Kitchen sink worktop cutting

[Rob99]

I have a little job to do for my elderly in-laws, replacing their rotten and blown sink worktop (1.5m). I've picked up a bit of matching (ish) 28mm laminate and thinking about best way to deal with cuts and the sink cutout, in particular what tools etc I will need as they are 160 miles away, so whatever I need will have to go with me in the car!!

I've just picked up a new Makita DHS660 circular saw which did a great job of cutting down old weathered sheets of ply, OSB and MDF from the garden so they would fit in the car and off to the tip. However, I'm not sure if the blade is fine enough for cutting a laminate worktop without chipping the edge. It has a 25 tooth blade, which I thought was quite unusual as all the circular saw blades I've come across before have been multiples of 4 (24, 40, 48 etc) so I'm thinking maybe I need a different blade. I'm aware that I should cut it face down to get a cleaner cut with the circular saw.
Any advice or recommendations for a blade which would make a good cut on a laminate worktop.

My second question relates to the sink cutout. My thoughts here are to follow this sequence (all from the top surface):
1. Use a trim router with a 12mm bit to cut a shallow 5mm deep groove to the exact dimensions of the sink cutout
2. Run a jigsaw along this groove, being carefult to avoid wandering onto the "finished" edge
3. Remove the cutout and then run a guided trim bit using the edge of the original groove, with several passes at increasing depths.
Any other suggestions or tips?

 

 

 

 

[Mr Punter]

If this is a sink cutout it will With bot circular and jigsaw you will get a much better finish if you cut it from underneath as it will help stop the laminate being torn off the chipboard.  The sink edge hides a multitude of sins.  Seal the exposed chipboard with some decent wood glue.

[Oz07]

If your not confident marking and cutting for the underside. Just use your jigsaw with a downwards cutting blade and take your time. It won't be a perfectly straight cut but as above the edge of the sink will hide a lot

[Rob99]

I plan on using the circular saw just for the length and depth cuts and cutting face down and front to back to get a neater finish.

For the sink cutout I think the router might be overkill on a 28mm worktop and my jigsaw should cope using a downward cutting blade. I'll clamp a straight edge as a guide anyway and also use some painters tape to help avoid breakout on the laminate.

Just remembered that there is also a shaped cut out on the front left edge, to avoid a door frame, so I'm going to have to use the router for that to get a decent finish.