Workshop cabinets ala Norm

[eoinsgaff]

Hey all,
I’m finishing my workshop cabinets and i’d Like to do the ‘worktops’ like norm Abram- two sheet’s of ply, oak edging and ‘white plastic laminate’ finish fixed with contact cement.
In terms of ‘plastic laminate’ what should I be looking for? What’s the correct term?
My search’s keep bringing up finished boards. Your help would be appreciated.
Small technical question - norm has only ever added the laminate to one side. Should it go on two sides to balance the sandwich and prevent warping etc?
Sound,
Eoin

 

[jpor4180]

Formica

 

[jpor4180]

No it shouldn't go on both sides, MRMDF would work out a bit cheaper given that you are laminating it anyway - it would be my choice. You can buy 8x4 MFT style replacement tops out of MDF for around £100 each on ebay that might be worth looking at because then the worksurface is somewhat more useful

 

[Fergal]

I bought some white gloss laminate off ebay last year. It was about £50 for a 8x4ft sheet. Stuck it onto MRMDF with contact glue for a piece of furniture. Very shiny and durable.

Laminate is very brittle and shatters easily, you also need very sharp tools to cut it as the edges are prone to chipping.

 

[MikeG.]

..........Laminate is very brittle and shatters easily, you also need very sharp tools to cut it as the edges are prone to chipping.

The few times I've used it I ended up cutting a little way away from the line then planing back to the line with a cheap but very sharp block plane. By cheap, I mean a skip-find. It's the only way I could be certain of not having a nasty chip.

 

[Distinterior]

Here you go.... It's 0.7mm thick.

https://shop.morlanduk.com/shop-by-colo ... ngle-sided

PS. Formica is a brand name.....Search for "High Pressure Laminate Sheets". There are plenty of manufacturers out there that sell sheet laminate.

Here is a Duropal option, it's available as a longer sheet than the one in the link above....

http://brentplastics.co.uk/products/duropal/

 

[eoinsgaff]

Will a regular router bit cut it.

 

[meccarroll]

Will a regular router bit cut it.

If you purchase a quality sheet laminate like Formica then working with it should not be too much of a problem.

Before post formed worktops became the norm we used to do our own using Formica and contact adhesive. We would use a tungsten formica cutter to score the surface then bent it to snap it along the score. This method if fine if you are experienced but if not just keep scoring until you have scored right through the sheet. I sometimes used a very fine tooth saw such as a tenon saw to cut the sheet but you can cut it down on a saw-bench using a blade such as an aluminium blade. Make sure if you use a saw-bench that you use a sacrificial sheet to close the gap where the blade protrudes so the formica is nicely held and prevent chipping.

Once roughly cut to size we would glue both surfaces and stick it down leaving a bit of overhang for cleaning off, at this stage a touter with trim cutter that has a bering guide comes in handy. I'd tend to only use a router once the sheet has been stuck down.

Formica is nice and reasonably flexible when new so cuts reasonably but the cheeper alternatives can be rather brittle and difficult to work so not really good to use if you have little or no previous experience.

The general rule is to use a quality formica on the outer surface and a cheap thinner backing sheet on the back for free standing or none fixed items but for worktops that are screwed down we just surfaced the top (no backing sheets for balance) and we never had any problems. We use to use Blackboard, Plywood and Chipboard for the work surface substructure as they were available years ago and worked well.

 

[petermillard]

Why not just buy a sheet of melamine-faced MDF for the top? Glue it into another sheet of MRMDF if you want it thicker.

 

[meccarroll]

Why not just buy a sheet of melamine-faced MDF for the top? Glue it into another sheet of MRMDF if you want it thicker.

Peter, Why would you use melamine faced MDF?
It has a very thin surface finish which is not intended for work surface use in kitchens.
Formica has a long established reputation for use in kitchen worktop use and is capable of standing up-to the rigours of daily use but Melamine faced MDF has not. Melamine faced MDF can be used in bedroom furniture for work surfaces and areas of light to moderate use but it's not practical or intended for kitchen worktops or similar any use.

 

[Jacob]

Why not just buy a sheet of melamine-faced MDF for the top? Glue it into another sheet of MRMDF if you want it thicker.

