Cutting
This category currently consists of topics posted to the old 32mm site. They were all written quite a few years ago.
Square Cutting Panels
Melamine
Methods
Square Cutting Panels
This is a very accurate method for checking a sliding table (or sleds, miter fences, etc.) fence for squareness to the sawblade. I ran across this while watching a Laguna Tools video. Hopefully the drawing is self descriptive. Different setups will call for either a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. The bigger the piece of material you use, the more accurate you can be.
I made the image at right with Drafix CAD. I figure that a 32nd of an inch is as accurate as you can get with a tape measure. As you can see a 1/32" difference with the five cut method equals a mere .001" difference on the diagonal. Diagonal measuring doesn't work if you really want to be square. If you *really* want to get precise you can use a caliper with this method. You do need to consider the limits of your tooling, how much slop is in the runners or bearings etc., before trying to get within .001 (probably totally unrealistic) with this method.
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Melamine
To get a good cut on both sides is dependent on your material and blade. I make a living doing this so I want to make my cuts once. There are other methods you can try that require 2 passes or pre scoring. Notes: There are other similar materials to melamine that I have no experience with. When buying melamine make sure you are getting a pine core as it is a lot more forgiving than a fir core... more
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Methods
There are a number of things you can try for cutting melamine and/or veneer. I have not used any extensively preferring a good blade and a single pass on the saw. These methods are worth trying if you do not have a high quality 80 tooth carbide blade or if you do and it is dull or otherwise not giving you the results you want... more
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