Good info on UHMW - what about phenolic?

[Steve Turner]

Since we're searching for low cost sources (and having some success) what about suppliers for sheets of phenolic for something less than the price of gold? I don't see why it should cost $25 to $50 to make a silly zero-clearance table saw insert or a router plate.

There have been several occasions where I've gone into a public bathroom and found that the stall walls were made of solid 1/2" or 3/4" phenolic sheets; certainly others have seen this too? There's no WAY these sheets can cost anywhere near what the woodworking supply companies are sticking us for router plate material; it would cost upwards of $5000 just to put a few stalls in a bathroom! Any ideas?

[Jay Giuliani]

I used a hard plastic material, actal type unknown.

I was in the local Bed, Bath and Beyond a couple of months ago and they had some food prep boards made of a whitish, opaqure plastic for a couple of bucks apiece.

I bought one and experimented with it.

I was able to cut it easily on a small bandsaw and used a forstner bid to cut recesses for the mounting tans on the table top.

For the slot, I just slowly brought the blade up therough the material at full tilt to the left and then the right.

I trimmed it with the router and it works great.

I went back and bought a few more and have been making inserts for the other tools as needed.

[J. Clarke]

Is it really phenolic? The ones I've seen which were busted enough for the material to be identifiable were generally particle board with a plastic overlay.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Not so good for bathroom stalls though.

[-MIKE-]

of moon gel?

[Roger amd Missy Behnke]

"J. >

There are a variety of materials used. Bobrick offers a phenolic core covered with laminate. They are significantly more expensive than the metal or particle board types.

[Steve Turner]

I think I saw those, and I was tempted to buy a couple for that very purpose. I'll have to go back and pick some up.

[-MIKE-]

Simply supply and demand, coupled with market value.

How much will they pay for this and still buy it? What do comparables sell for?

I told the story (rmmp, maybe) of buying products in craft store for half the of what they charge for the same exact product, from the same manufacturer, just in different colored/designed graphics, at Lowes/HD.

[-MIKE-]

I have a few of those, too. I gey them when those places go under and have clearance sales. I use it for all kinds of jigs and sleds. It's not quite the same as UHMW (at least not what I've bought from WC), but works well for lots of stuff.

[Steve Turner]

I'm 95% sure the ones I've seen were not a plastic overlay. They were machined all around the edges, and looked like solid material. The stall doors were *very* solid, and I did quite a lot of tapping on them with my knuckles to listen for the "tone" of the material (I am a drummer, after all) and my sense was that they were indeed solid phenolic. BTW, I did make sure no one else was in there, so as not to receive any unwanted taps in return. :-)

[Steve Turner]

Always! But not for router plates. :-)

[-MIKE-]

I've seen what you're talking about and agree that they appeared to be solid plastic.

The

You sure you weren't tapping your foot on the foot in the next stall? :-p

[-MIKE-]

I'm too embarrassed to ask over at rmmp, but do you remember any of the suggestions for that.

I'm actually looking. I've been teaching drum tuning at a recording school and I keep leaving them behind.

[DanG]

You might be quite shocked to find out what toilet partitions cost. Gibraltor brand are solid phenolic capped with a melamine final surface. Santana is solid plastic . Bobrick is a hybrid fiberglass/plastic type product. Stainless steel, marble, etc round out the possibilities. At the bottom end are painted steel and Formica clad particle board.

Painted steel is the cheapest. $50-75 per surface - each door, pilaster, side wall and additional money for hardware and clips. Santana well over $200 per surface. Gibraltor and Bobrick quite a bit higher.

[J. Clarke]

Interesting--I've got to start hanging out in a better class of public toilet .

[-MIKE-]

I imagine half the cost of R&D in that field is developing surfaces that are resistant to Sharpie markers.

Now if you could just get people to install them with the doors opening out (like the handicapped stalls), so I don't have to back up into the toilet just to get out.

[-MIKE-]

I was in a hotel restroom (Omni in ATL, or maybe the luxury box section of that arena) that had solid hardwood panel partitions trimmed in what I swear was Mahogany. Complete with valet dude drying your hands and offering cologne and all that.

Now if the Flying J could get on board with that. :-)

[dhall987]

Santana partitions are pretty good and reasonably priced compared to competition. The School District I work for has used it extensively as it does a good job of resisting the efforts of the little bast... er, little darlings to write on it, carve on it, burn it and otherwise trash their schools. It also doen't rust (even when regularly peed upon), doesn't absorb odors, is easily installed, holds well to fasteners, etc. I have a nice sheet of their stuff in black from when a renovation was done. Many years old (I think it was in that restroom for about 25 years) and still in great shape. Have had it for several years and haven't quite decided what to use it for... For the prior poster, a decent set of stalls in a reasonably sized public restroom that are designed to take this kind of abuse for 30 to 40 years will most definitely cost more than $5,000 when you include hardware and installation. Material cost differences between a good product like Santana and some painted steel stalls that will be ready for the dumpster in 5 years (if they can even last that long) is really minimal to the overall project cost.

[Dave in Houston]

Have you tried the Minneapolis airport terminal men's room? I hear you can meet U. S. senators there.

Dave in Houston

[Brandon]

it in 3/4" and 1/2" cut to order VERY reasonable. I later found that they offer recycled UHMW it was even cheaper, but it is bright green.