Main Restorations Software Audio/Jukebox/MP3 Everything Else Buy/Sell/Trade
Project Announcements Monitor/Video GroovyMAME Merit/JVL Touchscreen Meet Up Retail Vendors
Driving & Racing Woodworking Software Support Forums Consoles Project Arcade Reviews
Automated Projects Artwork Frontend Support Forums Pinball Forum Discussion Old Boards
Raspberry Pi & Dev Board controls.dat Linux Miscellaneous Arcade Wiki Discussion Old Archives
Lightguns Arcade1Up Try the site in https mode Site News

Unread posts | New Replies | Recent posts | Rules | Chatroom | Wiki | File Repository | RSS | Submit news

  

Author Topic: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc  (Read 21923 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
I have tried a few different lamination techniques and seen some complicated ways of doing it. Here is the way that works best for me and may help you.  The side of a cab can be laminated in about 45 minutes and you don't need to do any complicated measurements or pre-cutting and then trying to fit the piece on the side perfectly.

What you need are the following:

Tools/Materials

- Cheap Paint Brush

- Contact Cement

- Laminate
- Router with Flush Trim Bit
- Thin strips/offcuts of wood that are longer than the width of the cab. Have 4 to 6 ready.
- Piece of paper
- 5/8" spade bit
- Scrap sheets of MDF
- Clamps (the more the better!)

Side of Cab


Step 1

Trace the side of the cab on to the back side of the laminate. Place the laminate face down on the floor or on a large table. Put the laminate face down onto cloth or cardboard to prevent any deep scratches.  

Step 2

Apply the glue in painting motions to the inside of the area you have traced out on the laminate.  Don't worry about going over the lines...this is a good thing.  Don't apply too much, you need just enough to wet the laminate (no dry spots) but not too much that its a thick layer.  You can sand off any spillage on the leftover usable laminate.

Step 3

Apply the glue to the side of the cab that was face down when you were tracing so the glue surfaces touch once dried.  Don't worry about the glue drying while you are painting...you don't want them touching when they are still wet anyways.  Applying the glue should take you 10 to 15 minutes total time.

Step 4

Wait for the glue to dry. This usually take an additional 15 minutes...to test for readiness apply a corner of the piece of paper and see if the glue transfers. If it does  not transfer the glue is ready.

Step 5

Place the strips of offcuts at equal distances, horizontally along the length of the laminate.  I used three pieces as I didn't need a lot of matching precision... the more intricate the joining...the more pieces you should use.

Step 6

Apply the side of the cab over top of the traced/glued area and on to the strips of offcuts. You can now adjust the side of the cab precisely over the laminate.  Should look like this:


Step 7

Remove an end piece of offcut and press down on the side so it joins the laminate...work your way towards the other end of the cab, continuing this process until both pieces are joined.  Use your hands or a roller and roll over the enter side of the cab.  

Step 8

You can let it sit for a few minutes but the bond is near instant if the glue is properly dry and you can already route it.

Step 9

Route the piece. For this example I would be using a top bearing flush trim bit. The bearing would run along the side of the cab and the blade cuts through the laminate making a perfect flush trim.


NOTE: A Control Panel or any other piece is done exactly the same way. There is no need to precut to try and get it to fit...let the router do all the work. The only time pre-cutting is sometimes necessary is if you are trying to fit the laminate into interiors *after* the fact...so apply the laminate first before joining the interior.

*IMPORTANT* Clean and check your router bit from time to time. The dry glue has a tendency to clog up on the bearing and bit.

Control Panel/Speaker Shelves/Circle on side of cab

Steps are exactly as outlined above with these additions:

Step 10

Lay down a scrap sheet of MDF roughly the side of the piece you are working with. On top of this lay down your working piece face down so the laminate is sandwiched in the middle.  Apply clamps around the perimetre.

