Howdy all,

Been away from the 'Wreck for a few months - busy with other stuff and
lost my motivation to work in the shop. Well, I am back at it with a
vengence. Started slowly a few weeks ago and now I can't wait to get
home from work and down in the shop each night. I finished up a
bookshelf that I started some months ago and now I have 2 kids stools,
a mechanic's seat, and two storage boxes in the works.

Anyway, looking ahead to my next project...

We have a kitchen table that has a metal wrought iron type base
(actually aluminum) and a Formica-type laminate top. The top is in
pretty bad condition so I want to replace it. The design of the table
and the decore does not warrent a finished wood look, and I am not
sure how to go about getting a glass/plexiglass top (also there is a
leaf so I don't know if glass is even feasible). I want to make a new
laminate top. I have seen Norm and others use contact cemement to on
similar jobs and I feel this is within my skill range. Also we have
found a suitable pattern at the local Borg and is within the price
range for this project. My question is regarding the substrate.
Should I use particle board (same as the current top) or instead use a
good grade plywood.

The present table is round. With the leaf it is an oval that slightly
smaller than a 4x8 sheet. The new top will have the same length and
width, but will be square/rectangle. This will extend the top in the
corners and give it a bit more mass. The particle board is
double-thickness around the edges - about 2.5" - I'll use similar
construction on the new top regardless of which material I use.

I know the main advantage of particle board is that it is cheap, and
the disadvantage is that it is very heavy. I think that plywood is
lighter and would be less likely to warp than the particle board. Is
this a correct assumption? Any other pros/cons of ply vs. particle
board for this application?

Looking ahead further I plan on making a music box for my daughter for
the holidays. Anyone know of a good source for the internal movement?

Thanks.

-CJ