Plastic Laminating sheet for router table

[Philip Florio]

I'm building a router table from plans from Wood magazine {Sept 09, issue 192, page 56, Router table and Organizer} The plan calls for a 23" x 32" plastic laminating sheet for the top over MDF.

I went to Lowes and they don't have it, one of the workers said for a router top I should use 1/4" Plexiglas!

Any suggestions where I can buy plastic laminate, is this sold in rolls?

Phil

[Michael Weber]

The local Lowes carries plastic laminate and I live in a pretty small town. Did you look back in the kitchen area where they store premade kitchen cabinets? It should come in sheets of about 4 x 10 or so. You can also look up a Formica distributor in the yellow pages.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Formica is in the back right hand side of Lowes, provided that the layout is the same as most I'd been in. Back where they keep the pre-made slab counter tops. Back behind where the bath tubs, toilets and whatnot are.

[Garrett Ellis]

yeah it was pretty well hidden the time i was looking for it, would have never found it on my own.

does anyone sell it in sizes less than 4x8?

[Tony Bilello]

I'm building a router table from plans from Wood magazine {Sept 09, issue 192, page 56, Router table and Organizer} The plan calls for a 23" x 32" plastic laminating sheet for the top over MDF.

I went to Lowes and they don't have it, one of the workers said for a router top I should use 1/4" Plexiglas!

Any suggestions where I can buy plastic laminate, is this sold in rolls?

Phil

Plastic laminate or more properly HPL (High Pressure Laminate) is counter top material sold under brand names as Formica, Pionite, Wilsonart and various others. It comes in relatively stiff thin sheets which can be bent if you want it to. Normally sold in 49 X97" sheets. Sometimes Lowes and Home Depot sell short pieces that were cut-offs. It is typically applied with contact cement. It will make a nice slick top. The worker in Lowes didn't have a clue as what he was talking about, which is typical.
If you live near a cabinet shop, they will give you a piece you need for free. I give it away all of the time.

[Bob Vavricka]

When I need plastic laminate for the top of a fixture, etc. in the shop. I usually go to the local lumber yard and see if they have any pieces that got damaged in transit. You don't get to choose the pattern/color but that usually doesn't make me any difference. If I only need smaller pieces, sometimes I score it for free. Of course it helps that I know some of the people that work there.
Bob V.

[Wayne Sparkman]

Take a look at one of the phenolic resin based laminates before you buy anything else. Phenolic sheeting will be slicker (lower coefficient of friction) than HPL, and will have greater chemical resistance.

Of course the trade-off is that it is also more expensive.

You can buy pre-laminated birch plywood with the phenolic surface. Saves a bunch of time, mess and waste.

[Chuck Isaacson]

I'm building a router table from plans from Wood magazine {Sept 09, issue 192, page 56, Router table and Organizer} The plan calls for a 23" x 32" plastic laminating sheet for the top over MDF.



I built this same router table. I just made mine a little shorter cause I am in a wheelchair. Nice little table. Fits the bill quite nicely. I plan to put some Plexiglas on the from of it so that I can get some decent dust collection from it. Good luck.

Chuck

[George Rinehardt]

I just recently purchased a sheet of HPL from Lowes which was about $43 for the white sheet. I had noticed that under the rack there were a few sheet laying on the floor. The employee of Lowes told me they were slightly damaged pieces, chips on the edge and some small cracks. I was able to buy the sheet for half price, approx. $21. Ask them in that dept. if they have any slighly damaged pieces, and maybe you can get a deal. You'll have alot left over, but it makes great material for making other jigs like a router sled. You'll definitly find many uses for it. Good Luck with the router table.

[sean m. titmas]

you can try asking your local cabinet shops for any scraps that they may have. im sure they would be happy to give you some of their leftovers.

[Jerome Hanby]

Man, it's got to be a sign that I spend too much time in Lowe's when I can positively know that back right hand side of mine is the area where the plumbing hardware for the bath and kitchen fixtures live.:D Counter-tops and such would be close to the center back at my local store.

I really have to question where they place some products. I was interested in what rust removal chemicals the Orange Borg I was in last niche carried. Didn't see them anyplace I thought it was sensible to look. By accident, I found naval jelly sitting beside the tightbond in the adhesive aisle.


Formica is in the back right hand side of Lowes, provided that the layout is the same as most I'd been in. Back where they keep the pre-made slab counter tops. Back behind where the bath tubs, toilets and whatnot are.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

If you ever need the old [China] grease pencils.. Those are in with the tiles and whatnot.. "Tool world" will think you're crackers.. :D

I'll have to check for naval jelly.. DID find the Johnsons Paste Wax.. It's over with the cleaning stuff, which is no surprise.