Step 11

From the underside of the piece you are working on you will drill pilot holes into the buttons or trackball or other opening. To do this I use a 5/8" spade bit.  It doesn't matter if you have some slight splinters or cracking as you will be trimming the holes after. Clamping and sandwiching the piece will limit/decrease this in any event.  In the following picture you can see the pilot holes using this technique and the scrap piece of MDF underneath:


Step 11

Place your flush trim bit (1/2" diameter is what I typically use) through the pilot hole and trim. Here I am using a bottom bearing bit and routing from the top.  If you do this make sure the router bottom is clean or place a cloth underneath to avoid scratching the laminate:


NOTE: Again, this is my method and you may have one that works better, in which case ignore this! However, this is for those people who are trying to cut it to size first and then apply and experiencing unnecessary frustration. Hope it helps those individuals...msg me if you have any questions and I will be happy to help you.







« Last Edit: April 01, 2010, 01:38:56 pm by Epyx »
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides and Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2010, 12:41:26 pm »
You may have cases where you are laminating a piece that is angled along the edges like so:


Applying the laminate is exactly as above. The routing is where the process will differ. To route these types of pieces flush I will use the sandwich technique as per above but have the scrap piece below the angle have a straight edge. I will line up the straight edge underneath the angled side at each end.  

Then flip the piece over so the scrap is at the top and use a top bearing flush trim bit. The bearing will run along the straight edge of the scrap and trim the laminate below without cutting into the thin angle.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 12:45:43 pm by Epyx »
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2010, 12:46:55 pm »
The last item to consider is T Molding. I have been successful using 5/8" MDF for the sides of my cabinet and Control Panels with 3/4" T Molding and 1/16" Laminate.  Using these pieces and the techniques above you can get a nice flush trim so that your T molding covers flush to the edges of your T Molding.  This also applies to Control Panels with Plexi/Laminate:




« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 12:50:28 pm by Epyx »
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

jmike

  • Trade Count: (+10)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1017
  • Last login:June 26, 2023, 05:14:03 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2010, 07:07:10 am »
 :applaud:
     Great tutorial Epyx (awesome cabinet btw). I was just about to start putting the laminate on my bartop. One question: I bought self-adhesive laminate but was thinking about adding additional spray glue. Would you still recommend contact cement?

 :cheers:

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2010, 02:22:10 pm »
Thanks!

Sorry, I am not familiar with self-adhesive laminate.  Not sure how strong the bonding is with those on MDF/Plywood?  I would probably not add contact cement as it may interfere with the chemical bond of the self-adhesive product.
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

johncl

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 60
  • Last login:December 31, 2012, 10:08:00 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2010, 05:32:11 am »
Very nice results. Been thinking of building my own Donkey Kong cabinet some day, and I read somewhere that the original cabinets uses laminated plywood although most DIY projects seem to just prime and paint the surface. What is typical laminate made of and is it hard or soft to the touch? I assume the original DK cabinet has a hard surface?

If so, is there any place you can buy laminate in the right Donkey Kong blue?

Edit: Ah yes, I found the answer to this one with a little googling and reading the forum. :) - Someone pointed to this place which also has the Donkey Kong blue vinyl:

- http://www.thisoldgame.com/products/donkey-kong-blue-vinyl-kit

Has anyone got this and is the results good and color matched to the original? Although it will probably cost a lot having this shipped to me... :(
« Last Edit: March 25, 2010, 05:41:21 am by johncl »

jmike

  • Trade Count: (+10)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1017
  • Last login:June 26, 2023, 05:14:03 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2010, 11:10:30 am »
Thanks!

Sorry, I am not familiar with self-adhesive laminate.  Not sure how strong the bonding is with those on MDF/Plywood?  I would probably not add contact cement as it may interfere with the chemical bond of the self-adhesive product.


Thanks. I'll try just using the self-adhesive alone. I guess if it doesn't stick, I could always add something later.

 :cheers:

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2010, 11:47:59 am »
Quote
What is typical laminate made of and is it hard or soft to the touch? I assume the original DK cabinet has a hard surface?

If so, is there any place you can buy laminate in the right Donkey Kong blue?

Laminate is soft to the touch. The kind I have used is the flat black formica product. It feels smooth and definitely adds to the rigidity of the sides once applied.  It is very flexible material and *super* easy to work with...honestly compared to painting it is night and day. In fact when you purchase it they generally roll it for you so you can place it in your trunk/backseat/pickup etc.  Obviously if the bend is too extreme without heating, it will crack.

