# Rabbeting Recycled Plastic



## seamuskennison (Nov 17, 2015)

I need to rabbet out a hole that I will use as a sink base in my outdoor gardening table. I built the thing out of recycled plastic (from old picnic tables) and am wondering if I should be concerned about safety or quality of the rabbet. It cut fine with regular woodworking saws but I don't want to get some major kickback or other problems before I start.

Thanks!


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum. Please consider adding your first name to your profile.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

seamuskennison said:


> I need to rabbet out a hole that I will use as a sink base in my outdoor gardening table. I built the thing out of recycled plastic (from old picnic tables) and am wondering if I should be concerned about safety or quality of the rabbet. It cut fine with regular woodworking saws but I don't want to get some major kickback or other problems before I start.
> 
> Thanks!


If it cut OK with other saws, just mark out your cut-out the size of your sink. Then mark inside the size of the cutout hole,allowing what ever you want for the rabbet. Then drill holes in the 4 sides of the cutout and use a saber saw to cit out the cutout. Then take your router and use a rabbeting bit with a bearing on it and set the depth and go clockwise around the hole letting the bearing follow the cutout hole an it will give you a rabbet to set the sink on.

Herb


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. You usually only get kick back if the blade binds in the cut. Plastic shouldn't have built in tension like wood grain but if it melts and starts sticking to the blade I suppose it could. I think I would be more concerned about it being brittle since it sounds like it may have been exposed to UV rays for a while. Can you elaborate on how you recycled the plastic?


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## seamuskennison (Nov 17, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Welcome to the forum. You usually only get kick back if the blade binds in the cut. Plastic shouldn't have built in tension like wood grain but if it melts and starts sticking to the blade I suppose it could. I think I would be more concerned about it being brittle since it sounds like it may have been exposed to UV rays for a while. Can you elaborate on how you recycled the plastic?




It's thick plastic planks purchased specifically for park picnic benches and tables. I didn't do the recycling. The planks are 1.5" thick and not brittle, I was more thinking in the line of what you said, melting and causing a bit to slow down and catch.


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