well, I'm ticked!

Jim O'Dell

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Between Aledo and Fort Worth, TX
Thought I'd work some in the shop this afternoon since I left the old job at 11:00 this morning. Thought I'd put the laminate on the router table top. Everything went pretty good, except after the first coat of cement, I saw I wasn't going to have enough. Run to HD required I put 2 more coats on to work. OK no biggie. I always pay special attention to any debris that is on the surface before I mate them. I looked at the MDF top and cleaned some specks off of it, then went to the outfeed table and did the same for the laminate. Either there was a chunk (well, big particle)of wood dust on my sleepers, or I got some on the laminate when moving it. It showed up big time when I went to bond the laminate. And just were was this mountain erupting under my laminate??? About 3" in to the left of the router plate opening.:bang::bang::bang: Right where everything I run past the router, over 5" wide, will have to climb it on the way to the bit. Tried to peel the laminate up, but couldn't get close to it. Didn't want to run the risk of snapping the laminate...that would really be a big mess. So I drilled around it with a small forstner bit so that I could get the rest of it to lay flat. Guess I'll see if I can cut a matching round plug and glue it in, or get a big brass flat head screw and make it decorative.:rolleyes: Maybe I should do a poll,:huh: :rofl:
Now, I have to figure out how to cut the recess hole out for my router plate. I'm thinking I shouldn't have routed it out in the MDF before I did the laminate. I may be starting all over on the top. Stay tuned! Jim.
 
I beat it until I was afraid I was about to break 2 layers of MDF! :D It wasn't budging. I tried to shave it off with a razor blade, figured I could mask the color change. Wasn't happening. I was afraid to take the time to come in and ask questions in that the glue wouldn't adhere any more. It's flat as can be now. Maybe I'll cut a piece of laminate to fit the hole, then fill it in with something that will be clear when it hardens. That way it will be a reminder for the future.
What gets me, is I didn't have that problem with the two 10' sections I did on the torsion boxes. Oh well, life goes on. Jim.
 
As far a filling in the hole that you drilled with your forstner bit I would be tempted to fill it with two part epoxy, a little high, and sand it level if I could not make the plug work. If you are lucky it might appear as though it belonged there.

I had to cut out a piece of laminate that I had layed over a previously cut router plate cut out. The ledge was too shallow to use a bearing type laminate trimming bit so I used one of the small laminate trimming bits that does not have a bearing and it worked just fine. I can't find an example of that type of bit right now but I had one left over from years past. I will look around a little and see if I can find an example. Ok here it is: http://routerbitworld.com/category_s/251.htm If the bottom of the bit is still too deep for the ledge you could grind it off untill it would work. Lowes, Home Depot or a local place might have one. At one time they were common but have not shopped for one lately.
 
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Thanks Allen! That might help me with what I need to do. I thought I might try to cut out the rough lower hole, then put the template back on and cut again, but I know I'd be off just a smidge and the plate would never sit right. :doh: Jim.
 
I thought about that also when I had the problem Jim but like you discarded the idea for the same reason that you did. Might have worked but then again it might not have.

I just went out and looked and cannot find my bit like that. Surely I have it somewhere. Old age I guess.
 
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Jim,

Bummer !!!

Just as a note, I routed my plate opening after I laminated the formica top. Worked fine.

Be careful when you trim the laminate. I just use a laminate trimmer router bit, but the thing that suprise me was how SHARP the 90 degree corner was. I got a good cut on a finger from the edge. A little 220 sandpaper solved the problem, I was just surprise.

Hope you can do something about the lump....
 
Jim, if it were me, I would treat the lump as if it was a place into which I wanted to install an inlay. Make up a template, get a collar for the router, a small diameter bit, and away you go. My rusty mind says that David Marks has done inlays on several of his shows....

You most likely would want to practice on some scrap with laminate..
 
Jim,

Bummer !!!

Just as a note, I routed my plate opening after I laminated the formica top. Worked fine.

Be careful when you trim the laminate. I just use a laminate trimmer router bit, but the thing that suprise me was how SHARP the 90 degree corner was. I got a good cut on a finger from the edge. A little 220 sandpaper solved the problem, I was just surprise.

Hope you can do something about the lump....

Oh, the lump is gone. Drilled it out with the forstner bit. Just need to fill the hole I left (shallow, just through the laminate and barely into the MDF.) Was afraid not to...didn't want the glue not to stick the laminate down if I waited.


Jim, if it were me, I would treat the lump as if it was a place into which I wanted to install an inlay. Make up a template, get a collar for the router, a small diameter bit, and away you go. My rusty mind says that David Marks has done inlays on several of his shows....

You most likely would want to practice on some scrap with laminate..


Good idea, Ken. I've got lots of scrap! :D
I'm going to go see what size forstner I used. I think it must have been a 3/8", but need to verify. I cut some laminate for the PRL to sit on in the routed out area. I was able to cut the round corners on it with tin snips. The corners fit better than the straight edges do! Might be several things I could lay into the hole. Still think a big brass screw might look good in there. Would probably have to be a slotted head, but would still work. There is a new Ace Hardware between the house and the new job. I might stop in on the way home tomorrow and see what they have. The other thing would be to get a plug cutter the same size as the hole and cut a laminate plug to glue in. The epoxy idea could still work also. How about a shiney new penny? Enlarge the hole to match and epoxy over it? Might be cool looking.
Thanks for the ideas! Jim.
 
