Cutting your Worktops with a Jig

Equipment:
Jigsaw
Router
Worktop Jig
Workbench or saw horses
Carpenters Square
Clamps

View All Worktop Jigs

Planning:
Before setting out to install your new kitchen worktops you need to bare a few points in min which will make the job a bit easier.

// Place for worktops – as worktops are available in 3m and 4m lengths you need to make sure you have adequate space to get the worktops into position and enough room to then cut them. A lot of time the worktops are cut outside as there is usually more space and it’s easier to get rid of the dust.

// Surface finish – if you are removing old worktops and will also be removing backing tiles on the wall it is best to remove these first then retile once your new worktop is in place.

// Refitting appliances – if your new worktop is a different thickness to your old worktop then your appliance will need a little bit of adaptation and may not connect straight back up.

// Plan where your worktop jig will be used – Mitres should be planned to make sure you have enough room for joining bolts – make sure sinks and draining boards aren’t blocking these.

// Maintain an even overhang – your worktop should have an equidistant overhang along your cabinets. An uneven wall can knock this out so be careful.

// Check your worktop for damage before starting – some worktops do get damaged in transit

// Have a practice – using a worktop jig is fairly easy and can give a fantastic finish but it is always better to have a practice on an offcut piece of worktop to start with and get a feel for it.

Using your Worktop Jig

Once you have planned the layout of your worktop you can then use this to work out how many make and females joins are needed, each corner requires two cuts. Each work top jig can be used to perform all the different types of cut, both male and female and both right and left.

When you know which cuts are where place your worktop across your workbenches or saw horses and place the worktop jig in place. The jig should be positioned in the correct place dependant on the depth of the worktop you are joining it too.

Clamping your jig firmly to your worktop will mean it won’t move or slide once the router is used – any movement will cause the join to be uneven and will need redoing.

Once your jig is clamped in place you need to check it is level, for male cuts this can be done using a carpenters square, for female joins you can use a tape measure to make sure the back of the jig is equidistant from the back of the worktop.

This is the most important part of the cutting, any mistakes now will impact the rest of the installation.

Cutting with the Router

Once your jig is in place and properly secured to your worktop it is then time to make the cuts, this should be done in several passes, from left to right. If your worktop is 40mm you should look to route it in four passes, each one going 10mm deeper than the last pass.

When cutting a male cut always leave exta length in the board and then cut to length on the straight edge, this means if there are any errors you can trim an extra few mm off the give a clean and tidy edge. On a female cut this isn’t really possible so you want to be extra carefull with these.

Once you have cut the two joins you then used the same worktop jig to cut the bolt holes, these house the bolts recessed into the worktop which then pull the worktops slightly together. These need to be set at a constant depth of around 30mm and perpendicular to the edge of the cut.

Installing the worktops

Once you have made the cuts you are then ready to install the worktops. Carrying them into the kitchen and holding them in place will give you the best idea of how they fit and whether they need trimming. If they need a lot trimming you may wish to replicate the outline of the worktops you have removed, if not it will be a case of outlining the contours of the wall and trimming them off the back of the worktop with a jigsaw.

Once you are then happy with the fit you need to mark off the holes for appliances such as the sink, drainer and hob. These still be started with a drill and then cut out using the jigsaw.

The joins you have routered can be glued together and then a colour-match adhesive on the very top of the join to match the colour of the worktop.

You can then secure your new worktops in place by screwing them from underneath.