Cuting a Filigree Cross From Laminated Hardwood Flooring

 

Filigree Fretwork Cross Made From Laminated Harwood Flooring Samples
Filigree Fretwork Cross Made From Laminated Harwood Flooring Samples 

I recently acquired some laminated hardwood flooring samples. With the price of the wood so high, I was eager to see what I could make with it. I did a lot of reading on the internet and found no consensus. Flooring seems so variable that you must try it and see if it will work.

I decided that some cross patterns would be perfect for this. Initially, the patterns were for Christmas ornaments. Using Inkscape and Gimp, I created SVG files and enlarged them to eight inches wide. Enlarging made the crosses large enough to use as wall art and more suited to the thickness of the flooring.

The flooring samples are mounted on a hardboard backing. I thought they were glued on but soon discovered this was not the case. They were held together with tiny steel pins. When cutting the first cross, I had to add tape to hold everything in place, and when cutting my second cross, I hit one of the steel pins with my scroll saw, which trashed the blade.

I cut these with Pegas #3 MGT saw blades using 3 to four blades per cross. Except for hitting the steel pin, this is about the same as cutting Baltic Birch Plywood. Not surprising since laminated hardwood flooring is plywood with a false wood layer on one side.

It worked well for me despite gluing the tongue and groove pieces back together. I was going for a rustic look, so gluing pieces together added to this. I'm happy with the results.

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