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well i had to buy my melamine from home depot cause i couldnt find a cabinet shop that keeps sheets in stock and couldnt order it for me by the time i wanted it. stupid me we to home depot. well the idiot that cut it for me cost me a bunch of money....i was just gonna buy 1 or maybe 2 sheets to start my bottom cage. he went to cut it and didnt plan it well so he ended up using 3 SHEETS of melamine for 5 peices that are usable right now. so instead of costing like 27 bucks for one sheet i spent like 86 dollars on 3. spoke to a manager and they couldnt do anything cept talk to the guy about better judgements

i guess on the plus side i can use the extra for the cages that will stack on top, they are going to be different heights than the bottom cage.
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Beach Beardies

3.3.11 bearded dragons
1.0.0 Turquoise x Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.1.0 Sugar Gliders
0.1.0 Miss Queen Athena (Cat)

I don't think I would have paid for it. I would have left and maybe had someone else go get it for you. But, at least you're optimistic about the extra pieces. Good luck!
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Everything I know about life I learned from Nintendo!!!

oh i wasnt happy about it, i made my point to the guy who cut it, and to the manager. but at least the peices that are extra are big enough to be used on other cages
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Beach Beardies

3.4.11 bearded dragons
1.0.0 Turquoise x Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.1.0 Sugar Gliders
0.1.0 Miss Queen Athena (Cat)

That has happened to me before but at a specialty lumber yard rather than Home Depot. I had planned a project out with crosscuts and had the lumber yard make a few of the cuts so I could fit the rest in my vehicle. Well they started out with a rip, fortunately I was there to catch them, and I stopped them right away. They kept the sheet they had cut and went and got me another one, no extra charge.

I have also had Home Depot cut material for me and the results have been good and bad. Fortunately for me it had nothing to do with operator error and everything to do with a saw that was out of alignment. Little you or they can do about that.

Your situation is a bit different, however. Just curious but what mistake did the guy/gal make exactly? At Home Depot I once needed some pretty specific cuts made and talked to the guy about what I needed and it came out great. I don't think I've ever used a sheet of plywood more efficiently. But I got lucky.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

chris in response to your question.....
Just curious but what mistake did the guy/gal make exactly?

he just didnt map out the cuts efficiently to use less wood. he took like a 4 foot x 10 foot sheet *i think thats what it was* and cut 2 peices that i could use and when those got cut out the remainder of the sheet was also already cut into other peices that were too small for what i needed. i have had good luck with home depot by me so thats why i went back, but this time not so lucky

jeremey in response to you....

i will be sending email to custservice at home depot. my thoughts exactly. even though i can use the extra, its still not the point.

-i do not have the space available for a table saw but i do for a circular saw, i was told by the people at home depot that a circular saw was not good on melamine and would damage the plastic coating or whatever it is, when i cut.

oh well live and learn i guess. from now on i will be cutting my own, i am buying a dewalt circular saw asap.
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Beach Beardies

3.4.11 bearded dragons
1.0.0 Turquoise x Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.1.0 Sugar Gliders
0.1.0 Miss Queen Athena (Cat)

If the most efficient way to get the necessary material involved has both cross cuts and rips and requires switching back and forth between cross cuts and rips I would put some of the blame on yourself. Home Depot employees tend to have to bounce around a lot and I don't expect them to be able to figure that stuff out.

Now, if you said you needed three pieces at 31"x48" and the employee ripped the sheet to 31" first, then I'd say you have a legit complaint. Sorry, but anyone who can't figure that out should not be cutting material for customers.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

They have melamine blades available for circular saws.
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.11 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
0.0.1 Youth -coming soon-

i was told by the people at home depot that a circular saw was not good on melamine and would damage the plastic coating or whatever it is, when i cut.

Well that is idiotic. A CS can be among the best way to cut melamine. Sliding melamine over a TS can scratch it easier than a circular saw.

Many pro cabinet makers ONLY cut melamine with circular saws, albeit with guide systems that cost several hundred dollars. I know of cabinet shops with sliding table saws worth several thousand dollars who still cut melamine with circular saws.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

this is exactly what i needed. i dont see how this was so hard for him to do, he wasnt busy at all, hell we were in the middle of having the remains of the tropical storm come up with monsoon like rains coming down, i was about 1 of 100 customers in home depot hahaha.

1 38x26
2 38x28
2 28x26

there is no way this should have taken 3 4ftx10ft sheets to cut this

yes i did not understand why i couldnt use a CS to cut melamine. im not a very knowledgable person with wood like chris and jeremey, but still i couldnt figure this one out
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Beach Beardies

3.4.11 bearded dragons
1.0.0 Turquoise x Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.1.0 Sugar Gliders
0.1.0 Miss Queen Athena (Cat)

Laminate boards and others like it should fare well with use of a finishing blade, TS or CS if the blades are dull or the wrong type, doesn't matter what type of saw your using...

The sheets were probably 4x8, not 4x10, but I agree in this case that having to go to a third sheet is unacceptable. This must have been a major screw up and I would have absolutely not tolerated it. You should have walked out.

>>1 38x26
>>2 38x28
>>2 28x26
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

I would have made a big stink, weather or not I could use the lumber or not. The point being it is there job and the customer is always right. If the manager didn't give me the answer I wanted or a discount off the miss cut pieces, I would have gone to his boss.

Even after all of that I still would have visited thir website and sent a email to the customer service center and complained about the quality of work they performed and how unsatisfied you were as a customer. A phone call would also work.

