Melamine Usage Tips! Cutting, Drilling and Edge Banding (Fixit Fingers Fiver)

#Melamine particle boards can be found in almost every home. If you have a kitchen, laundry, closet, wardrobe or bathroom #DIY renovation or repair to do, chances are your cabinetry will have melamine shelves at least.
In this Fixit Fingers Fiver, I'll take you through some #woodworking tips and tricks on how to work with this plastic-coated board, as cutting and drilling melamine without chipping out can be tricky. Usually, you'll also need to know how to apply iron on edge banding to get a good looking finish. Most of the tools and products I mention in the video are listed below as affiliate links that help support the channel.
In Australia, you can find all your Kreg Cabinet Hardware Installation Jigs at ‪@CarbatecTheHomeOfWoodworking‬ - www.carbatec.com.au/brands/kr...
For my Overseas friends, I've got you covered on Amazon:
Kreg Cabinet Hardware Jig - amzn.to/3MRKuFp (KHI-PULL)
Kreg Concealed Hinge Jig - amzn.to/3L9tSH1 (KHI-HINGE)
Kreg Shelf-Pin Jig 1/4" (6 mm) - amzn.to/3ooJOgJ (KMA3225)
Melamine Edge Banding - amzn.to/3A90VFI
Melamine Edge Banding Trimmer - amzn.to/3ULjJEL
Melamine Screw Hole Cover Stickers - amzn.to/3N3qe3E
The Full Fixit Fingers Tool Shop - www.amazon.com/shop/fixitfingers
Here you'll find almost all the tools I use in my shop from the Bosch Mitre saw, to Kreg Gear to Glue and Sandpaper :D
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00:00 What is Melamine?
00:53 Cutting Melamine without Chip Out
03:09 Drilling Clean Holes in Melamine
06:13 Great Cabinet Hardware Jigs
09:57 Iron On Edge Banding Melamine
12:23 How to Clean Melamine

[@CrudeButEfficient]

The drill in reverse was a new one for me, gonna remember that one for the future!

[@FixitFingers]

Every tip is almost the same, trying to get the tool to push the plastic into the wood rather than lifting the skin is key to stopping chipout. Spiral Downcut theory ;)

[@CrudeButEfficient]

@@FixitFingers If possible, I tend to use round head screwes to hide the chipout... 😅

[@Everythings_Adjustable]

@@CrudeButEfficient And great big washers 👍😁

[@soniasosa8911]

Great video. Thank you!

[@FixitFingers]

Thanks Sonia, glad it was helpful 👍

[@THOUGHTLINES02]

Thank you,nice,good,practical tips!

[@FixitFingers]

No worries! Glad they helped 😊

[@sumosprojects]

Brilliantly presented as usual mate, gotta love that shelf pin jig 😊

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers Sumo! They've actually just released a new version of it... not sure what has changed, there was little I can fault in the older one.

[@Everythings_Adjustable]

A whole lot of good tips there Mate! 🔨👍😊

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers mate! A necessary evil in modern DIY and repair work.

[@bencolombia337]

Awesome vid bro. Thanks a mil and all the best.

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers Ben, glad it helped. 👍

[@47funnix]

Brilliant tips. Especially the reverse on the drill. Thank you.

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers John. Yes that little reverse spin does wonders... Just watch the bit doesn't come out! 😅

[@anders.svensson]

Excellent video! Cred!

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers mate! My least favourite material, but it certainly has it's uses and it's nice and cheap...like me 😉

[@singhivan]

Hi from South Africa. Awesome video and helpfully tips and tricks. Many thanks.

[@FixitFingers]

G'day mate, cheers! It always amazes me the reach YT gives us to find folks half a world away 🌍

[@alphapacktrinidadltd5735]

Kept blowing the melamine on my screen. Quality vid 👍.

[@FixitFingers]

It can be tricky stuff to work, glad this helped!

[@anders.svensson]

With your advice - i all went perfect today :)

[@FixitFingers]

Awesome to hear! No matter how many times you've done something there is always anxiety it won't work for other people 😅

[@thehoginator1827]

brilliant video, or should I say it was heaps good, and a fellow Aussie as well. Thank a lot mate this was very handy.

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers Hoges, glad it was handy. I actually hate using the stuff, but it's a necessary evil in DIY land.

