laminate floor

[Fred Odette]

Just a question , I've got a lot of laminate flooring to install shortly , would it be wise to purchase a laminate floor saw or just use my mitre saw and table saw , I can buy one for $144.00

I've found after installing laminate flooring before , I was pretty well worn out by the end of the day with running back and forth to the saws , up and down etc.

I see on youtube and other sites that I could bring the laminate floor saw right into the room I'm working in and place it on the floor beside were I'm working.

Anyone got any experience with these saws?

[Ken Darga]

A saw, designed for cutting ''laminate flooring'', is a very handy tool.

Lightweight design for easy carrying.

 

I'd suggest investing in one, if doing lots of cutting.

 

Get one with a dust collection system, however, it won't collect all the fine dust it creates.

I'd connect a shop vac hose to the outlet.

Turn on the vac before starting up the saw and shut it off, after shutting off the saw---this will collect almost all the dust.

 

I'd install an electrical control box, with the tools both plugged in a duplex outlet, that can be turned on and off via a single switch---very handy tool.

 

A miter slide saw will do fine, if you have one.

Place this type saw on the floor, vs elevated---you'll have to bend over and kneel down (wear padded knee pads).

With this type saw, I'd recommend investing in an ultra-fine ''carbide'' saw blade---60-80 tooth, to obtain ''smooth'' cuts.

 (I've used mine with a 10" 80-tooth carbide blade, that produces ultra-smooth cuts.

A 7-1/4" blade only has 60 teeth).

The ultra-thin blades, such as by Freud or Diablo , produce a very thin cut of 1/16".

Don't buy a cheap blade, it'll wear-out very quickly.

 

Sharp blades cut faster and are safer to use.

The blade should pass through the top wear layer and into the core, so blade rotation and plank orientation ae important.

Check your blades teeth often.  They wear-out faster, cutting thru those engineered materials.

The blade should last you thru a complete flooring job.

After your done, check the teeth---they can be touched-up/resharpened, using a diamond steel.

I use the E-Z Lap brand, 600grit diamond steel---works great.

 

NOTE: Running in-and-out, or up-and-down stairs to my table saw, would wear me out, pdq.

 

PS---bond some sandpaper, or equivalent anti-slip material, to the metal surfaces on your saw table guides, to reduce slippage of the boards during cutting.

Also, use clamps to secure the boards into place, during cutting.  They'll slip so very little you won't notice it during the cutting operation, but it will be noticeable when you butt the ends together.  A hair-line crack will be visible---you want closed butted joints, for optimum performance.

 

Skil offers a very nice flooring saw---Model 3600-02 120v.

 

Obtain a tapping block, pull bar and wedge spacers, with your laminate flooring---

very handy tools.

 

A variable speed scroll jig saw, is very handy, for cutting around objects, and

use laminate flooring jig saw blades.

[John Schaben]

Hi Fred, I'm with Ken on this one. If you do a lot of it a purpose built tool almost always makes things go faster and smoother. You can get the Skil off the reconditioned market for $110 so you should be able to get half your money back if you don't plan to keep doing flooring. I can appreciate lugging my carcass up and down the stairs. My shop is in a basement and I'm up and down a dozen times before I barely get started.

Here's a link to a recon Skil. I've bought a dozen or so tools from these guys and never had a issue that wasn't handled quickly, professionally and satisfactorily.

http://www.skilshop.com/factory-reconditioned-skil-3600-01-rt-120v-...=

[Ken Darga]

Check out amazon.com and the reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/Skil-3600-02-120-Volt-Flooring-Saw/dp/B0037KM...