[hayesme]

A friend has offered me his Corian countertops for my kitchen, if I come remove them from his kitchen. Do you need special equipment to cut Corian, or can you do it with a circular saw or reciprocal saw? Is there a certain blade type I should use?

[kidolph]

Corian is a little harder than Hickory and a little softer than true Ivory. You can cut it even with your grandfather's handsaw. An all purpose blade in a sabre saw or recip saw works well for general demolition. A circular handsaw with a fence attached to the Corian and a carbide tipped blade works better.

For best results, don't push hard. A speed of 30 inches per minute will give you excellent results. Before cutting, actually practice this speed by putting down a yardstick and moving your hand over it for one minute from end to end. This method will not strain your saw, will extend blade life, will not bend the blade during cutting and will reduce the amount of fine dust you create in the process. By keeping the gullets between saw teeth clear you will not be pounding the Corian shavings into the fine dust that flies all over. The shavings however will be statically attracted to all local surfaces including your hands.

Work safely.

[ballengerb1]

Also, get yourself a good mask before you start cutting. I also put the 2" hose of my shop vac next to my saw to catch as much dust as possible. Allow the vac to run several minutes after the cutting is done. It will actually clean the air a bit.

[kidolph]

Very good point about the Shop Vac.

[hayesme]

Thanks for all the specifics!