router table top

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tombo

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I thought a piece of kitchen counter top would be an ideal surface for my router table, and it was for about a month. But it has slowly been un flattening it self and now its sagged about 20mm in the center. Strangly i never left the router in place when not in use but it sagged anyway. So time for a Norm type replacement, mdf core, hardwood edges and a high presure laminate top surface. I have heard that to maintain flatness i need laminate on the bottom as well is this true? Also any tips for cutting a wobbly sheet of laminate before i glue it down?

Tom
 
Yes. Laminate both sides or it will sag.
You need to balance the finish on both sides similarly to painting where you should paint both sides.
 
tombo, when I applied laminate to my router table top, I first cut the laminate to rough size using a hacksaw in one case and a jigsaw in another case. For one of the cuts (using the jigsaw) I supported the laminate on a piece of wood close to the cutting line, but for the initial cut (handsaw), I cut the laminate roll where it was standing from top to bottom (not to be recommended, but I was out of space and in a hurry). In both cases the laminate chipped a little, but because I cut it oversize that was fine.

Once glued in place, I trimmed the edge of the laminate using a router fitted with a flush trimming bit.

Oh yeah, I'm stating the obvious here, but beware when gluing on the laminate. I'm usually pretty careful with any chemicals, but I glued mine late at night. I can't have been thinking clearly 'cos I reckoned that the job would be quick enough that I could apply the glue, attach the laminate, and flee the room before the chemicals got to me. Dumb theory, even dumber in practice (made even worse by the fact that I had underestimated how long it would take to do the glue up). Everything seemed fine while I was crouched over the board, but when I went to stand up I found the world was spinning faster than it had been before I started. It took me a few minutes outside in the fresh air before I started to return to anything near normal. It's nasty stuff, that glue, and combined with stupidity it is dangerous too.
 
One other thing too: as well as laminating both sides, apply a sealer to the edges of the core to prevent moisture getting in that way. I edged the plywood core of my router table with oak, although any wood would do, and applied varnish to the oak once the laminate was in place.
 
Thanks dewy, seems a bit of a waste but if it keeps it flat its worth it. Still looking for the best way to cut the laminate before i glue it down anyone ever tried scissors?
 
In addition to all the informtaion and tips on this forum, there's also a good set of How To articles on the Wealden website for those building their table.

Roger
 

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