[daniel lane]

Man, it's got to be a sign that I spend too much time in Lowe's when I can positively know that back right hand side of mine is the area where the plumbing hardware for the bath and kitchen fixtures live.:D Counter-tops and such would be close to the center back at my local store.

By any chance are you left-handed? I've found that like myself, most of my left-handed friends think in pictures, so they usually "draw" a store map in their brains the first time they enter a store and refer to that from then on.

It drives my wife insane that I can tell her exactly where things are located from a "photo" in my head. (The latest was, "there's a small black box of matches on the dresser next to the nail file and underneath the old key to the VW, just behind the cell phone charger" after we lost power Tues night.) I only wish the photographic memory worked with words, as well. :(



daniel

[Jerome Hanby]

I guess I'm not technically left handed, since I write with my right hand, but that could be because I was taught that method. I don't really favor either hand, whichever is in the best position is the one I use. I give directions exactly like your description and it also drives my wife crazy.

I think each individual may have a finite amount of storage for eidetic memory. Too bad I used all mine up with albums and lyrics:eek:. But if you want to talk Zappa or Moody Blue lyrics, I'm your man:D


By any chance are you left-handed? I've found that like myself, most of my left-handed friends think in pictures, so they usually "draw" a store map in their brains the first time they enter a store and refer to that from then on.

It drives my wife insane that I can tell her exactly where things are located from a "photo" in my head. (The latest was, "there's a small black box of matches on the dresser next to the nail file and underneath the old key to the VW, just behind the cell phone charger" after we lost power Tues night.) I only wish the photographic memory worked with words, as well. :(



daniel

[Don Jarvie]

Sometimes the BORGs have pre made counter tops without the back splash. Just have to cut to size and make the whole.

I'm actually thinking of this for my table saw extension.

[Philip Florio]

Well I asked about 6 guys at this one Lowe's

Today I went to Home Depot, I was told it's special order. I'll try another Lowe's or cabinet shop.

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Formicais special order? That's crackers... No clue where it is in HD's, but really, take a walk to the back right of Lowes and chances are you'll spot it in the steel opposite the slab counters.

Still can't find it? Go to the cabinets section and ask where the counter tops are kept. It'll be in that area.

[Steve Southwood]

our menards sells half sheets. also lowes, but whole only. back left corner. :D

[tyler mckee]

i had to oreder a sheet at lowes, although i wanted the color they have that was closest to delta grey. They may have had some in stock. 4X8 was right around $50 i believe

[Bob Jones 5443]

I went through this about 15 years ago. Back then Home Depot carried 48x96 Formica sheets in the store. You could walk in and find lots of pieces with big chips or cracks, and they’d let you have it for half price. Today that’s all over, and also at Lowe’s, I suspect. They have wised up and no longer carry the sheets in the store. You have to order them. They come in intact, and the store has eliminated all that waste.

Now I need to rebuild the table for a new router lift with a different size plate. This time I think I’ll approach a cabinet maker for an off cut. I only need about 32 x 27 and 12 x 27 (split by the miter slot).

[Rick Potter]

I remember about 15 years ago when Lowes bought out a local store called Eagles. They then had a huge parking lot sale where they sold off anything in the store that Lowes was not going to carry.

It was raining the day I went there, and found some sheets of various color Formica. They were mostly 36x96 sheets, sized for cabinets, and were, I think, reduced to $10 a sheet. I offered them $50 for the whole stack, and took home over 30 sheets, many of which turned out to be close to the Delta Grey color. Still got about 15 sheets left.

Some had broken corners, but most were fine. :D

[Tom Dixon]

I would just order a 4x8 sheet of Wilsonart D315-60 Platinum gray matte finish. I always keep a bit around the shop since it is my preferred color for tops and jigs. I also usually keep some matte black HPL around for accents on some fence and jig parts. I just keep larger pieces rolled up in the box HD or Lowes will ship it to you in. A heat gun will help you flatten it out if it has too much curve in it before application if you have been storing it for a while. Be careful cutting it on a table saw. It tends to want to slide under a fence so having a piece of 1/4" plywood next to the fence the laminate can ride on top of will prevent it from doing that.

FYI for applying smaller tops/pieces the best contact glue I have found is 3M spray cans of High Strength 90 (https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-17-6-oz-Hi-Strength-90-Spray-Adhesive-90-24/100151277). It is way easier to apply than rolling or brushing on contact cement.

[Tom M King]

I have two 12' pieces that I bought off of CL because they were cheap, still new rolls in boxes-one white, and one black. Laid out in the Sun, on plywood, and sawhorses, it flattens out fairly quickly. It comes pretty fast if you do order a special size, and color.