Replies

1. 
   yamslobber | Apr 18, 2009 12:07am | #1

   You might try Wilsonart. They have a location in South Dallas. Regal Plastics might have some, or tell you where to get some. Every once in a while, Home Depot will have a sheet of white over near the bathroom cabinet section, but never in the sheet goods section.

1. 
   rwdare | Apr 18, 2009 12:43am | #2

   Any of the big box stores will order it for you. Go to the custom kitchen section.

   Dick

2. 
   boilerbay | Apr 26, 2009 05:09pm | #9

   Look for the Wilsonart dealer in your area. The borg stuff is absolute trash. Beware of anything in a 4 x 8 sheets size.Wilsonart and other high end plastic laminate companies normally manufacture and sell in 5 x 9 sheets sizes - that size provides two 24"x 96" counter tops with lots of slop for trim and to make edge banding.
   Easy to get home as they roll it into a 18" x 5' cylinder and tri band it with 3"- 4" cardboard banding rings. They also sell in 10, 12,16 foot lengths. Let sit for while to flatten before cutting. Another source is high end commercial product photographers. It is used for infinity and seamless backgrounds. Many are bought for one time use with high end clients, so they end up in the back in storage. Even rolled, 20-30 of them take up a lot of room. Mint surfaces. Probably get a good deal and 1/3 the rate. Worth a shot.

   Don't settle for the boring grey or white, go for the candy purple with the chrome space ships on it!BB

1. 
   kreuzie | Apr 27, 2009 04:35am | #10

   boilerbay -

   I'll admit, the quality of big box merchandise is questionable, at best. I just thought he might be reasonably close to one, if he didn't know of a cabinet shop or contractor.

   As to sheet sizes...they come in a lot of dimensions. I get my laminate from Toledo (Ohio) Plywood. Check out their hardwood and shop grade lists and drool. http://www.toledoplywood.com They order the laminate from Lumbermens', a wholesaler. I recently came home with a 4' x 8' sheet of Pionite.

   kreuzie

1. 
   boilerbay | Apr 28, 2009 04:17pm | #14

   Kreuzie,Ignore my 4 x 8 comment when it comes to Pionite. It's one of the good ones.BB

2. 
   kreuzie | Apr 18, 2009 02:21am | #3

   I've seen it in 4' x 8' sheets at the local Lowe's. In the area of the water heaters/well and sump pumps/particle board kitchen cabinets.

   HOW BIG a router table are you building???

   kreuzie

1. 
   BigD1 | Apr 18, 2009 10:55pm | #4

   I'm only building one 36"x 36" and there is nothing in my little town. I'll have to get it ordered. Is there not a web site I can order from? Thanks for the reply back. BigD1

1. 
   saschafer | Apr 18, 2009 11:12pm | #5

   The problem with shipping laminate is the sheer physical size of the sheets. You end up paying more for the shipping than for the product. Someone must have built the houses in your town. They would be able to advise you on how best to get hold of some laminate.

   -Steve

    

2. 
   kreuzie | Apr 19, 2009 04:39am | #6

   Where exactly are you located? Is there a Lowe's within a reasonable drive? Sounds like you're in the Canadian bush!

   Is there a cabinet shop or home builder in or near your town that you could order it through?

   Wilsonart.com has a dealer locator by ZIP code...Formica and Pionite might have the same setup.

   If there's a wholesaler nearby, they might sell to you...I've done it with plumbing, electrical and cabinet hardware. Worth a shot...especially with this economy.

   I'm not aware of an online supplier, but do a Google search to find out. When I buy a 4' x 8' sheet, they roll it to about 13" diameter so I can store it at home until it's needed, so you'd have a 13" x 13" x 48" carton to be shipped - well within the parameters set by UPS, so shipping shouldn't be t - o - o - o  bad.

   Don't give up!

   kreuzie

    

3. 
   cowtown | Apr 19, 2009 10:15am | #7

   I think I'm on my third router table, started years ago with a cheapo version, had incredible sag; made another, but it too sagged over the years, made a 2-router version and thought I had substantive reinforcing and substance to defeat this, but alas no.

