Using engineered stone as a router top

[Robert Reece]

I recently had engineered stone installed in my kitchen and I had them save me the sink cut out. I'd like to use it as my router top without an insert, but this requires me to make a 3" cutout for the router bits and mounting holes for the router. I'd also like to reduce the thickness in the area where the router base mounts.

Would you try it and if so how?

[Chris Padilla]

You might go to the installers and ask them to drill out a 3" hole for you. After that, you can drill your own holes with a masonry bit to connect your router.

[Chip Lindley]

"Corian" cuts easily with carbide tooling. Beware! It's fine dust covers everything. The 3" hole can be roughed out with a power jigsaw. Use a 3" hole template and pattern router bit to finish up the hole. The underneath can be "thinned" with a piloted rabbet bit. Take light cuts in all router operations to "sneak up" on the final profile. Mounting holes can be drilled with a standard HSS bit.

Your router top will have to be supported beneath to prevent sagging. The "stone" is not as rigid as one might think. A heavy router will cause it to sag over time, same as MDF or ply would.

[Steve Ryan]

"Corian" cuts easily with carbide tooling. Beware! It's fine dust covers everything. The 3" hole can be roughed out with a power jigsaw. Use a 3" hole template and pattern router bit to finish up the hole. The underneath can be "thinned" with a piloted rabbet bit. Take light cuts in all router operations to "sneak up" on the final profile. Mounting holes can be drilled with a standard HSS bit.

Your router top will have to be supported beneath to prevent sagging. The "stone" is not as rigid as one might think. A heavy router will cause it to sag over time, same as MDF or ply would.

He is thinking of engineered stone, not solid surface. It will laugh at a jig saw blade. We are talking diamond tooling here. Masonary bit will most likely fail also. E stone is about 95% quartz and can be cut with diamond tooling and flood coolant (water). It is harder than granite. Get a quote from your top fabricator, and be sitting down when/if you get it.

[bradley strong]

I used to own a counter top company. Engineered stone is harder than granite. It only cuts with diamond tools as mentioned. The counter top company would charge you a mint or tell you no thanks. A 3" diamond hole saw would cost a few hundred dollars and must be run with a heavy duty grinder. Save yourself a lot of time, money, and heartache and make it from something else. Get yourself a nice router mounting plate and make a thick, MDF top.

[Alan Schaffter]

I also have a slab of granite I plan to use for a router table top. I intend to use an 11+" X 9+" WP lift router plate, however. I went to a local fabricator who has a big CNC abrasive high pressure water jet machine. Those things will cut through anything (2" thick granite, steel, etc.) like butter and are extremely precise. He said he needed to keep his costly, skilled workforce busy, so would charge me only $75 to program the machine and make the cutout during a slack period. I don't know how that sounds to you, but depending on where you take it, it might be more or less to cut a 3" diam. hole.

[Chip Lindley]

He is thinking of engineered stone, not solid surface. It will laugh at a jig saw blade. We are talking diamond tooling here. Masonary bit will most likely fail also. E stone is about 95% quartz and can be cut with diamond tooling and flood coolant (water). It is harder than granite. Get a quote from your top fabricator, and be sitting down when/if you get it.

Oops! MyBad! Guess I missed that one on the DIY Channel. Or, I need to get out more!

[Rick Davidson]

I would also suggest finding a local shop with a water jet. A program for just a round hole is easy and $75 seems kinda high.

[Jay Jeffery]

The sink cut out is rectangular without hole saw chunks taken out of the corners, isn't it?

If you want to just give it a try and don't mind using a plate, you can probably cut a hole with an angle grinder using either diamond or silicone carbide cutting wheels. Plunge on the underside so that your overcut is underneath. Glue and/or drill holes for supports to the sides of your cuts for the mounting plate. If it doesn't work, you shouldn't be out much.

What do you plan to do for a fence? A miter slot is probably out of the question.

[Fred Preston]

I made one from corian once. Engineered stone is harder. I supported it well and it work well however [always a however huh?] It will be noisy. Really noisy! these products resonate vibrations whereas MDF with laminate tend to quiet the noise. Puting a router in a cabinet cuts down on the noise but adding a solid surface such as this will amplify the noise a lot.

[Steve Ryan]

I made one from corian once. Engineered stone is harder. I supported it well and it work well however [always a however huh?] It will be noisy. Really noisy! these products resonate vibrations whereas MDF with laminate tend to quiet the noise. Puting a router in a cabinet cuts down on the noise but adding a solid surface such as this will amplify the noise a lot.

I doubt it will make it noisier. Estone tops are usually 3 cm thick and very dense and heavy. Much quieter would be my guess.

[Fred Preston]

I doubt it will make it noisier. Estone tops are usually 3 cm thick and very dense and heavy. Much quieter would be my guess.

possibly, with that much mass but the corian top sure wasn't quiet.

[Pat Barry]

I'm not sure that there is going to be any benefit to using granite in this application. It might make a nice conversation piece, but what other benefit is there?

[Robert Reece]

Pat-

I'm having trouble selling myself on the idea too. I'd give up miter slots and other nice router table accessories.
Truth be told, I'd rather have a big slab of cast iron to mount my router too. I guess I could just pony up for the Kreg top.