Is it possible to cut a kitchen worktop in situ without chip

[old wrinkly]

My wife wants to change our existing cooker which is a separate hob and oven to a free standing cooker.

At the moment the hob is cut into the worktop and the oven is in a separate carcass.

This means having to cut the necessary gap in the worktop so that the oven will slide in.

I can't remove the worktop to cut from underneath without doing extensive dmage to the tiles etc.

Is there a way to cut the worktop in situ without lifting/cracking the laminate?


The only way I've been able to think of is to use the existing hob as a templete, mark lines either side to give the required 600mm gap, drill a series of small holes then use a jigsaw to cut through the holes and break the top out.

This would mean having to do some tidying up afterwards to make a neat edge and I'm not sure how I would work around the bullnose.

On a scale of 1 to 10 my carpentry skills are about 1 but this won't deter the lady of the house insisting "it can be done".

Would appreciate any advice on the best way to proceed.

Thanks

 

[petewood]

What I would do would be to mark your lines, cut all the way down them as far as you can with a jigsaw with a worktop blade (downward cutting to avoid chipping) and finish of what you can't get with the jigsaw with a handsaw. Then use an electric sander which can make a good job of straightening and smoothing the edges. Make sure you seal the edges, either by glueing on laminate edging or by brushing with a few coats of diluted pva adhesive or polyurethane varnish.

If you are cutting out a large single piece of worktop make sure you support it underneath so that it doesn't suddenly break off before you get to the end of the cut.

 

[old wrinkly]

What I would do would be to mark your lines, cut all the way down them as far as you can with a jigsaw with a worktop blade (downward cutting to avoid chipping) and finish of what you can't get with the jigsaw with a handsaw. Then use an electric sander which can make a good job of straightening and smoothing the edges. Make sure you seal the edges, either by glueing on laminate edging or by brushing with a few coats of diluted pva adhesive or polyurethane varnish.

If you are cutting out a large single piece of worktop make sure you support it underneath so that it doesn't suddenly break off before you get to the end of the cut.

Thanks for the info.

A friend has a Black & Decker multi purpose electric saw (don't know the actual model) and I was thinking of using that as it gives a better cut than my old jigsaw and is easier to work with.

Would I be able to get a worktop blade for that and if so where is the best place to look?

The cooker is the standard 600mm wide, what should I allow to make a snug but not too tight fit?

I have some edging left so was going to laminate the edges but thanks anyway for the tip.

 

[Cookiez]

Hi there.

I have done the same as your asking.
I used a jigsaw with a worktop blade.
You can get to most of the worktop, you will not be able to go right to the back.
I used a sharp chisel and gently removed any excess worktop.

Go steady with the jigsaw, don't push to hard, let it do the work.
Then sand down any uneven bumps.

I would go 2-3 mm larger than the size of your cooker to allow for gluing the laminate edges on.


Hope this helps


Cookiez

 

[old wrinkly]

Cookiez

Thanks.

Where did you get your worktop blade from?

 

[big-all]

they are called laminate or downcut blades
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/sea...8&q=&n=24387&pn=1&pd=1&pi=1&cn=1&cd=1&x=0&y=0

dont forget you can resort to aluminium strips if you get it a bit wrong
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/sea...q=&n=14550&pn=1&pd=1&pi=1&cn=1&cd=1&x=10&y=10