WoodHe Posted November 8, 2014 Report Share Posted November 8, 2014 There is an abundance of "Solid Surface" counter tops being both put in and remodeled these days. Most is now granite and quartz with a still a bit of Corian. The one thing I love about making jigs out of solid surface materials is that here in Florida, they don't warp or have issues with humidity. I can leave them is the shed with out worrying about heat or cold. I have made a great deal of stuff out of corian using free great looking material out of the trash bins of counter top fabricators. The best are of course the sink cut outs which make great cutting boards. As in this example, super glue is kind of what this stuff is made of anyway for 90% bends are easy and fast. Seems to route well too. Just needed some new stop blocks for the router fence and with a soild surface blade and carbide router bits, this stuff is easy to work with. Also nice its not just going to the land fill. Think about dumpster diving around your area and get great looking material to test with and make jigs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted November 8, 2014 Report Share Posted November 8, 2014 Hell of a good idea... Thank's for the tip... And welcome to the forum, you won't be disappointed with the folks here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 Hadn't thought of that, thanks for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 9, 2014 Report Share Posted November 9, 2014 I've used it for all sorts of things since I first made countertops out of it in 1982. I've made specialized router bases, and all sorts of other shop stuff. I don't think a single piece of it has ever worn out. My latest is a shooting board. I've also built a lot of shower corner shelves out of it in tile showers. We also have lots of puppy preschool stuff out of it. It doesn't get chewed up like wood, although they like to try. No free source for a long time, but I just bought a couple of full 12' sheets off craigslist for 50 bucks each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 I have wondered about this for a while thanks. Do you just superglue the edges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodHe Posted November 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2014 I did for the router fence stops in the pictures. Have also made small boxes out of the 1/4" thick backslashes using super glue. The chemical is very much like super glue for the binder in Corian and the stops I made could not break apart with my hands when dry. For bigger projects there is a two part glue they sell for counter tops. Check out the youtube videos for working with this material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 12, 2014 Report Share Posted November 12, 2014 You can buy the right glue to match off ebay. Sometimes you can even get the right color, and outdated stuff pretty cheap that still works. Super glue will hold solid surface material together fine until you drop something stuck together with it. I had to remake my shooting board because I glued the track into a rabbet under the main part with super glue, and it got dropped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collinb Posted November 26, 2014 Report Share Posted November 26, 2014 That's a neat idea. I've had my eye on some that was donated to the local ReStore. Also, CL is another good source for it at reasonable prices. My plan is simple ... trim it for use on my grilling table. Will take being outside much longer than wood tops. (I use an old treadle sewing machine base as the legs. Also lasts forever, except for rusting.) I can see many enduring jigs in the near future. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 How about blades and routers to cut. If only doing a few are regular tools okay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Sharp carbide works ok. Aggressive hook angle on saw blades is a bad choice. A blade for fine crosscuts in ply like a triple chip or ATB should work. Slow feed rate on a clean sharp router bit does well. Be prepared for a snow storm of shavings and a plastic smell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 I bought a blade from Forrest, back when solid surface countertops were in their hey-day before granite. It's a very strange looking thing with very sharp points-way pointier than any woodworking blade, along with a couple of other teeth in the pattern that look like what we more normally see. When I first received it, I thought that there was no way it would ever last long. Long story shortened, it's probably thirty years old now, has never been sharpened, and still cuts Corian, or any other solid surface material, like butter. I don't know if they still sell it, or even remember what it's called, but I expect it's still buried in their lineup somewhere. I still have some Whiteside router bits that old too that still work fine-several edge profilers, and one for trimming the junction between the countertop, and the inside of the sink bowl. They all have white solid surface rollers on the bearings. edited to add: I just went to the Forrest website, and what they sell now as "Solid Surface Planers" don't look anything at all like the old blade I have. My guess is that they didn't have a long life of resharpenings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Z. Posted November 30, 2014 Report Share Posted November 30, 2014 In an effort to help. The "tools" tag has some good links to router bits as well. http://solidsurface.com/sheet-material/overstock? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 30, 2014 Report Share Posted November 30, 2014 Woodworking blade and router bits will work it just fine, but it's got to be harder on them than wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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