Richiep Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 No, not that kind of micro dots... I'm building a miter saw station that I want to put laminate on. I've read about this microdot stuff which is supposed to reduce friction, something like what Kreg uses on their router tables. I found this stuff which looks like what I'm looking for; a little pricier than I'd like...https://www.cabinetmakerwarehouse.com/catalog/white-formica-laminate-4-x-8-sheets-microdot-finis/ I'm just reaching out to see if any of you have experience with this kind of laminate for this kind of application. Thanks! Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Engineer Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 Same stuff some other manufacturers use on their tables (Woodpeckers maybe? Incra?). I am fairly certain you can order it from some of the big box stores that stock the brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 Regular, smooth finish lets wood slide on it pretty easily- much easier than the surface of plywood. I don't see any reason not to use the dot surfaced though, unless there is much of a price difference. It comes rolled up in a pretty big box, so shipping is probably not cheap. If you have Lowes or Home Depot locally, check their prices. The last I bought came from Lowes, and was a special order, but I didn't pay anything for shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 I don't see how a slick surface is advantageous on a miter station. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 Ya, you want the bed surface to have some friction to facilitate holding the board still while cutting. Especially on angled cuts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 Same goes for some other tools and jigs in the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted September 1, 2017 Report Share Posted September 1, 2017 A long time ago, I put roller extensions on my radial arm saw. Especially, as the board getting cut got larger, the more of a pia it became to get it to stop just where I wanted it. I sold those, and since then, I've just used bare plywood for both the radial arm saws, and power miter saws, and never thought about it since. I have formica on the tops of my outfeed, and long side table of the tablesaw, and some router tops that aren't made from phenolic, but on those, easier sliding is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted September 2, 2017 Report Share Posted September 2, 2017 9 hours ago, Eric. said: I don't see how a slick surface is advantageous on a miter station. It is if you have a Bosch Astro Glide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted September 2, 2017 Report Share Posted September 2, 2017 I use sandpaper to keep my wood where I want it. It's glued to my drill press table, to my miter gauge fence It's on my crosscut sled. A slick surface when you're cutting wood makes accuracy chancy IMHO. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 2, 2017 Report Share Posted September 2, 2017 I've got a Woodpeckers drill press table that has a textured surface laminate. But my parts are against a fence and a stop before I drill. It came with the texture and it's not a problem but I don't think I would pay extra for it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted September 3, 2017 Report Share Posted September 3, 2017 Friction is your firend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richiep Posted September 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2017 OK, you guys talked me out of it, sort of... I already ordered a sheet of the microdots but I'm gonna keep it and use for that outfeed table for the tablesaw I've been wanting to make. As for my miter station, I already have it built with a 2x4 frame and 3/4 MDF in the horizontal surfaces. I've seen some shops leave at it that and I could do that too but... I've become a huge fan of laminate surfaces since I built an assembly table with laminate last summer. Since then I've been pretty abusive to it and it's held up extremely well. Dried up wood glue, spray paint, brake cleaner, acetone, rubbing alcohol, coffee, salsa... Whatever I throw at it it bounces back and says give me some more! Sometimes I'll forego putting down craft paper when I'm gluing, painting, staining or whatever because I can clean it up in seconds with a nice and sharp, wide chisel. So I've decided to still laminate the miter station but with a matte finish. This will provide the durability I'm after and give a little more grip. If I find that setup to be too slippery I'll tape a piece of sand paper to the deck of the saw itself. Thanks for your input everyone! Stay tuned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 4, 2017 Report Share Posted September 4, 2017 Sandpaper on the fence might work as well. I could see the microdots on an outfeed table being useful especially when cutting sheet goods but not so handy if you were using the outfeed as an assembly table too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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