# Table top out of UHMW



## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

Would a router table top out of 3/8 inch UHMW, bolted to mdf made a good router table or would it be to slippery?

Kelly


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Kelly, while this material would work you would spend far less money using 3/4" baltic birch plywood and glueing high pressure laminate on top and bottom. This is how most of the better commercial tables are built like the Router Workshop table. A better use for the UHMW would be building jigs.


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

I have a nice hunk of it that I received free. I could make a 24 x 30 inch table out of it. Bolt it down to mdf I was thinking. Still better to use it for jigs? Baltic birch seems like it isn't as flat as it could be.

Kelly


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## dutchman 46 (May 23, 2007)

As Mike said, Use it for jigs. It is the best thing to use for jigs that You will want to buy later. You also said nothing about thickness, That is a factor! A little friction on the table is better than no friction. If something would slide into a running bit, It could do harm to You, or someone else in the room with You!


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## Cassandra (Mar 15, 2006)

Kelly:

I'm with Mike and Howard on this one. UHMW would not be good for the router top. Besides being slippery, it cuts easily. One can easily foresee that the top would need replacing far too soon.

Either Baltic Birch plywood or MDF is a far better choice. To reduce sagging or warpage, one can add a brace to the bottom surface (after applying laminate.) This is what I did -- two layers of 3/4" MDF glued together, then edged with 1-1/2"-square red oak, laminated top and bottom and then mounted to a brace. The brace serves multiple functions: (1) keep top flat, (2) provide a mounting bracket, and (3) gives me the opportunity to form a dust-collection chute from the router position to the end of the table. 

Cassandra


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi 

Well I disagree with the others  you want it slippery and that stuff is the best for that.
It will last forever, I would say go for it  but with out any bolts just glue the bolts may take it out of flat///>>>just sand the back side with some 50 grit paper..so the glue can have something to hang on to..

"Use this UHMW to make jigs and fixtures for your table saw , router table, etc.
UHMW Polymer (plastic) is a linear polyethylene with a molecular weight in the range of 3,000,000 to 6,000,000. This value represents the "average molecular weight". Therefore UHMW is 10 times heavier than regular high density polyethylene.

Characteristics:

* The highest abrasion resistance
* Outstanding impact strength even at low temperatures
* Excellent sliding material due to low coefficient of friction
* *Self-lubricating*
* Easily machined with common woodworking tools"

=========


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

Well it is good to have different view points. One thing is that I have no cost in this so it is tempting to try a router table top for it. When is handled it, it didn't seem like glue would work on it, but Bj makes that sound workable.

I was going to use it without an insert plate. It is 3/6 inch thick. It seems pretty flat and that is why I thought I could use bolts and then toss the MDF is that got worn.

Decisions, decisions.

Kelly


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

With new glues they out now days they will hold just anything..

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Kelly Rittgers said:


> Well it is good to have different view points. One thing is that I have no cost in this so it is tempting to try a router table top for it. When is handled it, it didn't seem like glue would work on it, but Bj makes that sound workable.
> 
> I was going to use it without an insert plate. It is 3/6 inch thick. It seems pretty flat and that is why I thought I could use bolts and then toss the MDF is that got worn.
> 
> ...


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Kelly, something you need to know: There is no glue available that works on UHMW, nothing sticks to it. This is due in part to UHMW's self lubricating properties.(One glue was developed experimentally but it has never been released.) This may help you in evaluating your options.

Baltic birch plywood is what fine furniture and cabinets are built out of. Baltic birch has many more layers sandwiched into the same size as regular plywood. There are no void spaces.

The high pressure laminate(Like Formica brand) protects the surface, allows for pencil marks during layouts, cleans up easy with Windex, adds to the rigidity and blocks moisture penetration. This is why both the top and bottom are covered with it.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

They do make glue just for the UHMW, it's not cheap..but it works..you can find it on the Net..it works about the same .need to ruff up the stock then put the glue on both parts..