   All that time and effort, and you know, I think the next iteration is gonna simply buy a cast iron extension table for the table saw around 125 bucks, and hopefully it won't sag.

   anybody got any drawbacks to doing that?

    

   And if you really want laminate cheap, most cabinet shops have a stack of surplus offcuts too big to toss, and I bethca in this economy if 10 or 20 bucks changes hands, you might get what you want if you ain't fussy about the colour!

   Eric

1. 
   brownman | Apr 30, 2009 06:31pm | #23

   Cowtown,
   Not a bad idea! but even cast has been know to warp. It's not likely but it could and I know one person who's cast iron table saw top warped. It would be much less likely to warp if the cast iron table was hardened like you would find on a high priced joiner table. So I guess if you really want super flat and super stable then granite might be your best shot. Maybe Steel City will make those next.

4. 
   brownman | Apr 26, 2009 10:25am | #8

   BigD1,
   I've made several router table tops over the years from laminate, so I'll give you a little advise from my experience. First off you really want as flat a top as you can possibly get. Doing this yourself is difficult because to get a really super flat surface on a glued up top from particle board ,ply wood or MDF requires a lot of even and high pressure which you just can't do in your home shop unless you have a laminate press. A better option, if you really want accuracy or superior flatness would be to purchase one from a Co. who sells them already made, as they are usually glued up under very high pressures assuring much greater flatness. I managed to purchase one this last year from the Woodpeck Co. which had discounted one model they had to $60.00, regularly sold at $120.00. It's the flattest router table top I've ever owned and at that price I couldn't even by the materials to make one myself.
   Having said that if your still hell bent on making your own, then a really good place to get laminate is your local cabinet or counter top shop. They often have large enough off cuts, scarps or sometimes whole sheets that weren't used on a job. Some shops donate these to local school wood shops or, believe it or not ,toss them in the dumpster.Call around you may be surprised!

   
   

   ---

   Edited 4/27/2009 12:18 pm ET by brownman

5. 
   oldhand | Apr 28, 2009 04:08am | #11

   Any of the local mom and pop lumberyards around here will order wilsonart or formica brands in all sorts of sizes.

   .
6. 
   RJT | Apr 28, 2009 04:47am | #12

   I don't care for laminated tops for router tables as they de-laminate around the bit. I prefer melamine. Horizontal grade (post-form) is weaker yet, you'll be replacing it within a year.

1. 
   BigD1 | Apr 28, 2009 08:19am | #13

   Explain to me "around the bit" for I must be missing something.

1. 
   RJT | Apr 29, 2009 04:47am | #15

   I stated that poorly, I mean where the router bit comes thru the laminated top you've drilled a hole, in time the router bit shoots particles at the particle board and chews away at it undermining the laminate top, eventually causing the laminate to lift up and obstructing the workpiece.

1. 
   BigD1 | Apr 29, 2009 07:12am | #16

   I won't have that problem. I have an 8" x 12" router plate, that is made of steel, with a router lift that you operate  from the top of your router table. I'm here to tell you it works real nice. I WILL be okay with my set-up. Thanks.

1. 
   BG | Apr 29, 2009 12:34pm | #17

   BigD1,I got lucky, I bought a big old desk from the 70's...double laminate...for $2 bucks.

2. 
   BigD1 | Apr 30, 2009 02:59am | #22

   I got lucker.....all my items were given to me. The table is built, laminate is glued, the router lift is installed and it all works great. Thanks

3. 
   RJT | Apr 29, 2009 10:57pm | #19

   That's a great setup, let me know how you keep that plate flush.

4. 
   BigD1 | Apr 30, 2009 02:55am | #20

   That was the easy part. I recessed it in the table top with my Ryobi Model 600, 3 HP Plunge Router. Then I put a shim between the router plate and the table top. I used my calipers to get an exact depth measurement. It works well. I love the lift. Thanks for your reply.

7. 
   swannyww | Apr 29, 2009 08:35pm | #18

   http://www.grainger.com sells sheets of various plastics.

1. 
   BigD1 | Apr 30, 2009 02:57am | #21

   The table is built, laminate is glued, router lift installed, and it all works great. Thanks for the reply.