melamine over plywood or mdf

[Steven Triggs]

I'm making a new outfeed table, and I'd like to make the top out of a sheet of melamine (standard particle board type) over either a sheet of plywood or mdf, for a total thickness of approximately 1.5". My old outfeed table had a top of melamine, and I really liked it for being able to write on it and wipe off the pencil, and for material sliding so freely on it. However, I'd like it to be a bit more solid, hence the sheet of plywood or mdf under it.

Anyway, I'm looking for thought on how to attach the two sheets to each other? So far, possibilities I've thought of:

1. Lots of screws (maybe on a 12" grid pattern) from underneath, going through the ply/mdf into the melamine: concerned about the ability of the screws to hold in the melamine.

2. Melamine glue to "laminate" the two sheets together: concerned that it may be very difficult to securely press them together while the glue sets, so may introduce lots of "unflatness".

I'm hoping someone has some experience doing this and can share their experience and method...

Thanks

[Prashun Patel]

If you want a permanent solution, I'd use contact cement.

However, I do think a couple screws will hold just fine. Both the melamine and mdf are heavy and stable, so if you can keep if from sliding around, I believe screws'll hold just fine.

[John W Johnson]

I have no experience using melamine; however, I tried something similar with phenolic plywood over MDF. How did it work out you ask? NOT TOO GOOD. For some reason I had fears about screws deforming the plywood, so I decided to glue them together. It was a pain to sand thru the coating, which led to my breaking out the belt sander. Second big mistake. Long story short, the surface ended up with a slight bow in the middle. It was just bad enough to cause concerns, so I copied something I had read on Pat Warner's site.

I glued two pieces of 3/4" MDF together, then applied 3-4 coats of Waterlox, and finally a couple of coats of paste wax. I think Pat only uses one layer for his router tops, but like you I wanted the extra heft for an infeed/outfeed table. I have also used doubled 1/2" MDF for a router table top and a worktable. I glued an oak protective skirt around the worktable and router top. It has been great in all applications. If you go that route make sure you protect it soon after you glue it up. Those outfeed tables have been in use for at least seven years, have been moved twice, and still look okay, but most importantly are still flat. They get another coat of wax every so often, but that's it.

[Victor Robinson]

Another option would be to glue two sheets of MDF together (yellow glue works fine and the weight of the top sheet helps a lot) and then apply a plastic laminate skin (Formica, etc.) with contact cement. It's important to apply the skin to both sides to prevent warping. Perhaps seems like more work that what you're considering, but I think a better result is more likely.

This is how I made my router table top and it's pretty durn flat.

[Prashun Patel]

What am I missing here. It's an outfeed table. How perfectly flat and strong does it need to be? If yr relying on this as a deadflat assembly table, then I can understand, but otherwise an outfeed table doesn't have the same flatness or structural requirements as a router table. Power to you if you want to engineer this more than's required, though.

[Jeff Duncan]

I'm also in the camp of using laminate. I have melamine for an out feed now as it was what I had lying around the shop last time I re-arranged. It has not held up well and isn't really the best bet for this type of top. Take two sheets of mdf, glue and screw and then contact down the laminate. You'll have a very durable top that will last for a long time.

good luck,
JeffD

[Jim Becker]

Rather than laminate these two dissimilar sheet goods (which would likely work ok, but....), consider just building a frame under the top, perhaps 2" thick, with strips of good quality plywood. This will produce a table top that is quite solid feeling and warp-resistant and will likely be much stronger in the long run than two sheets glued together...which still need to be properly supported anyway. You can make the construction even stiffer if you want by putting a bottom face of 1/4" material to finish it off.

This is the type of construction I used with the outfeed table solution I made for the cabinet saw I used to own. Many others have built it since. I also agree with the comments about using laminate over Melamine. Much more durable.

[jim gossage]

Another option would be to glue two sheets of MDF together (yellow glue works fine and the weight of the top sheet helps a lot) and then apply a plastic laminate skin (Formica, etc.) with contact cement. It's important to apply the skin to both sides to prevent warping. .

This is exactly what I did for my outfeed table - 2 pieces of MDF, formica, and contact cement. No clamps, just the weight of the MDF. I left the bottom unfinished and never had any problem with warping.

[Steve Griffin]

Melamine makes a great outfeed table. Slippery, flat, cheap. Mine's just single 3/4" layer, but is mounted on a simple cabinet with a door so it's plenty flat and strong.

[Steven Triggs]

I have the melamine, so that is much cheaper for me than buying a sheet of laminate and a sheet of substrate for it, and less work too. Also, the surface of my last outfeed table of melamine held up fine for years, so I see no need for something better. I'm building a new one because it was sized for a smaller saw, this is for my cabinet saw.

As to flatness, I want to be able to use it as a secondary assembly table, so I'd like it pretty flat.

Also, I'm wanting it to be somewhat heavy so it won't move around every time I bump into it.

Based on some of the feedback, I think I'll just go with the single layer of melamine (no other sheet good under it). I was planning to run several cross braces of plywood on edge under the top anyway, and it sounds like that should be good enough.

If I have any issues with it getting bumped around, I'll just tie it to the rear t-slot of my incra fence rail.

Thanks for all the responses. I'll post pics when I'm finished with it (hopefully within a week or two).

[Jim Matthews]

Waxed plywood is plenty slick.

Why add a step? If you do apply melamine, use dowels or reclaimed slats from blinds as stand offs.
Contact cement is best, but unforgiving. Freshly trimmed melamine is sharp - break all edges.

If your intention is to pull double duty, the slick surface can induce other problems.

[Kevin Presutti]

I tend to agree with Jim on this issue. After understanding the the structural integrity of "Torsion Box" construction it would appear to me that building an outfeed table, which in all likelyhood would be considered permanant, would serve you well for many years with absolutely no issues. The Wood Whisperer has a video on building a "Dead Flat" torsion box work table which I am not suggesting you neccesarily build but is an interesting video none the less on construction technique and your table would be torsion box "like" or you could build the real deal . Now depending on how much of a stickler you are for detail what Jim has suggested seems more than adequate for an outfeed table and supporting legs would be a breeze to install.

[Peter Quinn]

I built a few with 3/4" MDF core melamine, made a ladder frame out of poplar scraps that I screwed from below, it's so strong it could double as a bike ramp. For the stable part, well one end gets securely fastened to a 600# cabinet saw, the other end had a basic plywood cabinet under it that provided storage and stability. Worked well for years. We have a similar setup where i work, it has to be 15 years old and it works fine. Once every decade or so the melamine gets replaced, but that's in a commercial setting! Yours should last much longer.