate and the paper; this stops the paper from moving when you don't want it to.  Use a spacer or a compass or something similar to draw lines on the paper which are some specific distance from the walls.   Move the paper to the formica.   With the same spacer, draw lines on the formica.  They're now the exact shape of the walls.  With this technique, you can scribe to walls that aren't straight, parallel, or at right angles --- which includes most of them!

1. 
   mkellom | Jul 12, 2002 11:34pm | #2

   Jamie

   Thanks this will help alot. Any idea what I should use to trim the laminate to shape? I'm assuming I will be trimming this before gluing to MDF.

   Thanks

2. 
   DaveRicheson | Jul 13, 2002 12:35am | #3

   Cut the MDF to the template size and then apply the laminate per normal counter top construction methods. Trim the laminate with a router.

3. 
   geob21 | Jul 13, 2002 01:16am | #4

   Template 101 if you can't figure this out maybe you should hire a pro.

4. 
   HeavyDuty | Jul 13, 2002 03:54am | #5

   Use something stiffer than paper, cardboard is better. First trim a piece of cardboard a little small than the area, just rough will do. Then cut three strips of cardboard to the lengths of the sides. Push the strips against the sides and scribe and trim to fit if necessary and fix them to the base piece with tape or hot glue or whatever. Now you duplicate that on your substrate. Do a trial fit. Laminate as usual and you are guarantied an excellent fit if you do the above steps right. You may want to edge the front before you put the top laminate on.

   Tom