cutting melamine?

I've only used Home Depot once to make cuts, if you do plan on leaving a little leeway, since they certainly didn't make exact cuts for me. Doing it yourself with a helper and a table saw works well (assuming you're comfortable using a table saw).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by recycling goddess

oh one more thing gen... make sure you are wearing gloves... the edges of the melamine can be sharp. (have the cuts on my arms and hands to prove it) so wear a pair of gloves when you are handling it (at least until you've had a chance to clean up the edges) we had some cut at rona once and they didn't cut it clean like my hubby does at home. :(

---

It should be noted for inexperienced woodworkers... never wear gloves when using a table saw. Assuming you want to keep your hand ;).

OK.. I am just a little worried b/c I have heard that HD refuses to cut some things now; like the splashboard that you put behind bathtubs; I was told that they said it releases some kind of toxic dust when cut.. so basically it's OK for people to take it home and release the toxins into the air, heh.
Mark has a table saw; I am sure we could do it at home. Now a question about leeway; The tub's measures about 34.5" wide; 16.5" front-back; and 5.5" deep. Now I need to have room for the UTH, but I want it to be tight too when the tubs go on.. how much leeway should be left?
One more thing; how big do the sheets of Mel. come at HD? I went to the local Valu but only saw long strips that were about a foot wide; they Do come bigger, right?
Is it really OK to use back-heat? it would make things so much easier; our house temps are always warm.

they should be either 4' x 6' or 4' x 8', they HD should have precut 2' x 4's that may be good for you if your dimentions will allow that but i have found the precuts cost more and are usually out of square. as far as cutting them yourself i used a small 3" general purpose saw blade on a batt powered saw, kept the edges clean and very minimal chipping but killed the batts fast lots of recharges to get the job done.

found a pic of my first one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...snake_cage.jpg

oh i forgot to add i also used the drill screws, the ones with the drill tip on the screw. they didn't split the material like the other screws i tried. i believe they are the sheet metal screws???.

OK; I was wondering about that.
I am just leary about the UTH not having much vent room under the tub and atop the melamine; am I just being overly concerned here? I am debating on using back heat; saw someone else's rack that had it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

OK; I was wondering about that.
I am just leary about the UTH not having much vent room under the tub and atop the melamine; am I just being overly concerned here? I am debating on using back heat; saw someone else's rack that had it.

---

Go ahead and use back heat...It wont hurt anything!

i used back heat on mine with no problems but that was with the 28 qt tubs, and used 4" flex watt. as far as clearance for uth i would say only 1/16th of an inch.

Here's what I did in my BP rack. When my step dad helped me build it we included a 1/8" gap over the tub. We used section of wood material 1/8" and each shelf was "fitted" with this and the tubs before secured. I setup my flexwat on each shelf for belly heat and then on top of that is 1/8" layer of this material...I can't honestly remember what its called but it reminds me of cardboard when I look at it. Its a pressed wood material anyway and very east to cut with a utility knife. It has worked out good for me and my heating situation. It closes the gap above the tubs and protects the flexwatt. The material is such that it spreads the nicely and I'm not losing much if any heat down through the actual shelf. If I am that's fine it helps the ambiant of the tub below it.

I'm sure you could find any number of other such materials to put over the flexwatt so you don't have to worry about sliding tubs directly over it. However I did do this for a short time when starting out and didn't notice any visible wear.

Keep in mind when building a mela. rack, you must route a 4" groove 1/4" deep for the flex watt. this groove needs to be up both sides and the bottom of every shelf. back heat just does not get it done. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ECLARK

Keep in mind when building a mela. rack, you must route a 4" groove 1/4" deep for the flex watt. this groove needs to be up both sides and the bottom of every shelf. back heat just does not get it done. :)

---

What? I dont understand? YOu got some splainin to do.;) :D But cerealy.