Looking for ideas to use UHMW sheet??

[Patrick McCarthy]

There is a listing out here for a 4x8 sheet of 2 inch thick Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene , and another one 1/2 inch thick.
It is calling to me, and I know I have seen posts here re using thin strips on fences, etc., but would this be good for a workbench top, or overlay on the bandsaw (cut down, of course), or ????

If you had a big old sheet of UHMW for what projects would you be tempted to use it?? or would you pass????

[Bill Dufour]

Miter gauge guide bars, sacrificial fence

[Jack Frederick]

I just built a 32x84" workbench base. Legs of 3" sq steel post, crosses of 2" sq . I welded some plate on the bottom of each leg, which I drilled and tapped. I have had some 3/4" UHMW and made feet for the bottoms of the legs. The bench sits well, but I can throw a loop around the legs and drag the bench anywhere I want it. It was a compromise for mobility. It is really tough and came out well and beats casters, as long as I don't have the bench loaded up. I cut and chamfered the UHMW on my Sawstop. There was really very little length cut, but the plastic loaded up the dust collection. There were wads of the plastic that sat just below the blade. Check your saw frequently. I was lucky to find it as i chose to change the blade right after cutting the plastic.

[Gary Ragatz]

The 1/2" makes a nice kitchen cutting board :)

[Allan Speers]

Also great for planer, Jointer, and bandsaw extension tables.
Router bases.
All manner of jigs....

Tons of stuff, though 2" is mighty thick. - but that's why God invented larger bandsaws with thick resaw blades!
If you can get it cheap enough....

[Mike Kees]

I have a piece that is one inch thick,but mine is roughly 16''x16''. Those two sheets would be useful for a lot of things but that is at least several lifetimes worth of material. Maybe buy it and cut up and sell off pieces here on the classified section ? How cheap is it ?

[Tony Bilello]

If you know the manufacturer, call them and see if this is the exterior type. If it is, there is a ton of usage for it on boats including instrument panels (if cut thin), outdoor table tops, seat backs on the rails to mention a few.

[Tom Bender]

I think Jack is onto something. This could make a lot of stuff mobile without the problems of wheels. By 'throw a loop around' I think he means loop a rope around the leg and around his hips and lean back into it. I do this when I want to move my stack of lumber in the garage. It sits on a pair of 4 x 6 blocks and by pulling one at a time I can drag about twice my weight. If I would attach UHMW I could move twice as much. May not make sense for a pile of wood but for a machine it could be perfect.

[John K Jordan]

There is a listing out here for a 4x8 sheet of 2 inch thick Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene , and another one 1/2 inch thick.
It is calling to me, and I know I have seen posts here re using thin strips on fences, etc., but would this be good for a workbench top, or overlay on the bandsaw (cut down, of course), or ????

If you had a big old sheet of UHMW for what projects would you be tempted to use it?? or would you pass????

Wow, if I lived nearer I'd buy it in a heartbeat (if the price was reasonable) or offer to go halves on those, especially the 2". A few years ago I got some large sheets of 1" HDPE and have used it a lot. I machine parts from it, resaw on the bandsaw, cut it with the table saw. I've given pieces to friends who wanted it to make jigs and things. I haven't machined UHMW poly but from what I read you can work it similarly to HDPE, for example:
http://www.canadarubbergroup.com/machined-plastic-parts-from-uhmw-and-hdpe/

I did use one piece for a work surface top in the maintenance room of my shop, simply setting it over plywood. It is perfect for working on motors, bearings, gears, and other dirty, greasy things.

I have only a small piece of UHMW 2" thick that I've been saving for the perfect application.

JKJ

[Carl Beckett]

I have a cutting board I made from it 3 decades ago that I still use. Any sliding surfaces as noted.

The only downside is that it does not glue well. So mechanical fastening to attach. And it 'creeps' if a high stress anywhere.

It is also great for erosive environments.

Due to the tendency to creep I am not a fan of it unless a backing substrate. For example, I would not use it for a router table top but do use it to attach as a wear surface to an existing fence. They do make a product to attach to the bottom of furniture and equipment to be able to slide them around, and UHMW would work fine for that (although I dont like things sliding).

[Brian Tymchak]

hmm... So, just how much does a 4'x 8' x 2" piece of UHMW weigh?

[Chapel Eastland]

Since the topic is UHMW, where is a good place to buy it? I've bought some from Peachtree but it seems rather high, particularly with shipping.

I've looked on Amazon for 3/8 stock but all I've found so far at a decent price has saw marks though it's advertised as smooth.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[John K Jordan]

Since the topic is UHMW, where is a good place to buy it? I've bought some from Peachtree but it seems rather high, particularly with shipping.

I've looked on Amazon for 3/8 stock but all I've found so far at a decent price has saw marks though it's advertised as smooth.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Weight should be over 300 lbs.

A mere $560 for a 3/8" sheet:
https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23411

They want over $3000 for a 48x96x2" sheet.

I feel fortunate to stumble on the big sheets of 1" HDPE at the recycling yard for scrap prices.

JKJ

[Chapel Eastland]

Weight should be over 300 lbs.

A mere $560 for a 3/8" sheet:
https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23411

They want over $3000 for a 48x96x2" sheet.

I feel fortunate to stumble on the big sheets of 1" HDPE at the recycling yard for scrap prices.

JKJ

All of a sudden, Peachtree doesn't seem so bad.:)

[Patrick McCarthy]

He wants $585 for the 2 inch sheet and $180 for the 1/2 inch thick . . . . . And those prices have been sliding down for the past 2 weeks . . .

[Larry Edgerton]

Since the topic is UHMW, where is a good place to buy it? I've bought some from Peachtree but it seems rather high, particularly with shipping.

I've looked on Amazon for 3/8 stock but all I've found so far at a decent price has saw marks though it's advertised as smooth.

Any ideas? Thanks.

http://norvaplastics.com/

[Larry Edgerton]

I have made compound full extension wood slides using UHMW inserts for permanent lubrication. Replaced the ineffective rubber wipers on my slide saw with ones I made out of UHMW. Motor mounts for a CJ5. Shifter bushings for a 1963 Chevy three on the tree. Wood chute to get firewood into the basement. Gauge blocks for trim reveal.

[Jerry Bruette]

Works great for skids on your ice shack, but looking at your location you may not know what that is or even have one.:D

[Jack Frederick]

this is how I made the feet. The “loop” I use is a nylon choker and even with a moderate load I can skid the table.

[Keith Outten]

Very Nice Workbench Jack!!!
I love steel workbenches but I am in the minority here :)
I noticed the 2" receiver tubing in the floor, that's a great feature.

Larry, I visit Norva Plastics often and I am a personal friend of the owner. Howard is a great guy with a very impressive business, lots of very cool machines and he has opened his facility in the past for tours and given away a ton of scrap material. The last time I attended one of Howard's Tours I left with a huge van load of 3/4" thick PVC sheets. Howard never stops working, he is at his shop almost all of the time, even on weekends when the shop is closed.