How to Cut Mitre in Laminate Countertops

Laminate countertops are a thin plastic sheet that's glued over a particle board base. The problem with cutting laminate countertops is twofold: The plastic is brittle, and tends to split and chip while you're running a circular saw through it; and it is difficult to get a perfectly straight cut with a circular saw because the countertop is usually too big to run through a table saw. Creating a jig, which is a

homemade saw guide, will help straighten the line, and masking tape

will prevent chipping.

Pencil
Level
Square
Thick masking tape
Tape measure
1-inch by 3-inch board, 3 feet long
Circular saw
Two wood clamps

Instructions

- 1
  Mark out where you want the cut on the countertop, using your pencil, level and square to put a 45-degree line on the surface.
- 2
  Press masking tape on top of the line. Redraw the line, with the pencil and level, on top of the tape.
- 3
  Set your circular saw on the edge of the counter, with the blade lined up with the end of the marked line. Put a mark on the counter where the edge of the blade plate sits on the counter. Mark that line from front to back, so it's parallel with the first line.
- 4
  Set your 1-inch by 3-inch board on the outside of the second line (so there's nothing between the two lines). Secure the board with clamps on both ends. Set your saw back on the counter, with the blade aligned with the line. The clamped board should be pressed to the outer edge of the saw's blade plate.
- 5
  Start the saw and get it up to full speed. Cut along the tape-covered line, running the saw so the blade plate is gliding against the clamped board, keeping it straight. Cut slowly, in one smooth motion, to the end of the line.

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