Hello all,

I'm about 60% done with my new router table, and realized that while I
bought myself some formica-style laminate for the top, I negected to
get any adhesive for it. I'm sure some of you guys have made these
before, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for
attaching the laminate to the top. I'm guessing that regular old wood
glue is not going to cut it, and I want to get it right the first time
so I'm not fiddling around with it too much.

Thanks for any advice!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Contact cement. It looks like honey, spread over the two surfaces
using a credit card, allowed to dry for 10-15 minutes, carefully
press the two together, and roll it out (a J-roller, or rolling pin
works fine). Use plenty of ventilation! Wait till the next day to
trim off the excess.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 15:33:09 -0600, Prometheus
wrote:

Hello all,

I'm about 60% done with my new router table, and realized that while I
bought myself some formica-style laminate for the top, I negected to
get any adhesive for it. I'm sure some of you guys have made these
before, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for
attaching the laminate to the top. I'm guessing that regular old wood
glue is not going to cut it, and I want to get it right the first time
so I'm not fiddling around with it too much.

Thanks for any advice!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Or brush on contact cement. Either way, be sure to apply two coats of the
contact cement to the substrate and one coat to the laminate. Let the glue
dry to the touch. Put some sticks fairly close together on the substrate
and then place the laminate sheet on top of the sticks. Align the laminate
where you need and remove the sticks as you press the laminate in place. Oh
yea, make sure the two glued surfaces do not touch until it's where you want
it. The bond is instant, and may prove to be impossible to adjust once
bonded. Finally, roll the hell outa it with a j roller, starting in the
middle and working out. --dave



"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
Contact cement. It looks like honey, spread over the two surfaces
using a credit card, allowed to dry for 10-15 minutes, carefully
press the two together, and roll it out (a J-roller, or rolling pin
works fine). Use plenty of ventilation! Wait till the next day to
trim off the excess.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 15:33:09 -0600, Prometheus
wrote:

Hello all,

I'm about 60% done with my new router table, and realized that while I
bought myself some formica-style laminate for the top, I negected to
get any adhesive for it. I'm sure some of you guys have made these
before, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for
attaching the laminate to the top. I'm guessing that regular old wood
glue is not going to cut it, and I want to get it right the first time
so I'm not fiddling around with it too much.

Thanks for any advice!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

10-15 minutes in this weather is unlikely to be long enough.
Furthermore, a second coat is invariably necessary for proper adhesion
to a porous surface such as MDF (not that I know what the OP's substrate
is).

Dave

Phisherman wrote:
Contact cement. It looks like honey, spread over the two surfaces
using a credit card, allowed to dry for 10-15 minutes, carefully
press the two together, and roll it out (a J-roller, or rolling pin
works fine). Use plenty of ventilation! Wait till the next day to
trim off the excess.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 15:33:09 -0600, Prometheus
wrote:


Hello all,

I'm about 60% done with my new router table, and realized that while I
bought myself some formica-style laminate for the top, I negected to
get any adhesive for it. I'm sure some of you guys have made these
before, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for
attaching the laminate to the top. I'm guessing that regular old wood
glue is not going to cut it, and I want to get it right the first time
so I'm not fiddling around with it too much.

Thanks for any advice!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

"David" wrote in message
...
10-15 minutes in this weather is unlikely to be long enough. Furthermore,
a second coat is invariably necessary for proper adhesion to a porous
surface such as MDF (not that I know what the OP's substrate is).

Dave


What weather? It is currently 76 degrees. ;~)

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 15:33:09 -0600, Prometheus
wrote:

|Hello all,
|
|I'm about 60% done with my new router table, and realized that while I
|bought myself some formica-style laminate for the top, I negected to
|get any adhesive for it. I'm sure some of you guys have made these
|before, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for
|attaching the laminate to the top. I'm guessing that regular old wood
|glue is not going to cut it, and I want to get it right the first time
|so I'm not fiddling around with it too much.
|
|Thanks for any advice!

I covered the outfeed table on my table saw with laminate glued down
with yellow glue ("adhesive" to my materials science friends).

The table is Baltic birch ply with a no name laminate scrounged from
my cabinet maker neighbor.

I rolled on a coat of glue on each piece, let it dry and then ironed
it on. Worked great.

I have not had as good luck with this technique when the substrate was
MDF. Apparently the moisture in the glue and/or the heat causes the
MDF to delaminate around the edges. Leaving the piece oversize and
trimming off the edges works fine.

Contact cement works just as well when you put the parts together when still
wet as it does when they're dry only difference is, when it's still wet, you
don't have the instant grab and you have to wait longer for a full cure.


"David" wrote in message
...
10-15 minutes in this weather is unlikely to be long enough.
Furthermore, a second coat is invariably necessary for proper adhesion
to a porous surface such as MDF (not that I know what the OP's substrate
is).

Dave

Phisherman wrote:
Contact cement. It looks like honey, spread over the two surfaces
using a credit card, allowed to dry for 10-15 minutes, carefully
press the two together, and roll it out (a J-roller, or rolling pin
works fine). Use plenty of ventilation! Wait till the next day to
trim off the excess.

