Corian countertop question?

[Michael Mayo]

I acquired some Corian counter top that a good friend of ours took out of their kitchen and replaced with granite countertops. I am thinking of using some of it to make a router tabletop instead of the current Birch Ply I am using. This stuff is HEAVY! I don't even know what it is made of although it looks like some type of plastic? Can this be cut and worked like wood or do you have to get special cutters to work with it? It is white corian no pattern or any other color just plain old white which I actually like for my use. I also got to huge pieces of butcher block counter top that they also removed. That is destined to be made into a kitchen island counter top. I will have to glue the two pieces together after squaring them up as one of the pieces has a sweeping round radius on one end. But it is like 8 ft. long. With both of the pieces glued together they should be well over 50" so I can trim them down to normal counter top width. When gluing these two pieces together for a counter top is it advisable to dowel the two pieces together? If so how big should the dowels be and how many?

[Mike Henderson]

I took a course on working Corian type material (Corian is one brand name), but it's been a while and I don't remember details. You can cut it with standard woodworking tools, although for cutting it on a table saw, I think a negative rake blade is recommended. There's a special glue used to glue it together and it comes in different colors to make invisible joints in different color material.

There's quite a bit to know if you're really going to work with the material but for just gluing two pieces together, you don't need much but the right kind of glue. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will pipe in.

Mike

[Kevin W Johnson]

Corian will work great for your router table. Two 3/4" layers of MDF, topped off with Corian is how I built mine. CA glue will work fine on Corian, med or thick will give you extra time to align parts, while thin will set nearly immediately. Not sure about Corians adhesive, but you can heat Corian that has been bonded with CA, as heat breaks the bond. Nearly any tool that can be used to work wood can be used for Corian. Here's a pic of the one I built. I also made a handle for a turning tool from Corian as well.

[John A langley]

Michael - Both Kevin and Mike are right about using standard tools. I could go into a long how=to, but both Wilsonart and Forrmica make a solid surface material too. And the lasttime I looked, which is a while ago, they both had manuals on their website. It is interesting stuff to work with. They normally use a two-part epoxy that is colored that I would imagine that a two-part epoxy off the shelf at one of the BORGs - it would work. Wear a dust mask. It is worse than wood. Good luck.

[Keith Outten]

According to the Dupont installers manual you can use any of the adhesives to bond Corian to itself and to various other materials.
CA Glue
Silicone
Epoxy
Dupont Corian adhesive

Which adhesive is the best depends on the project and the type of material you are using. I prefer to use Dupont Corian adhesive most of the time as it is color matched to the material and it bonds extremely well. You can purchase Dupont adhesive from a local distributor however you will also need to purchase an application gun. The current price in my area for the small tubes of adhesive is $9.50 each.

Kevin, nice job on the router table! I've used just about every type of material on the market for router table tops including two custom machined steel tables that I have in my shop. No matter how much they cost or what features they have I would rather have a Corian router table than any other. The mass of a steel table really brings down the noise but Corian, when it is polished and if you keep paste wax on the surface, is smooth as silk and it makes it easier on the hands and arms if you use it all day long.
.

[Mark Burnette]

Corian looks & feels like it's polyethylene or polypropylene (think milk jugs). Heavy but not particularly rigid. Epoxied to MDF it would make a super nice top. Wow I'm envious of Kevin's top

[Ellen Benkin]

Yes, you can cut Corian (or any of the other brands) with woodworking tools but be aware that it will dull anything very quickly. I have a solid surface router table top and it works well for that.

[Tom Hargrove]

As stated above, Corian will make a great router table top. However, Corian will sag over time from the weight of the router if not properly supported (especially it it gets warm), so you should be sure that it has a ridgid base below.

I scored a piece of orange Corian that I have earmarked for a new router table when I have "extra" time. Not my favorite color, but it matches my table saw and planer.

[Michael Mayo]

As stated above, Corian will make a great router table top. However, Corian will sag over time from the weight of the router if not properly supported (especially it it gets warm), so you should be sure that it has a ridgid base below.

I scored a piece of orange Corian that I have earmarked for a new router table when I have "extra" time. Not my favorite color, but it matches my table saw and planer.

Would adding cross bracing length wise and width wise be sufficient to keep the sag from being an issue?

[Ken Dolph]

Michael

Yes just support it every 20 to 24 inches That is sufficient. I have used my Corian top for 16 years with no sagging.

[Bill White]

Also, remember that an acrylic is static prone. The chips will stick to charged surfaces. Thought that I would never get all the little particles off the TS and router table. It was a cool, dry day. Man, I didn't know I had soooo many "magnets" in the shop.
I sure does machine well though.
Bill