Midrsv Posted December 8, 2011 Share #1 Posted December 8, 2011 We've contracted to have new countertops installed in our kitchen. Currently we have a laminate top which is 3/4 inch thick with a 1 1/2 inch facing edge on it. We are switching to granite which is 1 1/4 inches thick. To complicate matters we have an appliance garage in the corner which rests on the countertop with the countertop screwed into it from the bottom. Because of the thickness difference I'm going to need to trim 1/2 an inch from the bottom of the garage. The garage is a full cabinet with sides and back. Does anyone have a clever way to trim that neatly while in place. I'm thinking one of the oscillating multi tools with a 270 degree saw blade might work. Taking the cabinet off the wall is not an option because the cabinets on either side would have to come down first and one of those cabinets is about 10 feet long and fully loaded. The granite company won't cut it for me and if I can't devise a reasonable way to trim the cabinet the deal is off. Any ideas? below are photos of the cabinet. Thanks, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kregerdoodle Posted December 8, 2011 Share #2 Posted December 8, 2011 A sawzall would work if carefull, that saw you mentioned will work, or you can use a BackSaw, with the back removed, what ever you use, be sure and score the cut line with a utility knife first, to keep the wood from chipping. just take your time and it will look very good. If I were close by I would give you a hand. best of luck.. We've contracted to have new countertops installed in our kitchen. Currently we have a laminate top which is 3/4 inch thick with a 1 1/2 inch facing edge on it. We are switching to granite which is 1 1/4 inches thick. To complicate matters we have an appliance garage in the corner which rests on the countertop with the countertop screwed into it from the bottom. Because of the thickness difference I'm going to need to trim 1/2 an inch from the bottom of the garage. The garage is a full cabinet with sides and back. Does anyone have a clever way to trim that neatly while in place. I'm thinking one of the oscillating multi tools with a 270 degree saw blade might work. Taking the cabinet off the wall is not an option because the cabinets on either side would have to come down first and one of those cabinets is about 10 feet long and fully loaded. The granite company won't cut it for me and if I can't devise a reasonable way to trim the cabinet the deal is off. Any ideas? below are photos of the cabinet. Thanks, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double clutch Posted December 8, 2011 Share #3 Posted December 8, 2011 I just went and looked at the one in my kitchen, it is not fastened on the bottom like yours. it is fastened to the cabinet above it, and it slides up inside the trim of the cabinet above. If yours slides under the cabinet above and the edges do not show, that would be the best place to trim and it would not show... I know you said you can't take it out, but if you could that is the way I would do it. If you can't take it out but could get one of those saws you mentioned inside the top that may work. I'm just saying if you cut the top the cut part would not show if it slides up into the cabinet above... hope this help maybe just a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragtop69gs Posted December 8, 2011 Share #4 Posted December 8, 2011 I would suggest that you mark, then score the cut line with a razor knife along a steel straight edge ( both in and outside). Then make your exterior cuts with a fine toothed Japanese hand saw, cutting 1/2 way through the panel then complete the cut from the inside of the garage. It's gonna take a slow, steady hand to make those cuts. When they set the top they can use silicone on the inside to hold the garage sides stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cecdoo Posted December 8, 2011 Share #5 Posted December 8, 2011 I am guessing by your measurements you need to take 1/2" off the bottom of that cabinet, get a pc of 1/2" plywood about 12"x12" and get yourself a porter cable (sonicrafter) vibrating saw at Lowes around $100 bucks. Use the straight blade, rest it on top of the pc of plywood as a guide and slide it around the base of the cabinet, it will do a great job, when your done if you dont want the tool, sell it for $75. I am a self employed remodeling contractor in bus. for 30plus yrs, and I slept at a Holiday Inn once:big-grin-emoticon: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted December 8, 2011 I just went and looked at the one in my kitchen, it is not fastened on the bottom like yours. it is fastened to the cabinet above it, and it slides up inside the trim of the cabinet above. If yours slides under the cabinet above and the edges do not show, that would be the best place to trim and it would not show... I know you said you can't take it out, but if you could that is the way I would do it. If you can't take it out but could get one of those saws you mentioned inside the top that may work. I'm just saying if you cut the top the cut part would not show if it slides up into the cabinet above... hope this help maybe just a little. Unfortunately, these cabinets were custom made and the garage walls extend all the way to the top and act as the side wall of the cabinet above. It was worth a look though. Thanks, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted December 8, 2011 I am guessing by your measurements you need to take 1/2" off the bottom of that cabinet, get a pc of 1/2" plywood about 12"x12" and get yourself a porter cable (sonicrafter) vibrating saw at Lowes around $100 bucks. Use the straight blade, rest it on top of the pc of plywood as a guide and slide it around the base of the cabinet, it will do a great job, when your done if you dont want the tool, sell it for $75. I am a self employed remodeling contractor in bus. for 30plus yrs, and I slept at a Holiday Inn once:big-grin-emoticon: I just got back from Lowe's where I bought a Dremel multi-tool and a 3" blade. I just test cut a piece of 1/2 inch plywood and while it was very slow it did make a very smooth cut as long as I had the blade flush on a horizontal surface. I need to practice some more before I try the real cut. