Making extra shelves for Kaboodle cabinetry

[uses]

Hi 😊 just wondering how people source replacement or extra shelves for kaboodle cabinetry. I wrongly assumed that being a flexible modular system you could just purchase them but email to kaboodle said no and suggested I grab a piece of melamine from Bunnings and cut to size. The widths sold at Bunnings do not match cabinet sizes so would need be to cut on 3 sides and the finish world be pretty awful. 

Any suggestions?

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @uses. Many thanks for your question, I'd be happy to start the conversation.

Our CustomPine panels are regularly cut down to size for use is creating extra shelves in cupboards and shelving units. The cuts performed instore, to achieve the required size, should have a minimal amount of chipping to the edges. You'll most likely find the chipping is isolated to only one side of the board and the better face can be shown in your cupboard. I would also advise visiting a store during a quieter period and not on the weekend. One of the main causes of excessive tear-out is cutting the panel quickly and if you visit when there aren't lines of customers waiting then this is less likely to happen.

An alternative to our instore cut to size service would be to cut the panels down yourself. This would allow you to use a fine-tooth blade which is not suited to our cut shop saws. If you were to use a circular saw then you could fit it with an Irwin 184mm 64t Marathon Pro Performance Multi Material Circular Saw Blade which will give you a significantly cleaner cut than our cutting service. Here's a helpful step-by-step D.I.Y guide on How to cut a laminate benchtop, the same principals will apply with the CustomPine panels.

With either our instore service or by cutting the panel yourself, if you find there is more chipping to the edge than you would like, CustomPine 12.5ml White Melamine Mend Paint can be applied to disguise it.

Let me mention some knowledgable members @redracer01, @Brad, @Stuardo, @Bundaboy and @Poppop to see if they can add to the discussion.

Mitchell

[Brad]

Defiantly a fine tooth blade gives a better result.

Always cut from the same face of the board so any chips can be put to the underside.

Scoring cuts can help eliminate chip out but you need to be super accurate to get the cuts to be lined up cleanly.

Timely reminder I need a fine blade for the table saw the stock one is not so good for finishing cuts.

[Poppop]

If you use a circular saw, set up a "fence" as shown in the photo I've attached. This will allow you to run the edge of the saw along

 

the fence to help you get a straight cut. This will also allow you to do a shallow first cut and then a 2nd cut at full depth along the same line. The shallow cut should reduce the chance of busting out the edges. There are videos on YouTube about setting up a fence and also how to cut melamine.