What jigsaw blade for particle board?

[SteveC]

Hi,

What specific blade would I use for cutting particle board laminated with Melamine? Blades come in sets, which blade in the set do I use?

Regards,

Steve

[MitchellMc]

Hi @SteveC,

If you purchase a set such as the Ryobi 10-Piece Wood Jigsaw Blade Set, I recommend you use the medium teeth, which are around 10TPI (ten teeth per inch). You don't want to use the coarse teeth as they'll chip the laminate coating, and the fine will cause the cut to take too long.

As a side tip, I'd recommend adding painter's tape to the front and back sides and then cutting through it. That will prevent excessive chipping of the surface.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

 

[SteveC]

Thanks

[Nailbag]

Hi @SteveC all blades cut from the underside up, which means the cleanest cut will be at the bottom and the roughest at the top. 

So, when cutting your melamine flip the board over and mark and make your cuts. As @MitchellMc suggested run blue painters tape along the cutting line which will further reduce splintering. 

Lastly adjust the height of your circular saw so that the blade is only about 10mm deeper than the board. This with a 40T blade will ensure an even cleaner cut. 

regards Nailbag.