# How to cut a cutting board without it melting/breaking



## tbonez3858 (Jun 17, 2008)

I have destroyed three cutting boards trying to make speaker rings. I have my jigsaw set to the slowest speed with the finest blade I can find. The cutting board melts right behind my cut. I have done everything I can to break the cut loose and the board just cracks each time...I have already blown 20 or 30 bucks on cutting boards so this path isnt going to last much longer...I dont want to go MDF again but thats what it is looking like.. Any ideas on how to cut the board without melting/breaking it?


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## chad (Jun 30, 2005)

In for the information also


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## MaXaZoR (Apr 1, 2007)

Maybe you want to use a higher speed. Why didn't you, after ruining one board, just pratice on that to ensure you didn't mess up again?


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## MaXaZoR (Apr 1, 2007)

Also check out this thread for how another guy did it
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...dodge-durango-simple-system-6.html#post538901


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## bass_lover1 (Dec 10, 2005)

At work, I've had to trim up our cutting boards a few times using the band saw. I've never had the board melt on me, granted I'm not making crazy intricate cuts, but it holds up. Also, it probably helps that the saw is in a 50 degree environment all the time so the blade is pretty damn cold and doesn't have enough time to heat up.


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

What sort of jigsaw are you using? Some of the better ones have "feeds" that move the blade forward/backward as it's also moving up and down... 



> Maybe you want to use a higher speed. Why didn't you, after ruining one board, just pratice on that to ensure you didn't mess up again?


I may have to agree here to, moving quicker with the saw should cut down on the heat in one area, BUT, I also understand how difficult it can be to stay on track, trying to move fast and cutting out a circle..


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## tbonez3858 (Jun 17, 2008)

MaXaZoR said:


> Maybe you want to use a higher speed. Why didn't you, after ruining one board, just pratice on that to ensure you didn't mess up again?


Good question..several reasons. I thought the first board was a fluke so I tried it again (stupid me). The third board I used a different method. I went around the circle two times instead of one. I thought this second go around would have less general resistance so the cut may not get as hot and not melt. This appeared to work until I had to tap the cut out circle to get it loose. The second I tried to loosen the center the board split...In the end the honest answer to your question is stupidity...Regretfully learning from your mistakes is part of the DIY path...


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

what type of blade do you have on the jigsaw? i would bet the wrong type for the application


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## tbonez3858 (Jun 17, 2008)

BeatsDownLow said:


> what type of blade do you have on the jigsaw? i would bet the wrong type for the application


The blade says it is for plastics and fine cuts...Maybe a multi-purpose?


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

Hmmm.... any chance you have a plastics retailer somewhere near? You can look onling at US plastics and get a LDPE (low density Polyethelene) rather than a more brittle HDPE (high density PE).. ? I've never seen a cutting board crack like you describe... maybe buying cheaper cutting boards isn't working properly? 

LDPE is semi-translucent rather than HDPE is alsmot completely opaque.. 



> Regretfully learning from your mistakes is part of the DIY path...


Please, don't regret learning.. it's the best thing you can ever do... learn from everything in your day..


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## tbonez3858 (Jun 17, 2008)

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> Hmmm.... any chance you have a plastics retailer somewhere near? You can look onling at US plastics and get a LDPE (low density Polyethelene) rather than a more brittle HDPE (high density PE).. ? I've never seen a cutting board crack like you describe... maybe buying cheaper cutting boards isn't working properly?
> 
> LDPE is semi-translucent rather than HDPE is alsmot completely opaque..
> 
> ...


Your right..I shouldnt regret. It stinks that learning the hard way hits the pocket..I did find this...

The Cutting Board Company, how to cut your cutting board from cuttingboardcompany.com

Maybe I need to try a carbide blade?


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## imjustjason (Jun 26, 2006)

I have always used the Martha Stewart ones from Kmart and have never had any problems cutting them with any of my saws. Cordless DeWalt, Bosch 1587, or even the air powered body saw. They all fly right through it like butter. No galling, burning, melting, cracking... nothing. Maybe I am just lucky. Or Martha makes a good board.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 16, 2005)

This blade works well for me. Use a slow speed and move through the material slowly to pull as much material out of the cut as possible.


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

This is a big reason why I am so happy that I got a router for Christmas. With the router you can move it back and forth to knock of all of the shavings before they melt. I've had bad luck with jigsaws, I was wondering if they make jigsaw blades with teeth on both sides, but I'm not sure if jig saws can be pulled backwards. One thing I have done in a pinch was to use little shims and insert them into the cut every inch or so, then at least there are plenty of parts that haven't melted back together, and breaking the piece out is a little easier.


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## Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX (Oct 24, 2007)

> What sort of jigsaw are you using? Some of the better ones have "feeds" that move the blade forward/backward as it's also moving up and down...


????


