I've been kicking this can down the road for years, but I finally got a job that involves cutting so much melamine board there's no way I'm doing it with a circular saw.
I watched multiple safety videos before even opening the package, and now I'm just sitting here staring at it wondering whether I should fire it up and cut off a finger or two. I'm fucking terrified of this thing.
Go for it, slow. As a small but determined girl I split quite a number of large-ish boards with a monstrosity of a table saw from the 80s to make beams of the desired width for a tiny house. The important thing is always go slowly. Prepare well. Where is each piece and cutoff going to be at each time of the process. Where are your fingers going to be. Play this through in your mind, only then start cutting. If you cut large pieces build some kind of support they can be pushed onto, falling or hanging heavy pieces are always a bad idea - I also had some wheels screwed onto a support for easier moving of the large stuff. I guess the danger is what makes woodworking so meditative. Lose your attention, lose a finger.