Hello all. I have recently purchased some inch-thick sheets of paper-based (not linen or glass) phenolic. I’m using it to make jig parts, fences, and whatnot. I have two questions: 1) What’s the best way to cut this stuff? It’s hard as nails! and 2) Is there a good marketplace for selling what I can’t use?
Thanks!
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Replies
Bandsaw & router.
I was actually out looking for a phenolic source a couple of weeks ago (on-line, phone book, etc). I wanted to try using it in the shop for jigs, inserts, etc, like you. So far I haven't been able to find any. It's probably one of those things that are mostly sold to manufacturers, so the makers/distributors might have minimum orders and what not. I don't know. If you have some you'd like to get rid of, I'd be interested. Would like to know how it "works" too.
Chris
You can get reasonably small quantities of phenolic (and just about any other kind of raw material) from McMaster-Carr.
-Steve
IIRC, McMaster-Carr won't sell to contemptible little woodworkers unless they can supply a business-license number.ne sutor ultra crepidam
I've never had to do that to order from them. I happen to have a state-registered DBA business name because of some consulting that I do (nothing to do with woodworking), and I used that as the company name on the order form, since there was a space for it, but that's all. I don't have any employees, so no EI number, no state permits or licenses, etc.
-Steve
Perhaps I have them mixed with Grainger.ne sutor ultra crepidam
All,
Is "phenolic" the same stuff old farts like me used to call "bakelite" ?
Just curious.
Ray
That kind of information is distributed to Old Farts strictly on a need-to-know basis.
In a word, yes. By the narrowest definition, Bakelite is just one particular formulation of phenolic resin, but these days it's often used to refer to phenolics in general.
There are also things like linen phenolic and paper phenolic, which contain other materials bonded together with phenolic resin.
-Steve
Edited 1/8/2008 6:52 pm ET by saschafer
Thanks Steve,
I'll be able to sleep tonite with that off my mind.
Cheers,
Ray
It seems to be harder and harder to find. I used to get quarter-inch stuff from Lee Valley, but they seem to have stopped carrying it. The dust from working it is said to be harmful, but that shouldn't matter in hobbyist quantities. It's very hard, but you can saw it, drill it, etc. It's brittle to the extent that edges of countersunk holes, for example, aren't perfect. I found that when using screws through it to hold jig parts it's best to drill a full-diameter hole for the screw. If the screw threads engage the phenolic, it tends to push out at the exit point, leaving a gap between the mating surfaces.
Jim
You need to counter bore or counter sink both faces, and thread the hole the correct size to receive the screw. Phenolic behaves like a soft flakey metal.
My personal choice for templates I intend to keep around for a while has been polycarbonate sheet stock for some years now. It is lots easier on my tools and, is for practical purposes, just as stable.
Here's a source I found recently. They carry a full product line of various plastic materials at reasonable prices. I recently ordered a 2'x4' sheet of 1/4 phenolic from them. Now, if I could only find a source for Eucaboard, I'd be all set.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.asp
Eucaboard appears to be basically an ordinary insulation board which you can get at most any lumberyard.
John W.
Hey John,
Thanks for the reply. Actually, there are a few varieties of Eucaboard, one of which is used as an insulation panel. The kind I am looking for is a type of hardboard, but much harder and stiffer. The stuff is manufactured in Brazil from Eucalyptus. It is an ideal material to produce routing templates for guitars. I want to get away from acrylic materials since they tend to melt when the bearing on a template/pattern bit seizes or gets overly hot. Nothing worse than ruining a guitar body with a nice figured top because the acrylic template spot melted and left you with a nice digger in what should be a crisply defined route.
You might consider using aluminum, it can be cut and handled like a hardwood, or double tempered Masonite, the stuff they make clipboards out of.
John W.
Thanks John,
Excellent idea, aluminum -- I hadn't even considered it. Thanks!
I have usually been able to find it under "plastics" in the yellow pages. I know it won't work here in my new small town home, but it always has in medium to large cities that have any kind of manufacturing base. You are in the Seattle metro area, so I would be shocked if you can't find company that specializes in plastics.
You can probably sell your offcuts on E-bay in the knife area, phenolics are frequently used for scales on knives.
Fantastic--I'd looked at eBay, but couldn't find the best category. Thank you for the suggestion.
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It's usually listed under the Business & Industrial category.If you search E-bay for "micarta" you'll find quite a bit of it.My knife suggestion isn't really a good one, I was searching for micarta for scales and had that in memory.Sorry 'bout that!Leon
I've cut Thicklam phenolic with a carbide blade on a tablesaw.The grind on the blade was the same as the blades used for cutting solid surface material.
I jointed it, too. I had to buy solid carbide blades for the jointer. Steel blades dulled after cutting about a foot of the stuff!
The stuff is really hard to work with. It's hard, heavy, and smells bad when you cut it.
Rick W
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