Rockler router table exposed edge

[steve franklin]

Hello,

I just received a Rockler router table and I am concerned about the exposed MDF edge. I thought it had a plastic edge but appears to be bare MDF. This will not last in Florida or anywhere else in the southeast. I have some bathtub epoxy or Tightbond. What would you suggest?

Thanks, Steve

[john bateman]

If the edge is flat and not rounded over, you can get melamine edge banding at the big-box home centers.
It might be a little harder to find the width you need, though.

http://www.band-itproducts.com/index.php?do=commerce:commercial_products:melamine :edging

[steve franklin]

Thanks for the comment. It is rounded, bullnose profile.

Steve

[Homer Faucett]

That's odd, mine came with the rubber banding wrapped around the edge--stuck into a groove in the melamine. I cut the table down to fit inside my Incra TS-LS rails, and framed it inside some 5/8 plywood (glued, screwed, and biscuits) for added stiffness, and I ran some extra supports on either side of the plate opening. I'll see if I can get a picture for you, but adding a solid wood or plywood edging to a melamine top should be pretty easy for a woodworker.

[steve franklin]

Thanks Homer,

I thought it had an edge dressing of some sort too. I re-looked the photos on the web site and there is no protection that I can see. Mine looks to be raw MDF. That will swell before the summer gets going good. So, 'How to protect' ???

Steve

[Gene Howe]

Thanks Homer,

I thought it had an edge dressing of some sort too. I re-looked the photos on the web site and there is no protection that I can see. Mine looks to be raw MDF. That will swell before the summer gets going good. So, 'How to protect' ???

Steve

I seal MDF edges (and end grain) with WWIII water resistant glue. Apply it as if you were going to glue something to the edge and work it in with a finger or 3. It will be evident which areas may need a 2nd application.

[Homer Faucett]

Well, look at that, Rockler's new version dropped the edge treatment. That's just not cool! I'd personally cut the table down to square up the corners, and wrap it in oak or some other hardwood. Glue the hardwood to the MDF, and you don't have to worry about swelling, plus it stiffens up the whole table, just like adding hardwood banding to a shelf.

[Homer Faucett]

Oh, and I'll look for the rubber edge that I pulled out of mine. If I can find it, you can rout a groove in the center of your edge and use mine.

[glenn bradley]

I doubt the rubber edge would have much to do with helping the unit survive inclement weather conditions. It is just press fit into a slot around the outer edge; there is no lamination or the like. I do think it is a little cheesy that they have dropped this detail though.

I am with Homer on squaring off the table and adding your own frame. You could use splines to help with alignment if you like and the glue up would help seal those open edges a bit. FWIW, I have non laminated MDF drawer units that are sealed with shellac. They have been trouble free in an uninsulated garage for . . . let me check . . . from around summer 2007. Shellac is like aspirin; good for all sorts of stuff.

[Jason White]

Spray or brush a few coats of clear polyurethane onto the bare MDF. It will soak into the MDF and seal it from moisture. Makes it very durable, too.

Jason


If the edge is flat and not rounded over, you can get melamine edge banding at the big-box home centers.
It might be a little harder to find the width you need, though.

http://www.band-itproducts.com/index.php?do=commerce:commercial_products:melamine :edging

[Van Huskey]

+2 on Homer's suggestion. Even with the MDF edge sealed the edge is still pretty vulnerable and will erode over time with nothing else covering it.