there's definately a learning curve when working with this stuff. i've found that it is near impossible to get chip-free cuts using anything but a router. using the 2 pass attempt on the table saw, one shallow cut and one deep cut, still didn't leave a cut that was 100% chip free. the tape trick helped a little, but still not sufficient. they do sell melamine blades for the table saw, but they are around $100, and i heard that they still don't leave a perfectly clean edge. i recently made a CP for a member here, and the only way i was able to get good results was to template everything out of 1/4" mdf and use a flush cut bit to ride the template. make sure to rough cut the melamine about a 1/4" bigger than the template, so the bit doesn't have to remove too much material. just used some carpet tape to adhere the melamine to the template, ran through the router table, and was quite pleased with the results.
drilling into the stuff can be just as tricky, even when using a forstner bit. i noticed that the 1-1/8" holes i drilled for the buttons and joystick weren't as clean as i had hoped, even when backing up with some scrap wood. i ended up drilling all holes in the template itself, then used a small bit to get through the melamine and finished off with the flush cut bit.
i used 5/8" and 1/2" black melamine particle board that i was able to have my local lumber yard order. it possible to get really impressive results with the stuff, but its gonna take longer than an mdf and laminated cab. if you have more time than money, its probably a better way to go, as the laminate can get pretty costly at ~$60 a sheet. I believe i paid $45 for the 5/8 and $39 for the 1/2" 49x97" sheets. as far as the finish goes, i can't really tell the difference between the melamine and the laminate. another advantage is that the 5/8" t molding fit perfectly on the melamine, i didn't have to get a wider t-molding to account for the 2 layers of laminate on a 5/8" substrate.
HTH