You might have to use hardboard more often than you might think. This is one of the most common materials that you would use in your house to decorate various items. You can use hardboard for covering floors, doors as well as cabinets and panels. You can also use it for siding. You can replace it for plywood to save cost as well. This material is also the favorite choice of many DIY beginners as it is easy to deal with. The smooth surface of a piece of hardwood is ideal for any painting jobs.
Because hardwood is so common in many woodworking projects, it is understandable that you know how to deal with this type of material well- including cutting it. In case you are searching for the best ways to deal with cutting hardboard, the guide below is for you on how to cut hardboard.
Read on to see the best way you can use to hardboard for your projects.
Table of Contents
Things you need to know about hardboard and cutting hardboard:
Hardboard is cheap and widely available. It is also a very durable material.
This type of material has no grain. It can be cut in any direction.
You need to place the neater side of the piece of hardboard upward. The side with texture should be placed downward.
When you cut hardboard, make sure you finish the cut in one go. If you cut and then stop in the middle, you will damage the hardboard and cause cracks on the surface of the board.
Consider putting on a pair of safety goggles to prevent the small particles from getting into your eyes.
Tools you would need for the project:
- A piece of hardboard
- A pencil
- A measuring tape and a ruler
A table saw/ a circular saw or a jigsaw. These tools need to have a sharp blade with a lot of teeth. The most suitable blade for a table saw or a circular saw is a carbide blade with fine and even teeth.
>>> If you want to cut straight lines, you should use a table saw or a circular saw. On the other hand, use a jigsaw if you want to cut curved lines.
Steps on preparing the hardboard for cutting
Step 1: To prepare the hardboard for cutting, you should place it on a flat and stable working surface. Make sure that the piece of hardboard would not move when you cut it. Consider clamping it down with clamps.
You should place the clamps as close to the point where you want to cut the hardboard as possible. This will ensure that the vibrations will less likely to occur during the areas where you are going to cut. Vibration is the thing that you want to avoid if you want to have the smooth cuts from the hardboard.
Moreover, the bigger the piece of hardwood is, the more clamps that you should use to make sure the hardboard can stay stable.
Step 2: Use the measuring tape to measure how much you want to cut with the hardboard. Use the pencil to mark down the cuts that you want to have. Use a straight ruler to draw a straight line on the piece of hardboard.
Step 3: Cover the other side of the drawn lines with tape. This is not a compulsory step but it makes sure you have the cleanest and smoothest cuts, especially when you use a table saw to cut hardboard. When you operate the table saw at high speed, the blade of the table saw can lead to torque and rip off edges of the cut pieces. With the tape covering the drawn lines, the blade would cause fewer vibrations. Hence, the cuts would be cleaner and smoother.
1. How to cut hardboard with a table saw:
Step 1: As I mentioned above, install the carbide tipped saw blade into the table saw before you cut hardboard. The blade should have many teeth so that the cuts can be smooth. Go for a blade that has around 80 to 100 teeth.
Step 2: Set the measurements of the fence at the levels which are suitable for the dimensions of the piece of the hardboard.
Step 3: Adjust the hardboard so that the blade of the circular saw points towards the line that you have drawn on the hardboard for cutting.
Step 4: Turn on the table saw. Use both of your hand to move the hardboard so that the blade of the saw can cut into the drawn line. Move in a slow and steady speed. Slow down if you think the motor has a straining sound.
2. How to cut hardboard with a circular saw:
Step 1: Install the carbide tipped saw blade into the circular saw before you cut hardboard. The blade should have many teeth so that the cuts can be smooth. Go for a blade that has around 50 to 60 teeth.
Step 2: Make sure that the piece of hardwood is clamped down firmly.
Step 3: Point the circular saw’s blade towards the point at which you want to cut the piece of hardwood.
Step 4: Turn on the circular saw and guide the blade of the saw along the drawn lines on the cutting board.
Step 5: After you cut the hardboard, consider sanding these edges of the cut hardboard to make these edges become smoother.
3. How to cut hardboard with a circular saw:
Step 1: Use a sharp blade and install it to the circular saw. Choose the one with the most teeth as possible. The more teeth a blade has, the smoother the edges of the cuts are.
Step 2: Clamp the piece of hardboard down firmly. You should place the clamps as close to the line you want to cut as possible. It would help to prevent vibrations in these areas.
Step 3: Turn on the circular saw and guide the blade of this saw along the lines you have drawn on the hardboard. Make sure that you don’t push too hard on the circular saw. Just guide the blade lightly and let it do its job.
The Conclusion
Here are all of the steps that you can do in order to cut hardboard. As you can see, it doesn’t require complicated or powerful machinery in order for you to cut board. For straight cuts, you can use a table saw or a circular saw. And if you want to have curved cuts, choose a circular saw. As long as you pick up the right tool and having a proper knowledge of cutting hardboard, I am sure that you would be able to finish your project in a short amount of time.
