cutting the sink cover.

I asked my DW if there is any thing I could change in the kitchen area for her. What a nice guy I am. Really I am looking for more projects. Anyway she suggested that the sink cover would be better if it came in two pieces. She would like to turn it so the handle cutout is toward the stove and cut it in half, front to back. Does anyone know what to use to cut this or better yet, where i might get it cut? Also will one half still be strong enough to use as a counter top? With this mod she would be able to use half for counter space while opening the other half for sink use/using the water.

I hope I am not opening a can of worms here but I had to ask.

While I don't have my PC nearby, my recollection is that the corian stove cover is split into two pieces and has a wider span than the sink cover.  That fact, and the inherent strength of corian, would make me think that there would be no structural problems.  As to cutting it, you probably want to find a local craftsman who specializes in installing tile on counters, walls, and floors.  They will have masonry saws that could handle the job.  The only question is how thin a cut they can make and how smooth the edges will be.  My advice is put your counter top under your arm and go talk to one of them about it.

Jerry

Tom,
  We had our sink cover cut in half by the factory.  We did not have a thin enough blade to do it ourselves.  It works great in any direction.  My DW uses it with the cutouts facing the front and back and generally takes the back piece off and uses the front piece as surface area.  She still has access to the sink below with running water.  It is strong in any direction.  They store nice behind the stove as well and they are much easier to handle when in two pieces.

Barry

I cut our sink cover into two pieces and it is one of the best mods we have done, ask my wife.  It adds significant counter space and still allows sink access, you can put the half piece on either side or the front and still have the spout miss.

I called the counter top manufacturer and asked how to cut it.  They said to use a standard carbide tipped blade and cut dry.  Then sand the cut surface with progessively finer sand paper to get the desired glossy finish.  It worked very well and looks like it came that way.

I used a 7" circular saw because I had a thin 1/16" thick blade so that I removed a minimum amount of material, the blades for my table saw are 1/8" thick.  I don't recall the number of teeth (I am on the road right now) but it wasn't one with few teeth made for ripping, it had more teeth for finer wood cuts -- the more teeth the better, less sanding.  Also, there will be a lot of dust, so plan accordingly.

Hope this helps, Bob


Additional info:

I applied 2" masking tape to top and bottom of the cover where the cut would be to minimize any chipping, there was no chipping at all.  I also covered the surface with the masking tape where the circular saw would slide across to keep from scratching the surface.  I clamped a guide to the cover to make the cut straight and clamped the cover to my table saw surface to keep it from moving, had to put spacers under the cover for blade clearance.  It cut easily and quickly.

Lets go camping!

I took my sink top the the local ( dare I say this) grave stone maker.  He cut it in half for me and sanded it.  Best ten bucks I ever spent and only lost 5 minutes of my life.  With 2 kids and a wife I  don't have much "retired" time to waste..


David.

    Just to let everyone know, I got the sink cover cut in half today. The DW really likes it and said it will be much more practical this way. I took it to a granite counter store and they could not cut it with their saw. They sent me to the other end of the strip of factory stores to a carpenter who does coran type counter tops. He said he would cut it with a router because a saw might chip it. He removed about 1/4 inch from the middle. He then waxed it, all for $25.

Thank all of you that replied.