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## sqshoestring (Jun 19, 2007)

I used to cut a lot of plexi and lexan, a carbide blade on something fast worked the best such as a router or circular saw. You could try tossing it in the freezer for a day and then cut. I'd say you need a more coarse blade that was sharp, you need to cut faster to stay away from the heat. Most boards I've seen are like nylon and not rock hard, seems like a hard one would not dampen as well? I've also cut a ton of auto plastic stuff with the little dremel bits, I use them in cordless drill all the time for small cuts/holes. Not sure they would work with a thick plastic like a board, but sure a router would. Might also be you turning too much, if you can figure a way to smooth it out you can drill holes in your circle and saw straight short cuts between them...then smooth the circle out if you need to, though a speaker hides it anyway. Turning with a jigsaw also needs a blade with a lot of set (teeth angle out each side) so it cuts wider than blade, and a shorter blade front to rear helps also. Rubbing the side of the blade on the material makes a pile of heat.


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## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

chad said:


> In for the information also


You mean the information that's already here? 

I miss Bob. Anyone miss Bob? 

Hey, I know..."SQ plastic!" Yea? Yea? WHo's with me?? 

[sarcasm off]


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## MIAaron (May 10, 2005)

Aaron'z 2.5RS/WRX said:


> ????


I think he is talking about an orbital jigsaw.


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## falkenbd (Aug 16, 2008)

I had the same problem with my cutting boards melting.

For the inside cuts, I used a router. Shallow passes helped prevent too much of this melted plastic from coming back into the hole. Shallow also alllows you to go a little faster avoiding heating the plastic up as much. If it started to melt, I'd stop and wait a few seconds before continuing on. Overall with the router it wasn't a big deal because the pass is 1/4" wide so you can get the little strands that melted to the board off pretty easily.


For the outside cuts, I used a rougher blade. The fine blade was almost impossible to use. A rough blade make a little wider path and gets more of the material out of the way. You could use a router for the outside cut if you wanted to make it circular.

For super cheap cutting boards, go to target  I used 4 boards to make the rings for my 7" midbasses and it was less than $13 to buy all 4...


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## W8 a minute (Aug 16, 2007)

sqshoestring said:


> I used to cut a lot of plexi and lexan, a carbide blade on something fast worked the best such as a router or circular saw. You could try tossing it in the freezer for a day and then cut. I'd say you need a more coarse blade that was sharp, you need to cut faster to stay away from the heat. Most boards I've seen are like nylon and not rock hard, seems like a hard one would not dampen as well? I've also cut a ton of auto plastic stuff with the little dremel bits, I use them in cordless drill all the time for small cuts/holes. Not sure they would work with a thick plastic like a board, but sure a router would. Might also be you turning too much, if you can figure a way to smooth it out you can drill holes in your circle and saw straight short cuts between them...then smooth the circle out if you need to, though a speaker hides it anyway. Turning with a jigsaw also needs a blade with a lot of set (teeth angle out each side) so it cuts wider than blade, and a shorter blade front to rear helps also. Rubbing the side of the blade on the material makes a pile of heat.



I agree with the above post. You need a coarse blade, an orbital saw, and possibly some lubrication on the blade and/or media.

edit> you do realize that some cutting boards are "self healing?" This is why you need to cut the widest path you can.


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## dogstar (Jan 31, 2007)

I found that a nice coarse blade, cutting fast went through several different brands of cutting boards like the proverbial hot knife through butter.

Going slow on plastic is going to heat it up, but I'm very puzzled about your cutting boards breaking. I played with one, bending it back and forth and yeah, it started showing some stressed areas, but after 20 minutes of playing I got bored and the board was just fine.


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## 14642 (May 19, 2008)

use a router with a carbide edge trimming blade with a bearing and a template.


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## tbonez3858 (Jun 17, 2008)

Thanks for all of the great information guys. It seems most of your advice is right on the money. I emailed a cutting board manufacturer that says you can cut their cutting boards on their sites...This is their response on how to cut a cuttingboard.


_If you use a jig saw, yes it will melt, you would have to use a vaiablespeed and go very slow. Circular saws/routers are best. 40-60 tooth for blade, NOT a plywood blade,or one for "plastics" they have too many teeth. Router bits- are good too Always carbide tipped._

I think I am going to freeze the boards and then use a router I have....I will let you know how it turns out...


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## tommyd (Nov 7, 2007)

don't use fine teeth use coarse teeth. Just make sure that you don't buy one 2 coarse. You should be able to get 3-5 teeth engaged at one time in order to keep from having a real rough cut. You want big teeth rather than smaller ones because big teeth afford you big space between them in order to evacuate chips rather than melting them.


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## tbonez3858 (Jun 17, 2008)

Well I finally had success. I put the cutting boards in the freezer and used a router with a carbide tip. It went through the cutting boards like hot butter without any melting....Thanks for all of your help!


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