Laminated boards for router table - a bad idea?

[mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.ne]

As I prepare to build my router table, I have to get some laminate for the top (and underside of the top). While I was in the BORG today, I saw these laminated floorboards.

The fit together incredibly snug. In fact, one of the rooms in my house has these boards. They only cost about $3 a square foot.

I figure it would be a LOT easier to lay these out and get the nice flat surface I'm looking for. The boards are usually "floated", but they can be glued.

Is there any reason that this would be a bad idea?

Jack

[Roy]

I've seen seams open up in non-flat floors. Probably not a problem on a router table. Flatter than the floors.

Me, I'd go with the regular laminated. I bought a damaged Wilsonart 4x8 sheet for $7 about a year ago. Worked fine for my table saw extension/router table. Lot of usable material.

The laminate DOES make a good zero clearance insert.

[ben]

mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net"

[Fred]

"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" wrote in message news: [e-mail]...

About half the price at Costco,

I would use my brad nail gun and contact cement. The under side is also smooth and may not stick too well.

Why not get a solid piece of 3/4" thick liminated 4x8 sheet and be done with it without the gluing part. Some places sell partial sheets like 4x2, 4x4 rather getting a whole box of laminates.

[marks542004]

I have always used what I know as melamine board. The prelaminated particle board, often seen as shelving.

[pat]

Wood not great for a router table top; no need to bore you with the reasons. A bad choice.

More on routers? See the

link.

[pat]

Wood not great for a router table top; no need to bore you with the reasons. A bad choice.

More on routers? See the

link.

[mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.ne]

No no no ... please bore me (uh, no pun intended).

The Pergo laminate flooring in my "library room" takes a beating and looks great. It's laminated wood, right?

So what I'm trying to figure out is .. why is layering laminated wood on a router table better or worse or the same as laminatING wood?

Jack

[e-mail] wrote:

[Robatoy]

Find out who does engineered stone, such as SileStone, granite in your area. Sink/cooktop cut-outs are often free... or cheap. Solid surface makes for a nice flat surface. You'll need to do a little running around for somebody to drill (core bore) a hole for you. Well worth the effort and classy too.

[pat]

You need an 1" of it to keep it from deflecting (unless you stress the hell out of its support), it will change shape no matter what finish you put on it, work running accross the grain will scuff it and spoil . Put some fixturing on it and as it (your substrate) changes shape it will distort the fixturing. Flatness is critical, you won't get it with wood. If no precision work is expected use it, give it a shot.

[Robert L. Haar]

Pat, when you saw "wood," I am assuming that you are referring to natural wood lumber, either in single wide pieces (unlikely) or edge glued. I can understand problems with warping, grain lift, etc. What are wood composites or engineered lumber?

My own preference is two 3/4" layers of MDF glued together and then covered with sheet laminate top and bottom.

[mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.ne]

Oh ... I wasn't planning on "only" using the laminated boards. I have an old 1 1/4" thick solid wood door from years back. It's heavy as iron (not sure what wood it is, but it's nice and hard .. think it was an external door that my father-in-law kept in the garage).

I was going to use that as the substrate (sp?) and glue down the laminate ooards over it.

Jack

[e-mail] wrote:

[CW]

Most of that stuff has no solid wood in it. Its a plastic laminate over a particle board substrate.

[CW]

Cutting a hole for the insert would be a bit difficult.

[Archangel]

Why hide what's sure to be a wonderful piece of wood. I'll trade a flat milled aluminum plate for your old door any day of the week. No matter how old or hard it is wood will expand and contract with humidity changes, the only exception I know of is petrified wood...

[pat]

In my view, wood laminates, resin impregnated etc are not good choices. There are no flatness specs on this stuff. They change shape. We're talking about making a tool for routing, not exploiting left over materials. Some of the criteria for a simple router table:

will pay off.