How do you use a router to cut a matched seam in plastic laminate?
I have usually been able to order big enough sheets to avoid any seams, or at least put the joint at the sink.
This job calls for a field seam, I would rather avoid it, but cannot.
Thanks in advance
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Replies
with the lamanite rough cut,i overlap the 2 pcs and clamp a straight edge on underneath ,i run a pc of tape across the where the cut is about 4 places.and use my router to cut them together. then line up the tape on both pcs,usally fitswell but some times have to touch up with a file.
saw a guy use dabs of hot glue to hold the 2 pcs together before the cut one time,i think i'll try that next time.
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Do you clamp the straightedge on underneath or on top to guide the router?
Do you "shim" up the laminate or use some kind of sacrificial substrate?
Thanks for the reply
i clamp the straightedge underneath and use a bearing guided bit like you will use to trim the lamanite when you finish it. it does need to be up high enought to be able to run the bit,but i usally use a pc of 3/4 board laying around to do that.if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Thanks-looks like I'm set to go
What type of laminate trimmer do you have?
I have a Bosch and it has an under srcibe attachment that works well. With it you glue you first side down, being sure not to run the glue past the end of the sheet, and then lay your joint sheet about 1/4" over the first piece. The underscribe attachment follows the lower edge and cuts the upper edge to match it exactly.
Larry's method works well, but requires planning for a little more waste. With either method it is important touch up the edges with a file if are the least bit wavey or the cut is not perfectly plumb. Most routers and bits have enough wobble in them a very , very small bit of waveyness can be seen in the trimmed edge. straighten that out and you are good to go.
I dont have that attachment, I'm still using a cheap $10 trim router from a Homier tool sale. I bought a porter cable on sale but was waiting for the cheapy to die, but it just wont quit.
Just reread your post, does the straightedge go underneath so you can use a bearing guided bit? If so, I think I understand now. Thanks
You could always use this job as an excuse to buy a seaming router.
http://www.betterleytools.com/
Wow,looks nice but pricey, considering I probably would have to work all day to pay for it, I will probably use my laminate trimmer
Thin scrap wood under the joint.Clamp straight edge, install 9° dovetail cutter in router and rout one edge.Repeat with the other, you could do both at the same time.Though if you are pushing the router the piece on the right side is a climb cut and tends to move the router.Keep the router snugly against the left cut will take care of this problem.
The dovetail cutter undercuts the laminate slightly for an excellent fit.Pull joint tight with clear packing tape before adhering to the substrate.
mike
I have a Bosch laminate router kit and I have always used a seamer attachment. If you are going to do laminate work I would invest in one. Either a Bosch or a PC.
Clamp a straightedge to each piece to be seamed and rout a perfect edge.
Stick one side. Lay a 1/4" dowel rod about a foot from the seam, butt the piece and stick the laminate on each side of the seam. Pull the dowel and push the pucker out toward the seam. It will be very tight.
Kowboy
In most cases I use a jointer. If not then I use a router and straight edge.
I'm past the age when I could frame, roof, or most of the other 'physical' parts of homebuilding, so now I work in a nice heated custom millwork shop building the fancy "boxes' that go into furnishing some of those nice houses you guys build.
Seaming laminates is one of thosethings I do a lot of, so, forgive the brag, I do a pretty good job of it. A lot of good information has been given that I would comment on & then make a couple suggestions of my own.
Using one sheet to cover a surface can work well & you can get sheets up to 5'x12' so that would cover a lot of area. However, if you do an L shaped surface, do not file the inside corner nice & square unless you want to do a call-back when it cracks. Leave a small smooth radius.
Also, one sheet on an L works only on what I call a homogenous colour. Something like a woodgrain pattern needs to be mitered in corners. Wastes a lot of material, but looks so much nicer.
Unless you are doing a lot of seaming,and even if you are, one of the recommended ways to match edges is to clamp a straight edge in the appropriate spot on the bottom of the sheet, extending past both edges, & run a bearing guided trimmer bit against the straight edge. It should go without saying; if the bit isn't sharp, if the bearing isn't kept snugly against the straightedge, & if the router base isn't kept flat, your joint will not be good. And of course, your jointed edge is only as good as your straightedge. This is why some say it's best to clamp & route both edges at once, the theory being that if the straight edge isn't quite straight, the irregularities will be mirrored and the edges will match. I've never been satisfied with that method.
My favorite straight edge is a 6-8' wide strip of 3/4' melamine board cut in a cabinet shop on one of those really nice expensive saws that cuts perfectly straight & then edged with laminate on one of those big industrial edgebanders. I realize this kind of straightedge is out of reach for most of you, but if you can saw or joint a really good edge on a strip of MDF and then contact cement a wear strip of laminate on the edge, you'll probably have a pretty good one. Try it out on a couple pieces of laminate scrap & if it gives you good joints, take care of it. Don't let it bounce around in the back of your truck.
I could go on & on, but just a few more points & if any one has questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.
Buy a new file for every job! Or, at least keep it in it's plastic sleeve if it came with one or protect it from contact with all other tools. If you use it to file anything but laminate, buy a new one for the next laminate job. When it gets too dull for laminate, it's still good for any other filing job, but keep your laminate files special.
I cut all my joints square. But then I back-bevel all jointed edges with a file at about 45 degrees to about half the thickness of the laminate. It helps make tighter joints. As a final touch, I use a sanding block with 400 grit paper to ever so slightly break the arris (top corner of the edge) so if the two edges don't lie perfectly flat with each other, it isn't so noticable to touch.
Laminate can be trimed with a very sharp,finely set block plane. Takes patience & practice
The method described by a previous poster, of making joints tight when laying laminate by using a dowel to create a bubble under the second sheet a couple inches from the joint works great, but don't overdo it, it's terribly frustrating when you can't get the damn bubble pressed down. Also, be sure to rub any dried contact cement off the joint edges before you place the sheets. If you don't, it'll be enough to hold the joint open just enough to spoil the looks of an otherwise perfect joint.
Enough for tonight. If I've raised any questions or made anything unclear, give me a reply & I'll see what I can do.
Paul