Phenolic runners

[chippy1970]

I picked up some offcuts of Phenolic plastic last year while fitting out some club toilets. I have one large piece about 600 x 600 maybe more have not measured it and some small strips about 100 x 500.

I am thinking of making a sled for my table saw and using 20mm rips of Phenolic as the runners has anyone else used Phenolic for runners I know its hard wearing but wondered if anyone else has actually used it for this purpose.

Also whats the best glue to use with Phenolic plastic if i was to glue the runners into a groove.

 

[mailee]

Yes Chippy, I have used it for the runner on my table saw tennoning jig and it works great. I also have some on my router table sled and this runs in an aluminium mitre slot which also works fine. :wink:

 

[JonnyD]

The guide rails that the bearings run on on my panel saw are phenolic plastic. The saw is now about 8 years old and there are no signs of wear on the guide rails so it should be an excellent material for what you want to do.

jon

 

[Digit]

I use it as well, low friction, easily machined.
Works well.

Roy.

 

[chippy1970]

Cheers guys just as I thought it is hard wearing enough.

I know its a pipper to cut we fitted out a few tiolets with it last year we had some huge 2400 x 1200 panels that arived on site too long so we had to cut them down. We just used a circular saw the smell was really bad. I will run it through my table saw hopefully it wont dull the blade too much I dont really fancy cutting it with my TS55.

The big sheet I have has a wood grain effect on each side.

 

[Inspector]

That really bad smell is really bad for the lungs too. I remember a long time ago being told that Phenolic releases urea formaldehyde when it gets heated (sawing/power sanding). I don't know how accurate that info was but you might want to look into it and wear a cartridge filter mask until you know for sure.

 

[chippy1970]

The job where we used it we had a circular saw set up that everyone used on the site no extraction and no masks

I cut up some this morning also routed a groove in the underside of the sled but I had my Festool vac connected up so not really any dust .
It machines really well and I think I might just screw the runner into the slot on the sled and not bother glueing it.

 

[Digit]

That's the way I do it Chip.

Roy.