All cutting tools used need to be kept sharp at ALL times
to provide the best end result.

Ensure the material is at room temperature when cutting to ensure accuracy in your cuts.
Our products expand and contract with temperature fluctuations which may
affect your measured cuts.

This may be as much as 10mm over a 3.9m length plank!

A quick, hot blow torch applied over the final product will melt any fine swarf and conceal any small scratches resulting from any cutting or grinding work.

Cutting

  • Bandsaw – ‘meat and fish’ blade most suitable
  • Mitre saw/cut off saw /skill saw/table saw (24 tooth on a 250mm blade works best)
  • Chain saw for thick sections
  • DO NOT try to cut our planks with a blunt saw blade, jig saw or angle grinder! The speed of blade will generate intense friction and the resultant heat will melt rather than cut and clear the plastic from the cut.

Drilling

Standard wood type bits work well with all our products

Routering

  • Standard wood router profile bits are suitable
  • Down cut drilling bits more suitable if drilling/cutting when using a CNC router.
  • You may need to adjust the spindle and feed speeds to prevent melting of the plastic
  • The final result/finish will differ greatly depending on the formulation of the batch utilised during the manufacture of the planks.
  • Beware that the small cut plastic pieces do not enter into the router as it may melt inside the brush box or armature damaging the machine.

Nailing

We do not recommend this affixing methodology. Our products can however be pneumatically nailed together. You will need to test the suitability of the preferred nail and gun and longevity of the joint for the proposed application.

Screwing

  • All our products can be screwed much the same as wood.
  • Under normal circumstances, no pilot holes or countersinking is required.
  • With the correct choice of screw, the screw head will pull below the surface of the plastic negating the need for countersinking.
  • Cordless screwdrivers or standard drills are ideally suited for this application.
  • In assembly of some of our furniture items we do countersink our holes for aesthetic reasons.
  • Caution must be exercised when placing the screws to ensure that the plank does not split at the edges if the screw is placed too close to the edge of the plank.
  • As can be seen on the cut edges of our planks, the centre is less dense than the outer edges. Screws need to be placed as close as possible to the interface between the dense outer area and less dense centre of each plank.
  • We import an assortment of A2 Stainless steel screws and use this as our standard assembly fixture, but have found standard chipboard type screws work well except for the corrosion of the metal.

Bolting

  • On larger installations requiring structural strength, we recommend utilising bolts during assembly.
  • Coach bolts or nut and bolt systems are ideal.
  • Washers are essential to prevent the bolt head from pulling deep into the plastic.

Edging

The use of a handheld grinder with a flap disc can be utilised to round off unwanted sharp corners or edges.