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Jim, if it were me, I would treat the lump as if it was a place into which I wanted to install an inlay. Make up a template, get a collar for the router, a small diameter bit, and away you go. My rusty mind says that David Marks has done inlays on several of his shows....

You most likely would want to practice on some scrap with laminate..


My exact thoughts. Hide it in plain sight as if it were intentional. Maybe you could get someone to laser your signature on a disk and inlay that. Everybody signs their work right?
 
Jim,

Bummer !!!

Just as a note, I routed my plate opening after I laminated the formica top. Worked fine.

Be careful when you trim the laminate. I just use a laminate trimmer router bit, but the thing that suprise me was how SHARP the 90 degree corner was. I got a good cut on a finger from the edge. A little 220 sandpaper solved the problem, I was just surprise.

Hope you can do something about the lump....

Yes, I ease the edges. Believe it or not, the MDF edges were cutting me. Most not deep enough to bleed, but little flaps of skin all over my hands. If I had thought it through, I would have waited to do that as well. I just get anxious and do something sometimes and it turns out to be out of order of how it should be done.
Well, I went ahead and did what I was afraid to do. Rough trim the opening, then reclamp the template and retrim. It worked out fine. I took lots of measurements until I was satisified I had the template secured and in the right place.DSCN1688.jpgDSCN1689.jpg
Then this picture shows the dust chute up in the grid work of the base. DSCN1691.jpg

The first 2 pictures also show my little drilled out spot I referred to in my "Well, I'm ticked!" thread. I'm starting to like my penny idea more and more. Maybe cover it and seal it in with epoxy. How hard is epoxy to level out when dry if it isn't even with the top? Can I shave it off flush with a razor blade? I really don't want to sand it as I will destroy the laminate around it. :eek: Thanks for any thoughts you might have. Jim.
 
Well, I went ahead and did what I was afraid to do. Rough trim the opening, then reclamp the template and retrim. It worked out fine.-------------------- How hard is epoxy to level out when dry if it isn't even with the top? Can I shave it off flush with a razor blade? I really don't want to sand it as I will destroy the laminate around it. :eek: Thanks for any thoughts you might have. Jim.

Congratulation on a sucessful reclamp. I was afraid to try that.

I use West System Epoxy and it is very hard when cured but easy to sand. If you use fine grit sandpaper I think that you can sand it smooth without scratching your laminate if it is something like Formica or Wilsonart. They are really tough as far as scratchs go. If you do need to sand, do it right after the initial cure and it will be easier. Take some fine grit sandpaper and try to scratch some of your scrap laminate and they you will know how far you can go without doing any damage.

Since that hole is so small I think that you could mix some kind of dry black or dark powder with the epoxy and pretty much match the laminate. Clean off any excess epoxy with acetone before it cures.

Of course the inlay with matching laminate might be the best answer but I have never done any of that sort of thing so I have no suggestions on how to do it.
 
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...How hard is epoxy to level out when dry if it isn't even with the top? Can I shave it off flush with a razor blade? I really don't want to sand it as I will destroy the laminate around it. :eek: Thanks for any thoughts you might have. Jim.
I've trimmed it with a razor blade before, but it'll be easier if it's not fully cured. That said, if it were my table top, I'd fill it as close to full as I could without going over above the surface of the table, and leave it at that. A small depression that far away from the router bit won't affect the functionality of the router table, whereas a bump will. I do understand if it's an aesthetics concern for you, though.
 
I really like the idea of the state quarter, then you have the year of construction of this table always in mind. Cut hole to depth of quarter, epoxy and done. Heck, great place to store your whole series of state quarters showing both sides, make it look like it was always planned!!
Now Frank P. might only put quarters with the years of family members birth in this table. Hmmmmmmm, could be quite interesting and bet the bump would never be brought up.
Meant to tell you, keep that Irish setter off of the table before laminating and the bumps won't be there!!!:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Good ideas guys. I stopped an the new Ace Hardware west of me on the way home from work today. Didn't have anything big enough in a brass screw. Said to try Fastenal (sp?) They aren't too far from work, so might grab a sandwich at lunch one day and run down there.
I think for a coin I'll stay with a penny, for luck and all that. I had thought to do this year's penny so it would date making the table. Jim.
 
Well, I went ahead and stuck a 2007 penny in for luck. I was a little disappointed that the epoxy developed some small bubbles in it when mixing that I couldn't get out. They cloud the view of the penny a little, but you can still read the date and all.
Thought I'd post a picture with the Incra fence mounted on it. I had to take about 20 pictures until I got the camera set back up fo focus properly. opefully those problems are gone, now. DSCN1721.jpg Thanks for all the help! Jim.
 
Very nice repair job, and the table looks like a winner too.:thumb:

The next time, try using a hair dryer on low heat and low speed to get the bubbles out of the surface.
 
It looks Good, Jim. I'm glad to see you got your "Focus" problem worked out too, 'cause I had noticed the fuzziness in the pics for a while. It looks real good now. :thumb:

How is the Herculift working out that you've mounted under the router table? I ask, because I have been thinking for some time about incorporating that into the next RT I build, since I really like the way the one works that I installed on my Buddy's contr saw, ie: no bending over required, and the saw frame's legs, instead of the castor wheels set on the floor when not in the mobility mode.
 
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