Its a shame the messed up your order but good to see you have you witts about you useing the extra for another project. I myself use extras for other projects. In fact if you look at my garage there are litteraly piles of scape awaiting projects.

If anything this experiance has taught you to;
A. either watch them more closely next time and use another rep
or B. Purchase tools to do the job yourself.

I know they are expensive but Table saws are very usefull even to a simple hobbiest. I myself bought my first saw enorder to build 1 cage. The cage never got built but I have since built dozens using the same saw. To me it was and still is a worthy investment, shortly to be replaced.

If a Table Saw is beyond your need and future use, than perhaps a guide for a circular saw is more your style. Chris Harper built tons of stuff back in the day with a circular saw and guide, very well I might add. So maybe you need the material cut down to transport or just don't have teh ability to do the cut yourself. In the end I would rather blame myself than someone else.

Good Luck in the future and keep us posted on the cage's progress.
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.11 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
0.0.1 Youth -coming soon-

Want something done right, do it yourself... if you don't have the room or money to buy the tools you need, check out in the yellow pages if there are any wood hobby clubs or something along the lines of a public wood shop, ( kinda like a gym membership ) Or, befriend someone that's in the military... I've been in for 9 yrs now, and I've seen some of the nicest wood shops I've ever seen at some of the bases I've been to. The base I'm on right now has a 6000 square foot shop, with OSHA approved dust/waste collection system, and all the tools and help I'd ever need!! Not a bad trade off for getting shot at while on deployment...

Fortunatly I don't get shot at and happen to have my own woodshop. They do have a woodshop on base but I would have to drive there to us it as well as use it during the open hours. Usually while I am at work. However, I am more than willing to cut wood for others, there is just not a huge demand for it. Hell most of my Reptile contacts and friends, I have never actually meet.

Good Luck
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.11 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
0.0.1 Youth -coming soon-

response to message

>>>>>>Want something done right, do it yourself... if you don't have the room or money to buy the tools you need, check out in the yellow pages if there are any wood hobby clubs or something along the lines of a public wood shop, ( kinda like a gym membership ) Or, befriend someone that's in the military... I've been in for 9 yrs now, and I've seen some of the nicest wood shops I've ever seen at some of the bases I've been to. The base I'm on right now has a 6000 square foot shop, with OSHA approved dust/waste collection system, and all the tools and help I'd ever need!! Not a bad trade off for getting shot at while on deployment...

yea i should have thought of this myself. hell i live in va beach and am surrounded by bases all of which have wood shops, and since im a dependant i can use them. dammit now im mad. oh well live and learn. i agree want something done right do it yourself but when you go somewhere that offers to do things for you, you expect it to be done right. i dont expect to go get an oil change and have them forget to put oil in my car.

btw..keep you butt low and our of harms way when over there.
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Beach Beardies

3.4.11 bearded dragons
1.0.0 Turquoise x Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.1.0 Sugar Gliders
0.1.0 Miss Queen Athena (Cat)

ehh, live and let learn, anything that does not kill us makes us be default, stronger!!

First off, it sucks that they screwed up this bad on these cuts. I use home depot for all of my large cutting and have always had great success.

I have a question. Did you pay any attention to the employee while he was cutting the wood? It doesn't make any sense that he got to 3 sheets if you were paying attention. I figured after the first sheet you would have told him he screwed up and this is where he should cut at. The sheets at Home Depot are 97"x49". They give one extra inch so you can shave off all the knicks and dents if needed.

A good thing to do first when you buy wood from Home Depot or Lowe's next time. Is to take a sheet of graph paper and measure out your cuts first. 97 squares by 49 squares. It will save you a ton of trouble and money. I do this everytime I buy wood. If the sizes you need to have cut are going to take up a ton space where you will need multiple sheets. Make sure the excess is cut into pieces you can use for other cages or props.

>>A good thing to do first when you buy wood from Home Depot or Lowe's next time. Is to take a sheet of graph paper and measure out your cuts first. 97 squares by 49 squares. It will save you a ton of trouble and money. I do this everytime I buy wood.

I use to use this method way back in the day, I actually never thought to mention it. Thanks. I must admit I don't use it anymore after years of wood working I do most of it in my head. Have yet to make a mistake and my complex cuts I use a calculator to do the math but I don't waste paper anymore other than a project scetch here or there.

Thanks I hope it helps.
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.11 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
0.0.1 Youth -coming soon-

i was standing right with the guy while he cut it and looked at him like he was a damn idiot. i was so mad. then i talked to a manager and she was pretty much worthless. im writing a letter to corporate about this. ive had other people cut stuff there before and had no problems. this guy was just a moron. that and all he did was tell me about some girl he was sleeping with who was married and was very vulgar and foul about it, like i cared about what he does in his own time, i just wanted wood cut
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Beach Beardies

3.4.11 bearded dragons
1.0.0 Turquoise x Sunburst Veiled Chameleon
1.1.0 Sugar Gliders
0.1.0 Miss Queen Athena (Cat)

Well, every now and then mindless drones are hired. What I always do is find someone who I know knows what he's doing, and more or less only get that one person to cut my wood. I work at Home Depot, so I know these people personally, so that helps. But there are people at my store I wouldn't ask to even pour me a glass of water, because I'm sure they'd mess it up.

However, I know for sure that if what happened to you happened at my store, you'd get taken care of and pay what you should have payed for it.