[@BuiltByChris]

I use melamine quite a bit. And you're correct, the right tools or jigs make the job so much easier. I actually have all the Kreg Jigs as well, and now, I would be lost without them. Great video by the way. 👍🍺

[@FixitFingers]

I think your early videos on the topic were some of the first I ever saw when you were making those big carcasses. Haven't had to do that yet...looked like heavy work. Festool has an automatic edge banding tool dont they? 😅

[@SujMenon]

Now that's a proper instruction video, James. Very useful. For cutting sheets using a tracksaw, i have seen some people take a shallow pass backwards. That eliminates a lot of chipping. The concept is exactly similar to the reverse drilling example that you showed 👍

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers Suj, can't keep making popular pallet rubbish all the time, need some real woodworking :P Yes, I've seen that done. The Festool track saw has a dedicated function for this that sets the depth perfectly. I wouldn't try it with the accu-cut as a little too deep and kickback is very possible (setting the blade depth is tricky with this setup). Probably safer with a proper plunge saw.

Hello James, You are very practical and objective, congratulations on the excellent work and the richness of all the details.

[@FixitFingers]

If I could craft videos like you craft comments I'd be a happy man Mehmet 😊

[@danielmcilroy7089]

I’ve just finished a three week project to build a 4m long reception desk for my wife’s new clinic. I used melamine. Some of the tips in here I learned the hard way! Funny that it came out the night I finished the project! I’m new to your channel but have learnt a lot already. Thank you!

[@FixitFingers]

Cheers Dan. I picked up a lot the same way, though must also pay credit to many other Aussie makers whom I have gleaned various bits off over the years. There is no such thing as new content ;)

[@Saw-IT]

Cool tutorial. I actually have a big melamine panel given to me and am thinking of making it into a table saw cross cut sled. I never knew melamine edge banding was so easy, I will have to try it. I found a good way to avoid chip out is to use my drill press on the fastest speed but i will try that reverse drill trick next time for sure.

[@FixitFingers]

A Drill Press definitely helps, but not everyone has one so I avoided it in the video. (It can also be tricky to use with big sheets). Melamine is very stable and slippery and therefore a good choice for jigs and sleds! As long as you start it straight, edge banding is quite forgiving (and can be cut off and redone if you really stuff it up :P)

[@mastrsk8]

Cheers mate!

[@FixitFingers]

Hope it helps! I still dislike using the stuff, but it's a necessary evil in DIY stuff 😉

[@mastrsk8]

@@FixitFingers it will for sure. I’m making some shoe racks built into some closets and only the inside and shelves will be seen, but it still has to look good. Or at least I want it too. Great tips! 👍

[@FixitFingers]

@@mastrsk8 awesome, good luck 👍

[@MrOffTrail]

Good tips, thank you. FYI, it is pronounced “MEL-a-meen”, not “-mine” It’s a portmanteau name, and the final two syllables are derived from a chemical that sounds like “AM-meen”.

[@FixitFingers]

You know, as someone with an Honours degree in advanced analytical chemistry I should recognise an Amine when I see one ;) 😅

[@ArchEdge]

Great Video! ... I have not had as much luck with the Blue Tape previously, but, im eager to try the scribe cut method next time!! Thanks for the Tip. I believe the professional saws have a second blade which does this automatically - so it makes sense.

[@FixitFingers]

Yep those big panel saws often have them. The Festool track saw also has a setting to run safely in reverse to do the same thing before your normal cut. Wouldn't try that with a regular circular saw though 😉

[@ArchEdge]

@@FixitFingers I recon ive seen Dave Stanton do that before.... you'd want it to be a REALLY shallow cut...

[@FixitFingers]

@@ArchEdge that's exactly where I saw it 😅

[@jack91522]

Melamine is great. It's cheap and the surface is smooth and easy to clean and the boards are always flat.

[@FixitFingers]

Especially with the spiralling price of ply, I've been using it more. Also, you can often find it free dumped in the gutter 😝

[@diyforknuckleheads]

Some good tips right there mate 👍👍 That slow close hinge was a little…. How do l put this delicately….phallic 😂 Good vid mate 👍😁🇦🇺

[@FixitFingers]

At least it can still stay up proudly! ;) I am sure a lot of this was osmosis from Uncle Knackers and others and has potentially been done to death, but when you've got paying work that takes away your private workshop time the content ideas tend to mesh with what is on the workbench currently! 😁

[@diyforknuckleheads]

@@FixitFingers Couldn’t agree more mate…work is such an inconvenience 😂

[@mam2szczury]

In my case, drilling holes in melamine was significantly improved just by switching to regular corded drill which spins quite faster than battery powered ones.

[@FixitFingers]

Yep that'll help too! I could never go back though after using battery ones 😅

[@cathwood1000]

Thanks for this video. I'm about to build a walk in robe, so I will be watching it again, probably several more times :) FYI the link to carbatec is giving a Page not found error.

[@FixitFingers]

Thanks Cath, apologies on the delayed replay YT somehow found a blocked word in your comment above... I wish it told which it found offensive :P I'll check and fix the Carbatec link now :D Cheers!

