I found damaged flat hollow core doors are discounted at Home Depot. Glue a sheet of 1/2 inch MDF or plywood to them. They make agreat assembly table or portable work surface. They get beat up just glue on a new piece. Almost as good as a torsion box.
I’ve been using a 3/4” sheet of melamine as the top layer of my assembly table. Wood glue won’t stick to it and it’s easy to scrape up once it’s dried.
@@GarageMuzik I don't know where you live (and it's been a couple years) but you couldn't get construction grade for $35 a sheet, and that's neither particularly flat or AT ALL smooth. I'd be happy to see furniture grade plywood that cheap though...
I used to work in a high volume laminate cabinet shop. The *very best* way to hold contact cemented pieces apart while positioning is a clean round extension cord. You lay it back and forth over the substrate maybe 6” apart…the set the laminate on top of the cord. When ready to join start pulling the cord out as you press down. Big sheets use 2 cords and work from the middle out. This works 10x better than sticks, or slip sheets, or anything else I have ever used. I told Izzy Swan about it yrs ago - he has a video showing it or at least used to.
I've been doing laminate for 40 yrs the best thing about using cords is you can do any shape or size. dowels or blinds work ok but sometimes they are a pain to use.
I use a long (50') extension cord, cleaned and placed on the top of the surface in a back and forth S pattern. I then start at on end and press the laminate down, roll it firmly, and then begin the pull the cord out, 1 S at a time.
Top tip for franks top tip fir the plastic, fold one end back on itself, you can then pull the plastic back as you go rubbing down the laminate rather than lifting the laminate up works a treat and i learnt it from a bloke called Pete 👍
Just a tip...use white Plam. Doubles as an "erase board" I have measurements and notes written all over my white assembly/out-feed table. Erases with DA or lacquer thinner
Just a foot note, when you are trimming the edge of the Formica, keep an eye on the bearing on the router bit. It tends to collect the contact adhesive and will keep it from spinning freely. Also use a good file to flush the edge after you run the router.
I used the plastic trick whenever I was bringing two sheets of laminate together on a single plane because it is much easier to align. The first time I did it I transitioned to just using that method for laminating. That is until I noticed I was getting bubbles more often as air was prone to getting trapped. Not a difficult fix but was annoying enough I switched back to using dowls for the majority of my lamination. I only use the plastic where alignment is a higher priority. Definitely a handy trick to have in my holster though.
I’ll take the plastic sheet and trial it myself. However the choice of top, “cheapest material” not so much, it’s warped. You can see it in the trimming procedure
Awesome technique. I did the same thing, and it came out amazing! Love the look of flat black formika set against the dense plywood. Added some dog holes and👌🏽
Because they're overkill. As the first guy to post a torsion box on YouTUbe I'm certainly guilty of encouraging people to build them. :) But over the years I've realized they're totally unnecessary. But if you have the time, budget, and desire, no one can fault you for wanting the flattest surface possible.
I found damaged flat hollow core doors are discounted at Home Depot. Glue a sheet of 1/2 inch MDF or plywood to them. They make agreat assembly table or portable work surface. They get beat up just glue on a new piece. Almost as good as a torsion box.
I've laid miles of laminate in my time. I pull a long extension cord through a rag and loop it in waves. Lay the laminate on top of the cord to get your alignment and start at one end pulling the cord out as you press it down. Guaranty bubble free. Use particle core not plywood as a substrate. Plywood is susceptible to delamination and will telegraph the grain. When using waterborne contact take your fingernail and scratch the surface (outside the area being glued) If it skins up like pealing a sunburn , it's not ready yet. Get down at eye level and look across each glued surface and look for any particles that may have been picked up. Nothing worse then getting a bubble from a tiny wood particle.
Seems more like a craft table a having all those screws in the top would be a problem in a wood shop again my opinion - also did the laminate show the screws below once it was drawn down to the table surface?
Hi Marc. Did the solid wooden edges come with the second sheet (you know, the flat and cheap one) or the formica? I like how you roll......the formica 😂😂😂 You're welcome.
They make 5 gallon spray tanks for that contact cement. It speeds up the process quite a bit. I also recommend a “PlASTI-CUT” file. It has a cutting edge where you can do essentially do the same thing as the router only by hand and you can get in tight areas and square off corners where the router can’t reach. It has a side for removing material and a side for finishing. They also make a wax you can apply to the router bits that helps with the adhesive gumming up the bearings.
Not to nit pick, but I’d put the top sheet face down then glue then the bottom sheet then screw it. I’d let it fully dry then remove the screws, then I’d flip it over and laminate the top. If those screws aren’t perfectly level with the surface of the ply those voids will get smashed, also, if for some reason you cut through the top with a saw you don’t want your blade hitting a screw.
I don't recommend the plastic sheet method for laying laminate. Can it be done? Yes, but you have to be VERY careful. Plastic tends to pick up a static charge. This can make sawdust stick to it. The last thing you want is trash getting stuck under your laminate, causing lumps.
There is a much easier way no plastic no sticks. Start on the shorter side n roll the sheet over ur head. Then slowly let it fall down. Done it a million times when i did cabinet work🤙
I’m not sure if it’s important but shouldn’t you screw down the table from the center out? That way you push any trapped air pockets out. In the video it looks as though one guy started on the edge while the other started in the middle. Again if you saw the stuff I’ve built you’d still be laughing.
I'm having a super hard time understanding what's happening with the plastic. They pull it out too fast. Wouldn't one sheet of plastic get glue on it from both sides?
It's not drooping at all. 10" of overhang on the long edge and 12" of overhang on the short edge is definitely not sketchy when you're talking about a layup of two sheets of plywood with hardwood edging.
Black tops are sexy, but white ones can be drawn on. In my experience, white melamine serves its intended shop purpose far long enough to yield a significant cost benefit compared to application of horizontal grade laminate.
Yeah I don’t draw on my tables. I have rolls of paper if I need to make large drawings, which has the added benefit of being movable or permanent if I need the drawing for something in the future, like a template. And because I film, black works out a lot better for me.
I don’t man it looks ok my opinion doesn’t matter just one of a few things I don’t care for is the screws and the Formica not sure what’s going on there
I don't understand the point of several layers of, what seems like, expensive materials. Throw a second layer of mdf for a sacrificial surface. Whatever.
