Melamine router table?

[Michael J Evans]

I've been spending my free time by thinking about building a router table. I had another recent thread about routers and simple tables. I went to a local supplier today who sells excess / seconds materials and Misc hardwoods for good prices. As I was walking in the door they had some pallets outside off to the right of some sheet goods. I didn't look it over before I went in, but I went in found sheets of laminate for $12 sheet and picked up one, thinking one day I may build a table. On the way back out I couldn't help myself and went to check out the sheet goods, couple pallets of siding t1-11 I think it's called and then a pallet of melamine. I walked closer to the particleboard melamine and realize it's either 1" or 11/4" pretty thick stuff. While I was standing there I see the price of $3 a sheet..... Which got my wheels spinning.

I did some searching of "melamine router table" and came across some threads about it and the general recommendation is laminated MDF is better, as the laminate is thicker / more durable. I looked at a scrap piece of melamine and yes the melamine portion is paper thin. Which leads to a few more questions

1) from what I've read melamine isn't really glue able with standard glues, so laminating two pieces is out of the picture correct?

2) is there any reason not to just screw two pieces face to face to make the lamination / top?

3) what about building a frame underneath and attaching the top via pocket holes from the frame underneath? Either the single thickness or using the two pieces screwed together?

4) besides the thinness of the melamine is there really another other reason not to use particleboard melamine? I think the flattest piece of wood I've ever owned was a old particleboard shelf. Compared to mdf it seems a little more stiff.

My thinking is $3 sheet = router table, maybe some garage shelving and or table saw outfeed table, shop cabinets etc.

Excuse my ignorance about this. My only experience with melamine is cutting down a old console cabinet thing my neighbor was throwing out to make a makeshift sharpening bench.

Thanks in advance
Michael

[Robert Engel]

Melamine is surprisingly durable. Part of my outfeed table is melamine and has take a beating for years and stood up well. Most of the extension tables that come with table saws are melamine over MDF. I wouldn't hesitate to make an assembly bench out of it, too.

If the top is well supported, I don't think a double layer is needed.

IMO it will work & for that price you've got nothing to lose.

[Cary Falk]

I took a belt sander and removed the melamine so I could glue 2 pieces together for my router table. That was probably 15 years ago and it is still together.

[Matthew Curtis]

I just screwed two layers together. Works fine.

[Derek Cohen]

Michael, go to your local kitchen bench top supplier and get a section/cut off ...



This is pressure-treated (waterproof) and a highly durable laminated surface. I got mine for free.





Regards from Perth

Derek

[Curt Harms]

1) from what I've read melamine isn't really glue able with standard glues, so laminating two pieces is out of the picture correct?

Nope. Titebond makes a melamine glue and Roo Glue bonds melamine. Those are the ones I know of, there may be others. My router table is a piece of melamine counter top, it works fine. The counter top is probably 1 1/4" thick and I screwed 2 aluminum angles that I had on either side of the router plate opening. It's still flat after 20 years.

[Alan Gage]

My is two pieces of melamine screwed together. I needed to make something in a pinch and it's what I had available. Figured I could always build a better one later but that was about 8 years ago now and I'm still using it (admittedly not real often).

If I'm not mistaken (and I could be) melamine glues are meant to bond melamine to wood but not melamine to melamine.

Alan

[Andrew Seemann]

My router table top is two pieces of particle board screwed together with Formica on the top and several coats of orange shellac on the bottom. You shouldn't have any trouble screwing them rather than gluing two sheets together. The only negative to regular melamine is that sometimes the surface can start to expand and pucker from exposure to moisture or high humidity.

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[roger wiegand]

I got some nice material when I just re-did mine. It has a plywood core, then ~1/8" MDF plies to which the melamine is attached. It's stiffer than MDF alone and stronger to support a router lift.

Titebond sells melamine glue, which appears to work.

[Michael J Evans]

Melamine is surprisingly durable. Part of my outfeed table is melamine and has take a beating for years and stood up well. Most of the extension tables that come with table saws are melamine over MDF. I wouldn't hesitate to make an assembly bench out of it, too.

If the top is well supported, I don't think a double layer is needed.

IMO it will work & for that price you've got nothing to lose.

Thanks Robert that was my thinking as well.

[Michael J Evans]

Michael, go to your local kitchen bench top supplier and get a section/cut off ...



This is pressure-treated (waterproof) and a highly durable laminated surface. I got mine for free.





Regards from Perth

Derek

Thanks Derek
I had thought of that, but being full time employed leaves me very little time during normal business hours when these shops are open to hunt down scraps. I do know of a nice stone countertops place that gave me a scrap once that was close by. Just not sure how I'd machine a router plate into it 😉

[Curt Harms]

My is two pieces of melamine screwed together. I needed to make something in a pinch and it's what I had available. Figured I could always build a better one later but that was about 8 years ago now and I'm still using it (admittedly not real often).

If I'm not mistaken (and I could be) melamine glues are meant to bond melamine to wood but not melamine to melamine.

Alan

You may be correct, I've never looked into it.
Edit: here's what Roo Glue says:


Roo Clear®

Roo Clear is the ideal product to bond a variety of materials and substrates. Clear-drying Roo Clear bonding glue is easy to use and perfect for bonding difficult nonporous materials like melamine, vinyl, PVC edge banding and decorative surfaces to porous substrates. Roo Clear also works great on lacquer, UV coated, painted or other finished surfaces. The professional’s choice for melamine glue.

[Patrick Varley]

Thanks Derek
I had thought of that, but being full time employed leaves me very little time during normal business hours when these shops are open to hunt down scraps. I do know of a nice stone countertops place that gave me a scrap once that was close by. Just not sure how I'd machine a router plate into it 😉

Interesting thought on the granite. Could be done by eliminating the need for a supporting rabbet using these. Probably attach them by creating threaded holes with epoxy (or by setting threaded inserts with epoxy). Process of cutting made even easier (and potentially the ability to mill in slots for T track) if you knew a stone shop with a CNC.

That being said, other than an interesting thought experiment, seems easier (and cheaper) for most to buy a cast iron top.