I have searched google and you are right most people will paint Donkey Kong restores. I even scoured the Formica and Wilsonart (both laminate manufacturers) websites and peaceful blue from Formica is as close as you can get but its way off the original blue.  

I then found Trespa, another manufacturer at this website Trespa

You can see their Powder Blue and Heaven Blue are even closer...If I was to do a Donkey Kong scratch build I think you could get away with one of these two colours.  IMO Powder blue comes the closest...what do you think?

« Last Edit: March 26, 2010, 12:57:29 pm by Epyx »
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

johncl

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 60
  • Last login:December 31, 2012, 10:08:00 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2010, 02:39:42 pm »
Ah, thanks for the reply. Yes I know that when people look for a color to paint their DK cabinets they often search for a "Powder Blue" so that is possibly a very close color match to the original. Tricky thing with paint is that you never know what you get unless you see it on a surface, and if you are unlucky the color might shift towards cyan a bit too much. The sky/powder blue is more close to the DK cabinet from what I have seen so far and looks great with the white T-molding and black inside.

So a 1/16" laminate will be soft to the touch indeed as 1/16" is a fairly thick layer. I was hoping to use the common 3/4" MDF for my project but another 1/8" on each side might add too much to it perhaps? And if I get 3/4" T-molding I will probably be in trouble as well. Hmm... difficult... paint or laminate... :)

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2010, 07:15:28 pm »
Just use 5/8" as the original did :)
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

opt2not

  • Trade Count: (+15)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6173
  • Last login:February 15, 2024, 07:31:21 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2010, 08:16:34 pm »
So a 1/16" laminate will be soft to the touch indeed as 1/16" is a fairly thick layer. I was hoping to use the common 3/4" MDF for my project but another 1/8" on each side might add too much to it perhaps? And if I get 3/4" T-molding I will probably be in trouble as well. Hmm... difficult... paint or laminate... :)

T-molding can be easily trimmed.

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2010, 09:18:44 pm »
Or that ;)

There is in fact a great example of trimming using a sharp chisel somewhere in these forums.
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

Franco B

  • Trade Count: (+10)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3766
  • Last login:February 15, 2024, 09:14:06 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2010, 09:50:14 pm »
There sure is.

You can find it by clicking the link opt2not provided in the post directly above yours ;)

Excellent tutorial Epyx.  :applaud:

There is a little more info in [this] thread when I was looking into laminate that may help.

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2010, 01:05:41 am »
Quote
You can find it by clicking the link opt2not provided in the post directly above yours

Lol sigh...missed his link..thanks guys... :)
« Last Edit: March 28, 2010, 01:07:30 am by Epyx »
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

javeryh

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7901
  • Last login:Yesterday at 03:23:20 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #14 on: April 05, 2010, 03:18:27 pm »
So is $57.50 too much to pay for one 4'x8' sheet of vertical grade black laminate?  There is some dude on eBay selling a sheet for $32.50 with $25 shipping.  I need to buy some to finish off a project but damn it seems expensive.

opt2not

  • Trade Count: (+15)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6173
  • Last login:February 15, 2024, 07:31:21 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #15 on: April 05, 2010, 04:14:27 pm »
So is $57.50 too much to pay for one 4'x8' sheet of vertical grade black laminate?  There is some dude on eBay selling a sheet for $32.50 with $25 shipping.  I need to buy some to finish off a project but damn it seems expensive.

Seems about standard.
I bought my sheet of Formica for $60 CAD last year...

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #16 on: April 06, 2010, 06:17:05 pm »
Quote
So is $57.50 too much to pay for one 4'x8' sheet of vertical grade black laminate?  There is some dude on eBay selling a sheet for $32.50 with $25 shipping.  I need to buy some to finish off a project but damn it seems expensive.

Agreed with Opt2not in that it is a fair price for sure. In fact it is on the better end of the price spectrum and would indicate a general volume discount...non volume prices for a 4x8' tend to be closer to $100.
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

Dragonman73

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 192
  • Last login:April 08, 2018, 07:48:01 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #17 on: January 30, 2011, 09:45:50 am »
So where is a good place locally to get formica? I'm assuming lowes or home depot??  The only issue I would need black and they don't stock it, I havnt priced it yet but I'm scared it's going to be closer to $100 a sheet, and since I am doing a cabinet I would need at least two 4 x 8 sheets.  :cry:

Anybody have any good online sources??

