Which is better suited for a jig.....corian or phenolic?

[Glen Blanchard]

I am building a rather simple ornamental turning device and am in need of an approximately 8" x 8" sheet of material that is 1/2" thick. I would prefer to avoid any movement of the piece so I have ruled out wood as a source of material. The sheet will be placed on the lathe ways and will act as a base upon which everything else will sit. It will be secured in place with a plate sitting beneath the ways by tightening a 1/2" bolt connecting the two. What would work better in such an application - corian or phenolic? The ideal material would have deformation resistance, strength and be easily machined (table saw and drill press). My gut tells me that phenolic would be a better choice but thought I'd get opinions here first.

[Brice Rogers]

Corian would work
Phenolic would work
Aluminum would work
Delrin would work
Nylon would work
G10 or FR4 would work.
Wood would probably work
Brass would work

All you seem to be looking for in a base to fit between the lathe ways. My suggestion is to not overthink this. You have a lot of alternatives.




All you are looking for is a base to anchor something.

[Keith Outten]

Corian is the best choice IMO and is much easier to machine then your metallic options. Any wood based material will have concerns about moisture and Corian scraps are readily available. If you cannot find a local source for Corian scraps you can order ten inch square samples from Dupont or ask for help in our Classifieds Forum.
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[Glen Blanchard]

Yeah, aluminum would have been my first choice but I lack any tools designed for metal working. The only way I could cut the aluminum plate to the desired size is to take it to the table saw. I suppose I could take multiple light cuts to the 1/2" thick aluminum, but isn't that hard on a carbide blade?

[Peter Blair]

Yeah, aluminum would have been my first choice but I lack any tools designed for metal working. The only way I could cut the aluminum plate to the desired size is to take it to the table saw. I suppose I could take multiple light cuts to the 1/2" thick aluminum, but isn't that hard on a carbide blade? Glen I cut aluminum all the time with my band saw.

[Brice Rogers]

Corian will be easier to work with than aluminum.

I have cut 1/2 inch aluminum plate on my radial arm saw (carbide blade). I do push cuts rather than a climbing pull cut and make light cuts. Probably four or five passes for 1/2 inch material. The material will kind of "tell you" if you are trying to take too deep of a cut. Wear safety goggles as the chips will fly around and are often hot. I'm not trying to talk you in to anything, just commenting that it is quite possible to cut alum with wood working type equipment.

BTW, if you look at places like ebay or MSCDirect, you will see that they sell an 8 x 8" x 1/2" aluminum plate. Not cheap (around $40). But as I was looking on ebay I also saw some sizes a little bigger or smaller than 8 x 8" that were priced lower.

[lynn cranmer]

How about a piece of 1/2 inch sheet aluminum?

[Marvin Hasenak]

The online metal places will cut the metal to just about any size you want. It maybe off a 1/16 or so, but as a base it should not matter. But my choice would be Corian, easily obtainable from some cabinet shops. Add that I can machine it myself is a plus factor.

[Peter Blair]

I for one would never try to cut 1/2" aluminum on a radial arm or chop saw. I'm just sayin'!

[Don Bunce]

Depending on which xy table and if you are going to use a 5C spin index or a rotary table, you might consider mounting it on a thicker platform. If you have to use a riser of several inches between the milling table and the rotary table, there will be considerable leverage, making it less rigid.

I would suggest that you start by using plywood to get the basic plan down before using more expensive materials.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, aluminum would have been my first choice but I lack any tools designed for metal working. The only way I could cut the aluminum plate to the desired size is to take it to the table saw. I suppose I could take multiple light cuts to the 1/2" thick aluminum, but isn't that hard on a carbide blade?

Most saw blade manufacturers make tablesaw blades specifically for cutting non-ferrous metals -- that is, aluminum. The blades have lots of teeth, and they have negative rake, so they resist self-feeding. They work well. I bought mine, a Freud 7", at Home Depot for less than $50.

[Peter Blair]

Great advise.

[Olaf Vogel]

Corian will be easier to work with than aluminum.

]


Its pretty easy to cut with most saws. But is abrasive so dulls blades quickly.
Its also brittle -drop it and it will shatter.

But easy to cut, saw, impervious to moisture or most things and easy to get.
Drop by a high end counter top store and ask for scrap. Especially the cutouts from sinks.

Corian would be my choice - if I had both in front of me. And I do. :)

[robert baccus]

Baltic birch plywood is great for this use--several thicknesses.

[Curt Harms]

Corian is certainly easy to work with but will crack. Not easily but it will crack. Would Robert's suggestion of baltic birch ply work for you? I don't know how much baltic birch moves with seasonal changes but I'd suspect not much. I've never dealt with phenolic except in a router table insert so don't know how prone to cracking it is.

[Ted Calver]

Baltic birch for the initial test, then aluminum would be my choice for this purpose. It cuts easily on a table saw with a metal cutting blade (I didn't want to risk dulling my freshly sharpened carbide blade). I've built jigs with corian and it's great for some purposes as long as you are gluing it together or bolting through it. If you need to drill and tap a connector it's not so good and you will need HeliCoil inserts for a decent connection.

[Alex Zeller]

I use to install glass for a living. Almost all commercial store fronts are made from aluminum. We would cut it with both chop and table saws without an issue. Normally we would use a non-ferrous carbide tooth blade but on occasion we would use a wood carbide tooth blade. The aluminum gets hot and will burn, the thicker it is the worse it will be. The same goes with the blade, the duller it is the hotter the aluminum will get. We used bees wax in a stick form on the teeth to help it cool and lubricated. Aluminum is one of the few metals that can easily be worked with but it's not cheap. I haven't priced out the others so they may be in the same ball park.

[Dick Strauss]

The consumer level blades made to cut non-ferrous material on a 10" saw are meant for thin material on the order of 1/16" thick like angle, etc.

[Jamie Buxton]

The consumer level blades made to cut non-ferrous material on a 10" saw are meant for thin material on the order of 1/16" thick like angle, etc.

Forrest has blades that they spec to cut 3/4" thick aluminum.

[Don Bunce]

Aluminum can be cut with a saber saw, and cleaned up with a belt sander or a file.