How to cut tabletop for custom size desk?

[sper]

Hi Community,

I want to build a custom size office desk and I think Bunnings cut shop does not cut the laminated table tops.

what do I need for the cut? And how will I get the finish closed to the off the shelve table top?

What are my options for a table top of size 1700x720mm. Thanks 

[Brad · Accepted solution]

You can get cut to size benchtops from special orders in the Think Timber brand.

Think Timber 

To cut down pannels from stock sizes to get the width you want there is a couple of options that show in my location.

Teak 

Ash 

I have left out pine as it is not the best benchtop material.

Cut to size with a circular saw up against a straight edge using a fine tooth blade. I use Bosch others will recomend other brands.

You may want to round over or champher the edges and that is best done with a router with a bearing guided bit.

Sanding can be done by hand with a sanding block or a power sander. Work through the grits, the higher the number the finer the finish you will get.

My choice for hand sanding 

For me though I would pick my own timber that gives me closer to the finished size so I would only have to trim the ends and glue it up myself. Having a drum sander with 400mm working area lets me do up to 800mm wide projects. Not realy a DIY tool though.

[TedBear]

Hi @sper , just a small addition to Brad's good advice...  I find that to keep the edge from risk of shattering, I use a straight edge and sharp knife to carefully cut along the line in the laminate before using a power saw. That way the edge is already cut clean before any saw blade teeth get near to it.

(I do that with any cut where I want a clean edge.)

[MitchellMc]

It's fantastic to see you've already received some great advice from our helpful members @sper. 

The best tips I can offer you are to cover the area you are cutting through with tape on the top and bottom of the timber. This helps prevent the timber fibres from blowing out. Also, you need to set your saw blade depth to only fractionally deeper than the thickness of the timber. This ensures that more than a couple of teeth are cutting the timber at any one time. If the blade is set too deep, fibres are splintered and pushed out the face of the board. I've created a rendering below for you to illustrate it better.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[sper]

Thank you guys, loving all the suggestions from @Brad @TedBear @MitchellMc . I really appreciate your input and has always been helpful in completing my small projects successfully. You guys rock and the community is awesome.

[Noyade]

As above.

Plus - for cuts like this - I stole an idea from a woman on YouTube.

Building a rail adjacent to a work bench facilitates really good clamping ability incorporating the guide...