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Mike said:


> Kelly, something you need to know: There is no glue available that works on UHMW, nothing sticks to it. This is due in part to UHMW's self lubricating properties.(One glue was developed experimentally but it has never been released.) This may help you in evaluating your options.
> 
> Baltic birch plywood is what fine furniture and cabinets are built out of. Baltic birch has many more layers sandwiched into the same size as regular plywood. There are no void spaces.
> 
> The high pressure laminate(Like Formica brand) protects the surface, allows for pencil marks during layouts, cleans up easy with Windex, adds to the rigidity and blocks moisture penetration. This is why both the top and bottom are covered with it.


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

Mike, do you prefer Baltic birch or mdf for the core of a router table. I bought some Baltic birch and really like the look of the edges but it wasn't real flat. Maybe I bought a poor grade.

KR


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

I stand corrected BJ. There are a couple of products now available which require sanding with 100-120 grit followed by an application of a prep etching solution; then the bonding agent is applied. A kit which includes 1 ounce of prep solution and 1 ounce of glue sells for $21.00. Since it would take at least 2 of these kits to provide enough glue to attach the HDMW to the sub strata ($42 worth) I think this is a poor choice.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Kelly, the first table I built was from the design in ShopNotes #1, the same table you can see on the PBS show "WoodSmith shop" and built by some of our members. This table was designed to have good mass to help reduce vibrations. The plans call for 3/4" plywood, two stacked layers of 1/4" HDF or "Masonite" on the top side wrapped with a solid hardwood trim and then sealed with Formica top and bottom. I wrapped mine in red oak and mounted it to a steel frame I bought for $5 at a yard sale.(First photo)

Rick Rosendahl talked me into trying the Router Workshop table and methods and I will never go back to my old ways. While the design seems very spartan at first the Router Workshop table design is tough to beat for economy, ease of use, handy bit storage and durability. It is light weight and portable; I mostly use mine outdoors.(photo 2)

If you want to build your own table using the basic concepts of the Router Workshop table and do not want to hassle with attaching the Formica to the plywood then the phenolic impregnated baltic birch plywood available from Rockler and Woodcraft is a good choice. Most mounting plates are made from phenolic. There is a sticky thread under table mounted routing showing how to build the top.(Photo 3)


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## Bøb (Aug 12, 2006)

One of the biggest reasons NOT to use UHMW for this application is it's propensity to move with temperature changes. I made some table saw throat inserts out of the stuff, because I got a lot of scraps from work .. .. on a cool day they rattle .. on a hot day they warp and you can't pull them out. This also explains why you can't glue it .. it moves so much, it breaks the bond.


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## Jack Wilson (Mar 14, 2010)

Oh yes you can glue UHMW:laugh:

NO, you CAN'T:nono:

Can too

NO!:angry:

YES!!:haha:

NOPE:big_boss:

...


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## Collett (Nov 4, 2010)

*UHMW router table*

Yes there is glue fo UHMW ... but it typically only glues to "it'self" so getting it to stick to something else may be a problem. Then of course comes the question even if you can glue it to something else are the two substrates going to expand and contract with temperature fluctuations ... if they they will start to come apart. 
Then the next problem is getting it absolutely flat. That's a big area to get flat and you don't want to be screwing of bolting it on.
Might be a whole lot easier with a more suitable material 

Colin


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

I used to manufacture components from UHMW-PE for a customer and I have to agree with those sceptical about glueing it. Because it is not dimensionally stable the fixings (mostly onto steel in my case) had to allow for differential expansion and contraction and we generally chose to machine on cooler days to ensure consistency in component sizes battch to batch. If you want some idea of just how much the stuff moves the linear coefficient of expansion for steel is around 13.0, aluminium around 22.o and HDPE (UHMW-PE) is 200 (10-6 m/m K). That's why glue bonds to it break so easily and why it's best to screw it down to any substrate. 

As far as being easy to machine, well yes and no. It needs a light touch. If you try to machine off too much in one pass it can be easily pulled-in which can result in an accident as I found out to my cost on one occasion. My advice is NEVER attempt more than a 6mm (1/4in) deep pass in one go on a hand router and restrict the width of cut to well-under 1/2 the diameter of the cutter and again no more than a few millimetres at a time until you get more used to it. This material soaks up router power so for thick sections, say over 12mm or 1/2in thick) a 3HP router is a must


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