HatTrick77

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 29
  • Last login:January 20, 2012, 03:02:21 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #18 on: January 30, 2011, 11:39:53 am »
haven't had any luck finding black laminate at any of the big box stores, they carry mostly faux granite and marble type laminates or white.  i can't offer any help for online retailers, but i'd be concerned that they'd be able to ship the stuff without damage. 

i picked up two sheets of black vertical grade from a place called Baer supply for $62/sheet.  they had it rolled up and bound making it easier to transport in my little Jeep.  Here's a link of their US locations, perhaps this might help.

http://www.baersupply.com/baer/our_businesses.jsp

Dragonman73

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 192
  • Last login:April 08, 2018, 07:48:01 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #19 on: January 30, 2011, 01:11:24 pm »
Thanks I just got back from lowes, they can get a black formica for me but it is custom ordered at $70 for a 4 x 8 sheet, so I'm looking right at $150 with tax for two. 

I may end up going this route, because I really want the durability of formica on my cabinet versus paint.

HatTrick77

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 29
  • Last login:January 20, 2012, 03:02:21 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #20 on: January 30, 2011, 02:20:57 pm »
i'm trying to find the melamine coated mdf or PB, haven't had much luck.  currently working on a 25k sq/ft mansion and noticed the internal construction of the 100+ pocket doors are a really nice 2 sided black melamine.  the stuff isn't your typical thin-skinned melamine, it feels identical to my formica vertical grade laminate, and has an mdf core.  this would seriously cut down on assembly time, not to mention that working with 4x8 sheets of laminate can be a bit of a PITA.

gonna try and see if the carpenter knows where to find it, but i have a feeling its probably purchased in a large quantities.  still, i'd like to get the costs and assembly time down to a more reasonable level.        
 




Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #21 on: February 02, 2011, 05:41:55 pm »
Sorry I missed this the last few days guys...some answers.

Quote
So where is a good place locally to get formica? I'm assuming lowes or home depot??  The only issue I would need black and they don't stock it,

You aren't imagining things...Home Depot recently discontinued black as an in store stock item. However, they do special order it. You only have to go to the order desk and do a special order. One thing to note is that the special order versions is $100 as opposed to $60 but comes in 5'x12' instead of the standard 4'x8'.  This actually works out nicely because you should be able to finish one cab with 1 piece whereas before I needed two for an entire cab.

Quote
i'm trying to find the melamine coated mdf or PB, haven't had much luck.

I have seen that (Melanine PB) in the Home Depots around here (Vancouver, Canada) but imo I would avoid it...maybe ok for CP projects but I would avoid it for the main structure of the cabinet.  MDO/MDF or Plywood would be my wood of choice and in that order if dimensions weren't an issue.  I tend to use MDF because I can get the sizes like 5/8", 1/2" and 3/4" all in one place without hunting :)
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

JRoz

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 257
  • Last login:February 14, 2024, 07:33:43 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #22 on: February 15, 2011, 09:19:54 pm »
Hey Guys,

I just bought a cocktail cabinet that had a thin black laminate finish on the wood pieces but unfortunately it was delivered with hairline cracks and chips in the laminate and I need to repair a ton of small areas of the pieces of wood.  I'm in the processes of filing a claim from UPS but I want to see if I can salvage the pieces.  What would you recommend I do?  Should I just fill in the chips and areas that need to be repaired with some type of bondo or putty..sand down then just fill in the small areas with black paint?  I don't really want to have to replace the whole panel with new laminate just to fill in the areas..but the problem is there are a ton of blemishes :(

Epyx

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1961
  • Last login:December 25, 2023, 07:56:36 pm
  • "You're an oddity"
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #23 on: February 26, 2011, 02:43:18 pm »
Are you sure it was laminate and not melamine?  Also what type of wood? Particle board?
Last Project