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Posted December 8, 2011 Share #8 Posted December 8, 2011 cecdoo Great method, I vote for your answer on this problem !!!! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacheedah Posted December 8, 2011 Share #9 Posted December 8, 2011 I vote for a sonic cutter, it will make a quick, clean smoothe cut. my second choice would be a japanese hand saw with offset handle. For both I would set a piece of wood along the bottom to bring it to height and and slowly cut along the bottom. Before cutting put painters tape on the bottom and score the cut line with a sharp knife to prevent splintering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riderduke Posted December 8, 2011 Share #10 Posted December 8, 2011 I am guessing by your measurements you need to take 1/2" off the bottom of that cabinet, get a pc of 1/2" plywood about 12"x12" and get yourself a porter cable (sonicrafter) vibrating saw at Lowes around $100 bucks. Use the straight blade, rest it on top of the pc of plywood as a guide and slide it around the base of the cabinet, it will do a great job, when your done if you dont want the tool, sell it for $75. I am a self employed remodeling contractor in bus. for 30plus yrs, and I slept at a Holiday Inn once:big-grin-emoticon: I'm a self employed contractor and I agree on this method. porter cable (sonicrafter) vibrating saw is a much better tool to work with then a Dremel multi-tool. However I have never slept at a Holiday Inn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOO Posted December 8, 2011 Share #11 Posted December 8, 2011 If you use the saw that cecdoo and riderduke recommend you should be able to cut the cabinet off and not need any trim. Some careful measuring and the countertop guys should be able to slip the top right in there. The Dremel will cut the cabinet off but will make some fairly rough edges. Trim is okay but what you going to do where the door comes down? The door will be fine but the edges of the cabinet can not be trimmed at that point. Put the Dremel back in the box and go buy the other tool. BOO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted December 8, 2011 The Dremel will cut the cabinet off but will make some fairly rough edges. Trim is okay but what you going to do where the door comes down? The door will be fine but the edges of the cabinet can not be trimmed at that point. Put the Dremel back in the box and go buy the other tool. BOO I bought this tool http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=Multi-Max+MM20 I did a test cut with it and it made a very clean cut but was slow. I looked at the Porter Cable and wanted to buy it but it seemed to only use Porter Cable attachements and at Lowes they did not have a blade like this one http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=MM452 which had an offset hub. Dremel was the only tool at Lowes that had that type of blade. The others were just a flat blade that would be held off of the surface by the locking nut/collar. The door is no problem because it is a roll-top and it will just not come all the way down. Doesn't come down all the way now. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cecdoo Posted December 8, 2011 Share #13 Posted December 8, 2011 I bought this tool http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=Multi-Max+MM20 I did a test cut with it and it made a very clean cut but was slow. I looked at the Porter Cable and wanted to buy it but it seemed to only use Porter Cable attachements and at Lowes they did not have a blade like this one http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=MM452 which had an offset hub. Dremel was the only tool at Lowes that had that type of blade. The others were just a flat blade that would be held off of the surface by the locking nut/collar. The door is no problem because it is a roll-top and it will just not come all the way down. Doesn't come down all the way now. Dennis That tool and cutter will work, but it is going to be slow, and there is a good chance you will burn the tool out by the end of the job, the porter cable is a much better tool, that cuts alot faster and more effortless, which means better control in your situation. The porter cable kit comes with a straight blade that would do what you want. The tool you have will work, but in my opinion the porter cable would have been a better choice. Take your time and you should be fine, once the top is in run a bead of color matched siliconized/acrylic caulk and wipe it in with a wet finger, it will look great! Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgn Posted December 8, 2011 Share #14 Posted December 8, 2011 Don't worry about it the project will grow to new cabinets, new sink, new facuet, new light fixtures, new paint, new floors .... and on and on! Heck, buy a new house with granite countertops or as option two just forget it all and go with what you have .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cecdoo Posted December 8, 2011 Share #15 Posted December 8, 2011 One quick thought before you cut, are you sure the top is only 3/4" thick? In our area we use a pc of 3/4" substrate, but we pad out the front and back edge of the counter with another 4" pc of 3/4" material, so the top rests on top of the cabinets and is 1.5" thick, if your tops are done this way, when you remove them you will actually need to shim the granite up, not cut the Caddy! If you are sure the 3/4" build-up hangs over the front edge of the cabinet, then you will need to cut caddy. Hate to see you have that caddy 3/4" too short:bang head::bang head: Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share #16 Posted December 8, 2011 Don't worry about it the project will grow to new cabinets, new sink, new facuet, new light fixtures, new paint, new floors .... and on and on! Heck, buy a new house with granite countertops or as option two just forget it all and go with what you have .... Now that's the truth. New counter, new sink, new faucet, under cabinet lights, travertine backsplash. That's just what's planned. I'll also probably need a new disposer. She's already commenting on needing a master bath update. Geesh. Haven't even got this project underway yet. