New tool

[Devlin]

I am a retired (almost) electrician and i have submitted to the long standing demands for a new kitchen (sigh) and I dont think thats the last thing I will be doing so might as well get tooled up, I aready have a table saw, sliding mitre saw, drills etc but for worktop cutting should it be a router or plunge saw I dont intend fitting more than one kitchen and I am going for solid wood square edge so no masons mitre for now I will be cutting down full sheets of 18mm ply and MDF for the workshop refit, (once I get rid of the left over sparky stock). any advice would be great
Devlin

 

[Doug B]

Sounds like a track saw would be your best bet

 

[Sideways]

Both tools are useful, but there's a lot of sense in buying tools as you need them.
It sounds like a plunge tracksaw will be most useful and first needed.
If you have to fit a sink, use a jigsaw (you maybe have that) for the cutout.
Get and fettle up a hand plane (cheap enough) to finish the edges of your solid worktop after you cut them cleanly with the tracksaw.

 

[clogs]

A hand held belt sander could be a good friend.....
cheap enough at Lidils....anlong with other stuff if it's for a bit better than DIY...

 

[redhunter350]

Track saw for sure, I bought one a few years back for a particular project and never regretted it. I have fitted two kitchen worktops and for the sink cutout the track saw works extremely well and you get a better cutout than just a jigsaw but you do need a jigsaw to finish the job in the corners.
Although you say you are not doing a mitre just for interest I bought an inexpensive mitre jig that worked very well indeed - the pro ones are far too expensive for DIY use I think.

 

[HamsterJam]

For a cut out similar to a sink, I drilled corners with a small hole saw and joined them with a tracksaw. There was a small amount of material the tracksaw didn’t quite reach which I cut with a handsaw.

 

[TomTheToolMan]

I bought a dewalt track saw a few years back. Once you cut a worktop or a door once with it you will never use another tool again to do it. It is so quick and easy and gives a great finish. If you do decide to join the worktops you can often pick up the jigs on facebook and ebay for very little money (and could probably resell once done)

 

[Herr Nilsson]

If you’re planning on cutting down full size (8’x4’) sheet material then the ‘BORA Centipede’ is a very handy, light weight collapsible table thingy.
Just needs a sacrificial top (Eg 50mm polystyrene insulation board), and entire sheet is supported during cut.

Also, I would advise doing this with a track saw as others have suggested!

Extends in seconds and breaks down to: L x W x H: 22.9 x 38.1 x 96.5 cm. Apparently takes the weight of a family sized car, but not sure how I will get the car up there to test it!
Admit it is a bit pricey (currently £186 on Amazon), but beats crawling around on your hands and knees, cutting on the floor etc.
Currently doubling as a standing office desk!