Corian- cutting, drilling and finishing

[marcros]

How should I cut a piece of 30mm thick Corian. It feels like stone- not what I was expecting at all. Options are table saw, jig saw, band saw, hand saw. I don't have a handheld circular saw. I dont particularly want to invest heavily in tooling for this one off if I can avoid it.

It is 740 x 500, and I need it to be about 610 x 500 so there is a single simple straight cut to do. It needs to be reasonably straight for aesthetics, but it isnt critical to the function or fit. I may need to bond a couple of pieces of corian or something else below so that it is 40mm thick front and back for a short distance (or bond the whole thing to a piece of 10mm mdf. Finally I need to cut a hole for a router plate.

What drill bits should I use for entry holes?

Do i just work through the grits on the edges to 1000 grit plus to finish it.?

 

[Racers]

Hi

I used my table saw and Band saw and drill press with HSS drills when I made this.



File and sand to 1000 grit and you will get a good finish.

Pete

 

[marcros]

what tooth count did you use Pete- fine finish on the TS and assume the bandsaw as you would wood?

 

[Racers]

It was a course one 6 TPI I think, the finish would have been better with a fine one.

Pete

 

[marcros]

i should have something suitable then. Cheers.

 

[Vic Perrin]

Make sure you wear your dust mask, I cut some up recently on the Bandsaw for pen blanks. When I had finished I looked like a flour grader.

 

[dm65]

If you need it Marcros, I am in Leeds now and just happen to have meaty circular saw one can use for this job

Not sure what blades I have - any idea what would be best ? - I do know that I have a used 60 tooth blade that should leave a nice cut though I just took it out of its sleeve and it has rusted in a couple of places somewhow

 

[marcros]

Den

The offer is appreciated. I am a couple of weeks off doing it and I hope that my bandsaw will do the task. I may take you up on the offer if not.

Where in Leeds are you?

Cheers
Mark

 

[dm65]

Just let me know if you need it Marcros

I am in Lower Wortley

 

[marcros]

Just down the road then I think. I am kirkstall.

 

[dm65]

I think so as well - I've a rough idea of areas due to travelling around in my job, but you'll be surprised how far I'll go for a brew :wink:

 

[davem62]

Hi mark
the top you got from me is quartz and really needs to be wet cut using a diamond blade ,
regards dave

 

[marcros]

that is the top, Dave. I had assumed it was corian.

do you have any suggestions for how to make the router plate cutout?

 

[davem62]

mark
i will try a cut using router on slow speed tomorrow and let you know.i assume you need to have a rebated groove for the plate to sit on around the aperture
regards dave

 

[marcros]

ideally yes. The alternative is a simple hole, and I can build a ledge back up from the bottom.

 

[DMF]

Step away from the quartz lol!!!!

It might be me as I'm still high on pain killers after the latest visit to hospital but I think that instead of reading about how to cut something I'm interested in for a possible plate myself I'm reading about how you almost chucked a lump of rock at a table saw instead?!

After the relief of that accident avoided please tell me I have got this wrong and can issue a thousand apologies without questioning the merit of a mineral router plate at all and definitely not go near the image of a router cutter snapping / imbedding? Again I may of missed something here but high as I am I'd rather say something and sound like a .... than not

Dean

 

[marcros]

it isnt for the plate- the plate is aluminium, it is for the table top.

I think that a diamond disk on the angle grinder might be the way to do it, or possibly on a die grinder.

The good news is that it should be heavy and dense as a router table top!

 

[DMF]

it isnt for the plate- the plate is aluminium, it is for the table top.

I think that a diamond disk on the angle grinder might be the way to do it, or possibly on a die grinder.

The good news is that it should be heavy and dense as a router table top!

Ok my brains not working obviously so the thousand apologies are offered! Still reads to me though as Dave may be having a go with a router which sounds scary yet as he said it should be cut with diamond blades and wet, I'll go back to sleep in a bit I think! Interested to see how you make this work, difficult to bond / fix to and tricky to cut, doesn't sound like a ideal material choice to me? As you say potentially very good but my mind says you need some kind of Frankenstein 3 axis stone cnc machine! I'll be more positive when I wake up, promise

Dean

 

[marcros]

no the corian would have been ideal.

To be honest, never having held corian, I assumed that quartz was the colour of it!

 

[markturner]

I treat corian just like a tough hardwood - all the same tools and finishing process. bear in mind, it wont be 30mm thick, it only comes 12mm and 6mm thick. You build up the thickness where needed by bonding strips together

HTH, rgds, mark