router table

[greg munro]

Iam replacing my kitchen countertops.Would the counter top make a good router table. mdf covered in melaine.thanks greg

[Bob Genovesi]

Iam replacing my kitchen countertops.Would the counter top make a good router table. mdf covered in melaine.thanks greg

Welcome Greg!

To answer your question; Yes, melamine makes a great surface to work on and the price seems right also.

Merry Christmas!

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/BobbyG53/tree.gif

[Mike Marcade]

Just make sure you have good support around the router. MDF will tend to sag because of its lack of grain structure.

[Mike Cutler]

Yep. Excellent router table material. It does need to be supported well though.

[Bill Huber]

IMO, I don't think it would, I used to think it would be I don't anymore.

It is not very dense, most counter tops are not made out of High density fiberboard, it is a lower density.
It only has laminate on one side and this is a problem.
Most counter tops are just 3/4 of 5/8 of an in thick.

But if you added a piece of 3/4 MDF to it and then laminated the other side it may work ok. You also want to make sure the edges are sealed very good.

But then I am not looking at your counter tops and they maybe fine.

[Lee Koepke]

I used a salvaged plam top and base cabinets from something I had built years ago. Its held together OK, the base has had its share of reinforcement. I added some 3/4 ply underneath to help with support and its worked fine for several years.

I have a new station on my shop list, but it may be awhile.

[Dave Falkenstein]

If you took two pieces of the countertop and glued them together - bottom to bottom - you would have a double thick piece with laminate on both sides. If it is deep enough for your router table, that would make a decent top, as long as the router is well supported. Add some hardwood edge trim too.

[Rick Gooden]

Greg,

I discovered the use of Melamine in the shop a couple of years ago. I have a planer stand, assembly table, drill press table, and workbench all with this type of top. I think, like others have said, the key is good support. I use cross members, then 3/4" plywood, then the melamine. My workbench has taken a pounding (literally) for a couple of years and is still going strong.