[@FixitFingers]

All done, they'd changed the page :) Here is the correct link to all the cabinet hardware tools by Kreg - www.carbatec.com.au/brands/kreg/kreg-cabinet-hardware

[@Edtopia_upcycling_]

G'day James. Nice to see another video of you😊I've already noticed Uncle Nick....why don't you use wood drills with a centering tip. According to my information, you have them at A from Bosch. Cheers and Check Square mate 👍🏻😊

[@FixitFingers]

We call those brad point bits, I showed one at the start of the drilling section 😉 Even with an expensive carbide set I still get inconsistent holes with them 😅

[@Edtopia_upcycling_]

@@FixitFingers If I'm home tomorrow morning after my night shift, I'll go to my workshop and try it out 🤘🏻

[@Countryboy316]

This video gives me confidence to work with this stuf. That guide you use with your saw, where does one get one??

[@FixitFingers]

G'day mate, that is the Kreg Straight Edge Guide. Nice cheap bit of kit. You can find them here via my affiliate link on amazon :) amzn.to/3VGDMGW

[@scottcates]

Marlamine *loves* taking screws in the edge grain.

[@FixitFingers]

I actually try to avoid that, for melamine drawers and carcsses I've always used pockethole joinery, but this video had enough blue tools in it already 😉

[@GreenLadyDV]

💚💚💚👍🏼

[@FixitFingers]

Thank you!

[@baz_k]

I know this is an old video, but is there a way you can prevent the edges splitting when screwing into it? Say when screwing two sheets at 90 degrees straight through the wood pieces

[@FixitFingers]

Two ways, predrilling in melamine should help stop it but you are still going into 'end grain' which is really weak because of the way melamine is compressed. My go to is Pocket holes. They and melamine are good friends. The way the jig works means the business end of the screw is hitting the face of the mating surface, which has more strength. Always put them on the outside of the 90° joint with course screws and that should stop splits and be super strong 👍

[@baz_k]

@FixitFingers Amazing response. Thank you so much. Im planning a wardrobe build, and this may have just saved me from having to use mdf and painting it

[@FixitFingers]

@@baz_k best of luck! If you use pocket holes, do a few tests to get the clutch setting on the drill right. Biggest risk in melamine is over driving and stripping the thread. Low is usually the go 😊

[@longsplinter-paul]

Bonus tip, melamine glue, it’s very effective.

[@FixitFingers]

You know what, I've never found cause to use it yet! Hardware only usually for me...

[@adesignhouse]

Who has a shiny chisel like his at his workshop?

[@FixitFingers]

I I'd like to say I keep them in great condition... But it was just pretty new 😅

[@billysaunders544]

Are you best to cut your board with the top face down to prevent chipping?

[@FixitFingers]

With a circular saw, yes. The circular saw blade spins towards you and upwards meaning the bottom face will be cleaner as blow out will occur on the face up side, hence the tape to help reduce this. Note that on a table saw this is reversed. 👍

[@billysaunders544]

@FixitFingers cool beans, so face down produces a cleaner cut than taping? On a circular saw? So I'm better to cut with the seen face down and tape the back or unseen face of the board? ... if any of what i just said made sense 😄

[@FixitFingers]

@@billysaunders544 If I read this right yes 🤣 You can tape both sides if notice chip out on the underside but usually it's not needed 👍

[@FixitFingers]

In other words, I make the 'good' side face down with no tape, and the 'bad' side the taped top face my saw is sitting on

[@billysaunders544]

@FixitFingers perfect, thanks very much... I think I'll just stick to welding 👍😄

[@authortimwickenden]

The best tool for trimming edge banding is a planer blade - much easier to use than a chisel. The special trimming tools are rubbish, they don’t cut clean particularly if you’re using real wood veneer edge banding.

[@FixitFingers]

But then I gotta take it out of the plane 😅 ...and make sure it's sharp. Yes, I've seen this done, good reference surface too especially on thicker veneer. If you're doing a lot of panels my friend The Wood Knight sets up a jig on the router table to zip through them

[@alumidoorswindows]

Why not using glue

[@FixitFingers]

In which part mate? Melamine and glue are not good friends usually. That's why we make work surfaces with it, not much sticks to it 😊

[@barberspaddockwoodworking]

I swear every time I watch a FF video, two things ALWAYS happen. 1.) I learn something new. 2.) Another blue jig gets added to my collection. Dam you.

[@FixitFingers]

As long as you are using my links I will say that is all part of the evil plan 🤣😋 Cheers mate. I do dislike melamine but it has one more redeeming quality... you can get a near unlimited free supply from dumped Ikea furniture! hahaha

[@metcaelfe]

Saying a material has idiosyncratic properties is too humanising, how am i supposed to cut it if it has a personality!

[@FixitFingers]

Hahahahaha not as bad as now I have put googly eyes on all my tools... and they have adopted personalities. Now I feel bad every time I drop or bash them 🤣🤣