You can of course, but there are far more options available if you buy laminate separately. Quality, thickness, pattern, colour, size of sheet. Some large sizes available
I used https://www.idsurfaces.co.uk/ and they were OK and helpful even with just two sheets.

 

[jpor4180]

I put actual formica on my router table, it was pricier than the alternatives but I felt it could be one of those things where you regret not paying the extra when you're sat there with your pond tubing trying not to get the whole thing to stick at once. I have enough trouble with screen protectors.

That's of course not to say the cheaper alternatives are any worse, but I didn't want to find out. Much like Hoover and Tupperware, Formica has become a catch all name.

Anyway it went on with no drama. I used track saw to cut it over size by a few mm (which had very little chip out, more than acceptable for workshop use) and then I cut it to size once dry with flush trim router which worked fine.

I only put formica on the router table to give it a better slide and sometimes it has to come outside on really long pieces of trim etc. In terms of the value add of putting it on workbenches, I'm not sure I'd go for that one myself - I feel there are better places to spend my money first. For me the workbench surfaces are somewhat sacrificial. They've been cut into in quite a few places by the track saw when I can't be bothered to find 6mm shims to sit under the workpiece. Can't say I'd be delighted if I did this with laminate with wood edge banding. I think the American youtubers skew expectations of what a workshop should look like. I saw the woodwhisperer had made some expensive looking cabinetry for his workshop and my only question is why? I don't really follow him but it does seem that 90% of his videos are workshop projects rather than actually making anything (he's not isolated in that regard).

If you take a look at Peter's videos, or Neil McKinley or Gary Thomson you'll see their workshops are very functional and I'm not sure you'll see too much laminate. Why?

Of course, if it's what you want to do happy to advise in anyway you need

I only set up my workshop in the last few years. The number of things I was certain were a good idea at the time but now seem bad ideas are quite unbelievable. I'm probably about to go down my third reordering in as many years. If you're interested in the mistakes I've made I'll happily list them

 

[meccarroll]

Why not just buy a sheet of melamine-faced MDF for the top? Glue it into another sheet of MRMDF if you want it thicker.

Peter, Why would you use melamine faced MDF?
It has a very thin surface finish which is not intended for work surface use in kitchens.
Formica has a long established reputation for use in kitchen worktop use and is capable of standing up-to the rigours of daily use but Melamine faced MDF has not. Melamine faced MDF can be used in bedroom furniture for work surfaces and areas of light to moderate use but it's not practical or intended for kitchen worktops or similar any use.

Ouch might of miss understood cabinets as meaning Kitchen rather than workshop! In which case I can understand the mention of Melamine faced MDF but it's still not hard wearing enough for this type of use if you hope to use the surface for daily use.

 

[memzey]

Unless you’re referring to an episode of NYWS I haven’t seen, the workshop work surfaces he makes are built up from half lapped 2”x4”s in a frame with 3/4” ply with a sacrificial layer of 1/4” hardboard on top. No melamine anywhere on the worktops themselves.

 

[eoinsgaff]

Your right re norms workshop - Hardboard.
The laminate was used on a study desk or a bathroom vanity and more.
If i’m Honest it’s half sentiment and half curiosity that is leading me to making the tops from the laminate.
I made the tops already from hardwood ply that has been varnished and they are not doing well so I do need a better top. Plus the white brightens the shop and is easier to clean.

 

[deema]

I have three workbenches that have Formica on the top. Simply brilliant.
Glue, paint, oil, in fact I haven’t found anything that won’t easily come off and leave the surface in good order. I only use oil, water and 1K paint so can’t comment on its durability against 2K. But gun wash, standard thinners, diesel etc again haven’t affected it.
All standard wood glues don't stick. I wax the top for anything a little more exotic and again nothing sticks. I use them for glue ups, paint benches and for any mechanical engineering

 

[eoinsgaff]

Cheers Deema
I might be on the right track so.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Will a regular router bit cut it.

I would expect issues: I notched a Wealden cutter some years back by cutting a rebate in the edge of some MFC.

To begin with it cut well, then dulled quickly. I was surprised to get an actual notch though.

I may well have been moving it too slowly, etc. though - it's too long ago to remember and I have since learned that I usually move the router too slowly so it's probable. That said, chipboard often has metal inclusions nowadays, although in that case I am almost certain it was simply the melamine.