Corian jigs for glue-up

[Stickjam]

I have project where I need to somewhat mass-produce parts consisting of 1/8" thick bamboo ply (9" x varying widths) with 1/4" laser-cut bamboo ply stiffener assemblies glued onto the reverse.  To maintain consistency and because of the somewhat diminutive nature of the pieces, I'd like to build a jig to clamp the panels and stiffener components together to glue them up.

Has anyone ever used Corian to make jigs for glue-up?   How readily does wood glue release from it?  

Thanks!

-Bob

 

[wdwerker]

You can scrape the glue off but it does build up & stick.  Gluing the Corian in place could be tricky to get exact. 

I made an elaborate jig to improve the accuracy of assembly my production run display parts.The whole jig is plywood covered in plastic laminate. I covered the areas which received glue squeeze out with UMHW (super slippery) tape. I also used small bullet catches (spring loaded ) to press the frame/ ribs into an exact location better than just dropping each strip in a slot.

The biggest improvement I made was switching to Dap Rapid Fuse glue. It gives you 3-5 minutes to position parts and get them clamped or nailed. It's a modified version of cyanolacrolate (super glue) made for wood use . Supposed to be fully dry in 30 minutes but I have found it's almost impossible to break a joint in 10 minutes. 

We use 23 gauge micropins to hold the joints in place while the glue dries. We lightly scrape off any glue crust from the UMHW tape after 6-8 assemblies are made. Yellow glue stays soft longer & is a bit easier to scrape off, neither glue really sticks to the tape. 

I made each element of the jig out of ply, covered them with laminate then used socket head ( Allen wrench )bolts and tee nuts so the exact location could be adjusted & then locked down. This also lets us disassemble the jig to replace the UMHW tape if it gets scraped too hard.

Good luck ! I would like to see what you are making and your jig. 

[Tom King]

Not a good use for Corian.   I make things out of it, like router bases, and even made a shooting board from it, but glues sticks to it pretty easily.  It was designed to be glued together.

[rodger.]

How about packing tape over plywood? I've had success with that approach before. My cauls are ash with vapour barrier tape over them - works perfect!

[Jean [Fr]]

Woodglue does not stick well to Corian which can be glued only by fusion or a special glue.
I agree with Tom King. Corian is an acrylic compound  with mineral particles inside.
So it is not very stiff and can bend easily unless you have a very thick Corian piece.
Corian is also pretty expensive. Many reasons why Corian is not the good material for jigs.

If you want to make long lasting jigs, you can use Phenolic coated plywood. (The one used for concrete casting)
It's less expensive than Corian, and have a nice non stick slick surface.

[Stickjam]

I wasn't really worried about the expense of Corian, because I have a source to get my hands on enough--and pretty thick--scraps of it.   They also have some 1/2" 1/4" and 1/8" thick scraps of UHMW sheet too that my friend said would be perfect to resist glue, but is a pain to machine.    I originally called him about Delrin, but they don't have a lot of that scrapped out which is why he suggested Corian.

I'll investigate your suggestions. Thanks.

.

 

 

 

[wdwerker]

Yea, the solid UMHW that I have on the fence of some tablesaw jigs was slightly inconsistent in thickness too. I cleaned up the saw cuts with a card scraper. 

[Tom King]

Corian is good to have for all sorts of things.   I've used it for rub blocks for pocket doors, and even though our shower is marble, the corner shelves are Corian.  I have a bunch of leftover scraps from countertops in houses I built in the early "80s,  long before Granite became the rage.  It's very stable,  machines nicely, and I can't think of anything better for specialized router bases.