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted December 8, 2011 One quick thought before you cut, are you sure the top is only 3/4" thick? In our area we use a pc of 3/4" substrate, but we pad out the front and back edge of the counter with another 4" pc of 3/4" material, so the top rests on top of the cabinets and is 1.5" thick, if your tops are done this way, when you remove them you will actually need to shim the granite up, not cut the Caddy! If you are sure the 3/4" build-up hangs over the front edge of the cabinet, then you will need to cut caddy. Hate to see you have that caddy 3/4" too short:bang head::bang head: Craig Unfortunately, it is only 3/4. My counter guy said it was probably shimmed up to 1.5 inches but no such luck. And these were high end custom cabinets in their day, 23 years ago. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleeye Posted December 8, 2011 Share #18 Posted December 8, 2011 Well, just keep in mind, you asked. I'm not a cabinet maker, and unlike Riderduke, I believe I did stay in a Holiday inn once, years ago-----so here is my take on your dillema: Turn the garage into kindling, A BFH should take care of this part. take the toaster to goodwill, and buy one that you aren't ashamed of. Put it on the counter for all to see and love. Put the mixer in a cabinet somewhere. you're probably only going to use it a dozen times a year anyways, and put in the new granite counter top. Good luck, and of course, we will all want to see pictures of the finished product. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share #19 Posted December 9, 2011 Turn the garage into kindling, A BFH should take care of this part. take the toaster to goodwill, and buy one that you aren't ashamed of. Put it on the counter for all to see and love. Put the mixer in a cabinet somewhere. you're probably only going to use it a dozen times a year anyways, and put in the new granite counter top. Good luck, and of course, we will all want to see pictures of the finished product. Steve Now that is a solution. But if I want to continue to eat regularly I won't dare make that suggestion. The toaster rarely gets used but the mixer is cranked up several times a month. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJD Posted December 9, 2011 Share #20 Posted December 9, 2011 I think what I would do would be to just cut the screws holding the garage off with your dremel or with the sonic, remove the garage, then remove what remains of the screws in the garage itself. Take the garage to a cabinet shop or someone with a fine blade table saw with a good table and trim to the necessar height. you may even wait till the new counter top is installed and then cut it to exact measurement. When you start cutting it in place and you run into the screws you are going to make a mess of your cut and you will ruin your blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bvinson Posted December 9, 2011 Share #21 Posted December 9, 2011 There is a saw that is used to cut the bottom of door jams off. When they laied the tile in my house they had a saw that looked like a side cutting Skill saw. I bet you can rent one. It will do most of the cut. You will likely have to finish with the dremal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share #22 Posted December 9, 2011 I think what I would do would be to just cut the screws holding the garage off with your dremel or with the sonic, remove the garage, then remove what remains of the screws in the garage itself. Take the garage to a cabinet shop or someone with a fine blade table saw with a good table and trim to the necessar height. you may even wait till the new counter top is installed and then cut it to exact measurement. When you start cutting it in place and you run into the screws you are going to make a mess of your cut and you will ruin your blade. Can't do that. The side walls of the garage are also the upper cabinet side walls. To get that cabinet down all of the cabinets have to come down. I'll stick with our current counters before I tackle that. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midrsv Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share #23 Posted December 9, 2011 We were scheduled to start this project on Monday. After further consideration we are going to postpone until the first of January. In addition to the issue with cutting the garage, which I think I can handle, I believe I may have some issues with the new sink and my existing disposer and plumbing. Since we had planned to go with an undermount sink with our existing disposer I was looking at the drain lines and I believe the disposer drain would end up below the drain pipe going into the wall. So I need to research the sink and compare it to my existing sink and find out if I need a new disposer to go with it or if I need to stay with an overmount sink. It's just too rushed to pull this off before the holidays. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Venturous Posted December 9, 2011 Share #24 Posted December 9, 2011 I have the Bosch and the Sonic. They both do great and the blades do interchange. The Bosch is awesome but we have three of them and some drivers and are having switch issues with most of them. The blades all look different how they mount but I have tryed several brands of blades and they are all interchangable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfVenture Posted December 13, 2011 Share #25 Posted December 13, 2011 I do not know much about remodeling, however this summer, for the 1st time I installed hardwood floor and this tool was the solution for many a challenging situations. I bought it from HF one day for it look like something I could use and it was on sale so I bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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