Can laminated hardboard be used to make zero clearance throat plates for a table saw?

By laminated hardboard I presume you mean an MDF substrate with a top layer of high pressure laminate, (Formica Wilsonart etc). It would make an excellent throat plate providing you can get the thickness you need. You can also laminate your own plywood with PLam. Joe G

No reasons.

Assuming what you are talking about is Melamine shelving, I doubt it would be very good. Typically Melamine shelving is made with OSB and or particle board.

Melemine on MDF would be much better.

Yeah, MDF would work great, but definitely not the chip-n-spit boards I've seen in prepacked garage shelving units.

I wonder if there are standards and/or a reference to such standards for all the "termite vomit" (LOVE that term) products out there.

I use some left over manufactured flooring (like Pergo) Tough stuff. I drill and tap for setscrews to adjust the leveling. WW

Termite mounds are made from termite vomit. You could just about run a Mack truck into a termite mound and the truck would lose. The mounds also have central heating and AC. The mounds are also tourist attractions in Oz. So, way better than chip 'n spit boards.

wrote

It may be worth knowing that there have been reports of unsecured plates being lifted as the blade cuts and then ejected into the face of the operator.

Jeff

Unsecured? As is screwed down to the saw or with a pin in the back to catch the table top? I don't know of any that are positively attached to the saw. The pin in the back can simply be a screw. Of course, when raising the blade to make the slot the plate has to be clamped down. Am I missing something?

No, you're not.

Unsecured? As is screwed down to the saw or with a pin in the back to catch the table top? I don't know of any that are positively attached to the saw.

The older Cradtsman TS required the loosening of a front countersunk Philips head machine screw. When loosened a key hole slot in the front of the insert would allow the insert to slide up and forward and finally up again and off the table. The back end of the insert had a bracket that slid under the table top.

My Delta has a machine screw on the front end and a nipple on the back.

Guess my point is that it's kind of irrelevant to what material is being used.

You guys have been a lot of help.

I'll use MDF with a laminate and I'll secure it to the top.

Thanx a lot.

Go to your local solid surface fabricator and ask for a vanity sink cut-out. Makes a great insert.

They make great lots-of-other-things, too.

I just made one out of a leftover plastic computer case and a peice of bent metal for the splitter - workds great good luck

I would just add that 1/2" MDF will flex too much. I don't know if the laminate would be enough to strengthen it, probably so. I ended up gluing some hardwood strips on either side of the blade to stiffen it up, and made all the ones after that out of plywood that didn't have that problem.

-Kevin

How the heck would it flex too much. There's no pressure put on a ZCI, right? At least, there shouldn't ever be. If everything on your saw is set up true and your blade is flat, you could practically use a piece of clipboard.

My main ZCI is phenolic, but I've made a bunch of inserts from 1/2" MDF for cutting various width dadoes and I've never had a problem with them flexing or sagging.

as far as the hold down all you have to do is attatsh s clip or metal plate to the rear with a screw. There must be enough clearance - maybe