Epyx Tutorials:
Tutorials

gamepimp

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 462
  • Last login:March 10, 2024, 01:38:47 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #24 on: May 11, 2011, 11:04:43 am »
In case anyone is interested, I was able to get matte black Formica from Home Depot for $1.66 sq ft (about $55 for 4'x8' sheet). Lowe's was slightly higher (more like $1.75/sheet) but the post office has 10% coupons in the packet u get when u move which would make it a little cheaper than HD. But I had just picked up one of those packets to buy my router and didn't want to be too greedy. :-)

Woodshop Flunky

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 681
  • Last login:August 20, 2017, 05:24:57 am
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #25 on: May 11, 2011, 11:51:08 am »
Went yesterday to Home Depot in Fort Worth, TX and got priced a 4'x8' sheet for $52.  This is the stuff:



Also, I had some old laminate from another project that I thought was black until I put it up against this stuff.  The Formica brand was a much darker black.

Complete mini arcade cabinet plans available.

BobA

  • Trade Count: (+14)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5943
  • Last login:July 11, 2018, 09:52:14 pm
  • What Me Worry?
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #26 on: May 11, 2011, 09:14:42 pm »
Hey Guys,

I just bought a cocktail cabinet that had a thin black laminate finish on the wood pieces but unfortunately it was delivered with hairline cracks and chips in the laminate and I need to repair a ton of small areas of the pieces of wood.  I'm in the processes of filing a claim from UPS but I want to see if I can salvage the pieces.  What would you recommend I do?  Should I just fill in the chips and areas that need to be repaired with some type of bondo or putty..sand down then just fill in the small areas with black paint?  I don't really want to have to replace the whole panel with new laminate just to fill in the areas..but the problem is there are a ton of blemishes :(

If it is melamine not laminate then a black permanent marker pen can hide alot of scratches or chips.

TopJimmyCooks

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2097
  • Last login:March 26, 2024, 01:18:39 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #27 on: May 11, 2011, 09:43:57 pm »
Anytime you need laminate, the main companies that make it are Wilsonart, Nevamar, and Formica.  They all have eponymous websites.  Call their 800 numbers during 9 to 5.  Ask for one or two distributors in your area.  Most if not all will be happy to order you laminate with a credit card payment.  Any cabinet shop will have sample chip chains that they usually will let you borrow for a day or so.  Good luck.  Check out woodworking sites for some great PLam tutorials.

Edit:  Pls disregard - I think something got mixed up on my phone and I replied to a 3 year old post!
« Last Edit: May 12, 2011, 11:22:03 am by TopJimmyCooks »

rmusick

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 111
  • Last login:November 12, 2017, 09:15:41 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #28 on: May 12, 2011, 09:19:01 am »
Have you guys tried a cabinet shop?  I know someone that works for one,  he is getting me a 5x12 sheet for $45. 

Hey question.  If I have 3/4 inch MDF and using 1/16 laminate on both sides, what size tmolding should i get I mean the next size up is inch right?

Jexter

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7
  • Last login:July 15, 2011, 01:30:36 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #29 on: June 17, 2011, 05:03:58 pm »
Have you guys tried a cabinet shop?  I know someone that works for one,  he is getting me a 5x12 sheet for $45. 

Hey question.  If I have 3/4 inch MDF and using 1/16 laminate on both sides, what size tmolding should i get I mean the next size up is inch right?

I was just looking into the same thing as I cannot find anyone in Washington selling 5/8 MDF so i'm stuck going 3/4.  T-Molding comes in 13/16 though, that would support 3/4 + ONE side of 1/16 laminate. I think thats what I'm going to go with and just paint the other sides that barely show.

Other than that I think you're stuck doing the trim method on 1"
« Last Edit: June 17, 2011, 05:18:09 pm by Jexter »

rmusick

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 111
  • Last login:November 12, 2017, 09:15:41 pm
Re: Lamination Tutorial for Sides/Control Panels/Speaker Shelves etc
« Reply #30 on: June 20, 2011, 01:58:38 pm »
Quote
I was just looking into the same thing as I cannot find anyone in Washington selling 5/8 MDF so i'm stuck going 3/4.  T-Molding comes in 13/16 though, that would support 3/4 + ONE side of 1/16 laminate. I think thats what I'm going to go with and just paint the other sides that barely show.

Other than that I think you're stuck doing the trim method on 1"

Yea, that's pretty much what I am going to do, either paint it get the P-N-S Vinyl stuff.