How to make miter cuts along edges and Formica a Laminate alternative?

[Negativecreep0]

Hey guys so What is the best way to go about making the miter cuts along a 1 foot by 2 foot  piece of wood, along its edges? A cheap solution that is accurate please, I dont wanna buy a miter saw would be a waste. Also is formica a good alternative to laminate? I would be covering the sides of my cabinet with it? Thanks

[Cisco Kid]

circular saw set with a protractor (make a few test cuts on some scrap to check the angle before cutting the cabinet piece)

Formica is laminate   (its a brand ... like WilsonArt   .... btw if you make one mistake once the laminate is rolled on ... you get to start all over again ... and if your far enough along (beyond the point of no return) ... you get to scrap your whole cabinet and watch it go up in flames ... lol ... the contact cement really accelerates the fire nicely ... hehe)

prepare to fork out $200 - $350 for 4 sheets of 4'x8' Formica  

[Jakobud]

A miter saw won't help you with a piece that big.  Miter saws are for 2x4's and the such.  They are chop saws where the blade drops down onto the wood and chops it.... not something that you could 'run' a 1 foot long piece of wood through.

[Inaba]

Most circular saws have a miter guide.

If you look closely at your circular saw, it should have a wing-nut that allows you to move the guide tray upto a 45 degree angle.  Set it at the mitre angle you want and go to town.

It works really well if you are careful.  If what I said isn't clear, I'll try to explain better.  It's possible your circular saw doesn't have the ability to miter it's cuts, but I'd say most circular saws have that feature.

[Tailgunner]

Formica is laminate   (its a brand ... like WilsonArt   .... btw if you make one mistake once the laminate is rolled on ... you get to start all over again ... and if your far enough along (beyond the point of no return) ... you get to scrap your whole cabinet and watch it go up in flames ... lol ... the contact cement really accelerates the fire nicely ... hehe)

prepare to fork out $200 - $350 for 4 sheets of 4'x8' Formica  

Laminate is removable, though you'll likely destroy the laminate in the process. All you need is to get it hot, which loosens the glue and you can peel it back off. Either a heatgun or plumber's torch will do for a heat source.

Measure your cab before ordering the laminate, it's available in sizes other than 4' by 8'. My last cab took a 3' by 8' sheet and a 3' by 10' sheet to cover both sides and the coin door panel. Had I ordered three 4' by 8' sheets, I'd have two 16" by 8' strips and a 4' by 4' piece left over. That's fine if you need them for other things, but there's no need to pay for the extra material if you don't need it for the cab.

Lastly, shop around for the laminate. I payed 90 cents a square foot at Lowes, I've since found it for less than a third of that.

[Wade]

I'm a big fan of laminate (and formica brand) and I agree with Tailgunner.

I'll also add that accidentally sticking it on wrong won't happen if you know the basics of applying laminate.  Specifically, you want to put several dowels or long strips of some sort under the laminate to allow good positioning, then you slide the dowels out.  It virtually elminates alignment errors.  On some projects of mine I had to cut the laminate exactly to size FIRST and then position it just right, and the above method worked perfectly.

Wade

[Negativecreep0]

Where is the cheapest places you found laminate? I'm having trboule finding it in my area? Lowes only has crappy wood flooring

[rdagger]

What is the best way to go about making the miter cuts along a 1 foot by 2 foot  piece of wood, along its edges?

You can use a router with a chamfer bit.  I've seen angles like 11.25, 15, 22.5, 30 & 45.  Run the router along the piece and you get a perfect 45 degree edge.  Just make sure when you buy the bit that the cutting edge will cover the thickness of your wood.

[Tailgunner]

Where is the cheapest places you found laminate? I'm having trboule finding it in my area? Lowes only has crappy wood flooring

Lowe's, Home Depot, or the other DIY building supply places will carry some, but for the most part they'll have to special order it for you. Check in the kitchen cabinet design area, they'll have both a Wilsonart and/or Formica display with samples of the various types available.

Other places you'll find it will be either cabinet shops or ideally a distributor if you live in a large enough town. The farther you go up the food chain, the cheaper the stuff gets.

[hyiu]

Laminate is removable, though you'll likely destroy the laminate in the process. All you need is to get it hot, which loosens the glue and you can peel it back off. Either a heatgun or plumber's torch will do for a heat source.

Measure your cab before ordering the laminate, it's available in sizes other than 4' by 8'. My last cab took a 3' by 8' sheet and a 3' by 10' sheet to cover both sides and the coin door panel. Had I ordered three 4' by 8' sheets, I'd have two 16" by 8' strips and a 4' by 4' piece left over. That's fine if you need them for other things, but there's no need to pay for the extra material if you don't need it for the cab.

Lastly, shop around for the laminate. I payed 90 cents a square foot at Lowes, I've since found it for less than a third of that.

Would you mind telling us exactly where you located the place for 1/3 of the price for laminate ??....  I'll be interested (unless its local to you...)  thx...

[Negativecreep0]

anyone know how much the wilsons laminate at home depot is for like 4 x 8 foot

[Tailgunner]

Would you mind telling us exactly where you located the place for 1/3 of the price for laminate ??....  I'll be interested (unless its local to you...)  thx...

They're a local wholesale distributor my bro in law regularly deals with.