# Forum Home Renovation Kitchens  Joining & Cutting A Laminate Benchtop

## LG00

Hi All,
I am thinking about cutting my laminate bench tops myself. Hoping someone can help answer some questions, and share some experiences: 
1. As always, Anyone know where to get a cheap Masons Mitre Jig? I googled this for a while, so im guessing no. 
2. I was going to use a standard mitre joint (45 degree for the whole joint) to make the cut easier for me to do. Apart from wasted material, are their any other downsides to this? Seems to save me buying a jig, and its an easier cut, why does everyone use masons mitre? 
3. Im not sure how to pull the joint together, and join it. Any suggestions? dowel for the joint and adding some blocks to bolt through underneath is my current plan. 
Im going to use this PRÄGEL Worktop - 246x62 cm - IKEA for the top.   
Thanks
Luke 
P.S This guide i will include in my post for people who are searching the  same thing, seemed good to me.  http://www.thinkon.com.au/images/Think Solid Modular Install Guide.pdf

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## Pulse

Carbatec have one, you then you need a guide bush for your router and a long enough bit. Why not just get someone else to cut it for you? The Pragels are amazingly cheap so you will save money. Just take it to a benchtop place and pay them $100. Saves you at least 4 times that in new tools and time. 
Cheers
Pulse

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## LG00

> Carbatec have one, you then you need a guide bush for your router and a long enough bit. Why not just get someone else to cut it for you? The Pragels are amazingly cheap so you will save money. Just take it to a benchtop place and pay them $100. Saves you at least 4 times that in new tools and time. 
> Cheers
> Pulse

  Thanks for the quick reply
Carbatec jig looks nice, but its a bit expensive for a one off. I have contacted a number of local places and they wont do the cuts, they will only supply bench tops in their own materials, and so far the quotes are more then I wanted. Tool wise, I was only going to get a $60 router from hardware store and $30 bit. Skipping the masons mitre in favour of standard mitre joint.

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## joez

I was looking around a while ago, and this was the cheapest I could find : 900MM WORKTOP JIG KITCHEN CARPENTER TOOLS 633448 | eBay  
Looking at some of the other kitchen tops I have seen around, I think a mitre would be perfectly acceptable. 
joez

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## Godzilla73

G'day,   You can make your own, buy a cheap level and run your router along that with a block of timber cut at 45 for the start of the mitre. It's a bit of stuffing around but with a bit of set up it can be done. Do the female part first the fit the male part to that. As for joining them together you need these.         
  Any cabinet making supplier will have them. I prefer the 150mm type. 35mm hole with a slot to the edge of the join in each top is all you need.

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## Sybarite

*"why does everyone use masons mitre?"* 
Mainly cos you save yourself about 550mm of benchtop - the market is so competitive at the moment the difference in benchtop prices are often what is deciding the winning quote on many a job... 
Another good reason is that available benchtop space is becoming more and more limited in many small kitchen refits and a mason's mitre can often be a lot more useful in keeping the join in a benchtop as far as possible from a sink/wet area - this happens much more often than you may think. 
Cheers, 
Earl

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## LG00

Picked up my bench tops last night from Ikea. (Was planning on taking advantage of the Eat your discount promo, 2hr line for the restaurant so skipped it) 
No turning back now.
I have read that for a nice finish, a good router bit is more important then a good router. Do you think these would be suitable?  850W 6.35mm (1/4") OZITO PRR-850 Plunge Router - Bunnings Warehouse  812 Long Straight Bits : CARBA-TEC  812-100-11           Shank Cut Dia Cut Len. Total Len.  1/4" 10mm 31.7mm 60.3mm   
I hope I can lower the router bit so that I don't have 3mm of material still attached? 
The plan is to cut to around 2mm away from where the final cut will be, then take the rest off in one pass (except for the 3mm at the bottom, second pass for that.) 
Haven't used a router since high school. But im looking forward to it.
Too bad benchworx is not close to Wollongong.

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## Master Splinter

Personally, I use something like this:  CARB-I-TOOL 
The bearing at the bottom gives it support as well as running along a guide edge.

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## Godzilla73

I'd be investing in a router with at least a 1/2" chuck. Anything with a 1/4" is not going to travel to well thru that thickness, the extra meat in a 1/2" bit will give a better result imo.

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