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 15:33:09 -0600, Prometheus
wrote:


Hello all,

I'm about 60% done with my new router table, and realized that while I
bought myself some formica-style laminate for the top, I negected to
get any adhesive for it. I'm sure some of you guys have made these
before, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for
attaching the laminate to the top. I'm guessing that regular old wood
glue is not going to cut it, and I want to get it right the first time
so I'm not fiddling around with it too much.

Thanks for any advice!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 15:59:12 -0800, David wrote:

10-15 minutes in this weather is unlikely to be long enough.
Furthermore, a second coat is invariably necessary for proper adhesion
to a porous surface such as MDF (not that I know what the OP's substrate
is).

I'll be applying it in my basement, it's about 65 degrees, so weather
is not a signifigant factor. The substrate is going to be a sandwich
of 3/4" ply with two layers of hardboard overtop. Looking at the
descriptions of the stuff, it seems like it is similar to the adhesive
used when applying vinyl tiles, so I'll use my notched trowel to get
the adhesive on. Sounds like other things I've done, so hopefully
it'll come out nice.

Thanks for the responses- all of them were useful for letting me know
what to look for.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

For small laminate projects around the shop I use 3M 77 Spray adhesive to
bond laminate to substrate. For me the spray adhesive has the following
advantages: No mess. It is easy and quick to apply. You get an even coat
on both the laminate and substrate. You do not have to wait for the
adhesive to dry, you put the surfaces together while the adhesive is still
aggressively tacky. As you put the surfaces together you can actually slip
them a tad if necessary. The unused adhesive keeps for a very long time,
unlike contact cement which don't keep well after the can is opened. I have
no test data to compare the strength of the bond to contact cement, however,
I have not had any come loose. I am not a 3M stock holder, just like their
spray adhesive. YMMV.
Earl Creel

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

I'm about 60% done with my new router table, and realized that while I
bought myself some formica-style laminate for the top, I negected to
get any adhesive for it. I'm sure some of you guys have made these
before, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for
attaching the laminate to the top. I'm guessing that regular old wood
glue is not going to cut it, and I want to get it right the first time
so I'm not fiddling around with it too much.

Thanks for any advice!

Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Prometheus wrote in
:

The substrate is going to be a sandwich
of 3/4" ply with two layers of hardboard overtop. Looking
at the
descriptions of the stuff, it seems like it is similar to
the adhesive
used when applying vinyl tiles, so I'll use my notched
trowel to get
the adhesive on.

I haven't built a router table, but I did build new
countertops (and detached cabinet tops) for our kitchen two
years ago. We used the adhesive recommended by the
manufacturer of our laminate and it was nothing like the stuff
you use for vinyl. This was a 3M product, I can't recall the
name offhand, but it's a thin green liquid that you brush
heavily onto both surfaces, then wait 20-30 min for it to dry.
Once you place the two surfaces in contact and apply pressure
with a j-roller it sticks quite well. I think if you used a
"thick" adhesive like the flooring stuff you might end up with
bumps under your laminate.

Take a look a the wilsonart, nevamar, or formica web pages to
see what they advise.

-Kiwanda

On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 15:28:48 +0000 (UTC), Kiwanda
wrote:

Prometheus wrote in
:

The substrate is going to be a sandwich
of 3/4" ply with two layers of hardboard overtop. Looking
at the
descriptions of the stuff, it seems like it is similar to
the adhesive
used when applying vinyl tiles, so I'll use my notched
trowel to get
the adhesive on.

I haven't built a router table, but I did build new
countertops (and detached cabinet tops) for our kitchen two
years ago. We used the adhesive recommended by the
manufacturer of our laminate and it was nothing like the stuff
you use for vinyl. This was a 3M product, I can't recall the
name offhand, but it's a thin green liquid that you brush
heavily onto both surfaces, then wait 20-30 min for it to dry.
Once you place the two surfaces in contact and apply pressure
with a j-roller it sticks quite well. I think if you used a
"thick" adhesive like the flooring stuff you might end up with
bumps under your laminate.

Take a look a the wilsonart, nevamar, or formica web pages to
see what they advise.

I did find the contact cement that was right next to the laminate on a
second trip to the hardware store (duh....) and I've got the final
peice ready to set right now. Man does this stuff stink!!! It's
turning out really nicely, though. Top is 1.25" thick, with laminate
on both sides (to prevent warping, according to the plan I'm using,
anyhow) and fiddleback maple edges. Fence is going to be 1.75" thick
Mesquite- mainly because I've got it, and it is the most stable piece
of wood I've ever had in my shop! (It's been drying for 10 or 15
years, and is still straight as an arrow, despite being stored rather
haphazardly in my father's basement for almost all that time) I'm
almost regretting making the base out of 2x4s, but with the new house,
I just can't afford enough maple to build the whole base when I've got
loads of other furniture to build! Ah well, maybe later- the top and
fence are the important bits anyhow.



Aut inveniam viam aut faciam