Looking for some advice on laminate/t-molding finish

[StriderDSO]

I'm going to be building my first cab sometime soon and want to iron out as many details as possible before I start cutting (and therefore wasting wood with foolish mistakes lol). I've decided on using 3/4" furniture grade plywood, and laminating it on the sides, back, and front, and painting any interior surfaces that show (I was going to go with lower grade and just spend more time finishing it before laminating, but I'm lazy). But I just realized I'm going to run into a problem with the t-molding.

I'm gonna pick up some 3/4" t-molding, but the lamination is what, 1/8" thick typically so there will be overhang. I've never worked with laminate before, but I'm assuming I can't bevel/camber it (with sanding or any other such method) at the edges so there is no overhang without ruining it's black finish, eh?

So I'm wondering if someone might be able to give me some advice as to what I should do? Do you think 5/8" plywood with a 1/8" laminate surface would be just as strong as if I had used 3/4" plywood? If I use some supporting 1.5x1.5" struts inside the cab as a frame, would I be able to get away with the 5/8" plywood + laminate?

Any advice is more than welcome Thanks a lot!

(P.S. I will not be using MDF, as I hate the material... just thought I'd get that out there lol)

[BobA]

5/8 with laminate will be very strong for your cab.  There is no need for 3/4 plywood.

[StriderDSO]

Wow, fast reply. So you think the 5/8" will suffice eh? I'll have to check what prices they have at the local wood supplier this weekend then. Thanks for your input.

[eds1275]

5/8 is great, more than strong enough. Consider what arcades have been made out of in the past! Many of which are still staning. And yours won't be abused the way those others were/are.

[eds1275]

Also I believe laminate is 1/16, so 2 pieces of that on 5/8 is 3/4 to go along with your t-molding.

[StriderDSO]

Well I've been talking to WilsonArt lately about what thickness their Black 1595 laminate comes in, and they stated it is available in ~1/21", 1/26", and 1/36". I'm assuming I could use 3/4" ply (or 5/8") with matching T-molding and the slight overhang of the laminate wouldn't be an issue (especially if it were 1/26" or 1/36" thickness). Now it will just be a matter of finding if I can get some shipped out this way (Atlantic Canada), or find a suitable replacement.

Can anyone comment on the durability of the Wilsonart Black 1595 laminate? I was hoping they would have a thicker option available that would be more resilient to dents and scratches... I know people say they look nice, but how do they hold up against typical home wear n'tear?

[t3design]

Get something like this:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1266

and trim away the excess/

t3

[StriderDSO]

A nice black laminated cabinet looks sweet

[t3design]

For the love of Pac-Man, no more laminate cabinets.

No more "inspired by Wee-Cade" cabinets either.

 

Wow. Really?  And all this time I thought the point of this hobby was each of us could make something that appealed to our desires and sensibilities. I'm glad I finally found out that we need to conform.

Now of course we need a definition of the "acceptable" cab. Can someone step up and make this happen?

[Well Fed Games]

A nice black laminated cabinet looks sweet

Amen. and a nice alternative for folks who don't want to paint (or can't do it well, like myself)!

[t3design]

You're being ironic or something right?

Yep. That's irony all right.

[StriderDSO]

Yep. That's irony all right.

lol

[t3design]

"If you can't answer a man's arguments, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names." - Elbert Hubbard

Jim,
I love opinions.
I relish a spirited discussion where people present reasoned arguments in support of things they are passionate and educated about.

I fail to see the benefit of mindless rants, emphatic exclamations of personal preference at others expense, or discourse that is intended not to encourage and engage but rather to close down discussion and put others in their place.

Saying "For the love of Pac-Man, no more laminate cabinets. No more "inspired by Wee-Cade" cabinets either." is a close ended statement that does little more than show  intolerance for others choices.

Following it up with "do what you want but laminate has no character and has been done to death on this forum." is not really any better.

We could just as well say, "For the love of Pac-Man, no more cabinets from Saint's plans. Pitch that book in the trash, it has been done to death on this forum."
In fact, you could pick almost any color, material, theme, style, method or mode and say the same thing.

So, I don't hate opinions. In fact, I don't think I hate anything. But I do wonder why when a guy asks for help he gets replies telling him that his desires are tired and irrelevant and that his project has no character. That does not seem to be very helpful or friendly.

As for Aggies and whether I am "flaming" or not...

I did receive my Engineering degree from Oklahoma State University. We prefer to be called Cowboys, however, we celebrate our Agriculture roots and the name "Aggies".

I'm not sure how you are using the term "flaming".
If you mean it in the sense that I might be gay, well, I'm not but if I was I would be offended by that term and the intolerance it connotes.
If you mean it in the sense that I am on fire for my alma mater then you sir are very right.
If you mean it in the sense that my original post was inflammatory then I apologize. As I look back over my post I realize that my use of satire could easily be misread as mean spirited instead of the way it was intended which was to point out the harshness of the previous post in a humorous way.

Strider,
I am laminating my cab then putting full side art on. I like the hardness of the surface (6 kids at home that will bump into my cab as much as play it) and the ease of achieving that surface finish. I also love how clean and neat it makes things. I have a lot of respect for the guys who have the time, talent and equipment to execute near perfect paint. I also love the restores that are true to original. In my case (and I think yours) I was more interested in creating my vision and doing it with the materials and methods that I have access to. I went with 5/8 cabinet grade birch ply and will have laminate on both inside and outside making it really close to 3/4. I will route the T-molding slot after all laminate is on to get it centered, install the T-molding then trim flush.

Good luck with your project and keep us posted on how things come out.

[Rick]

"Can't we all just get along?" -- Rodney King

 

[Woodshop Flunky]

I'm a little late to this thread, but I had a similar situation with my build.

I used 1/2 plywood and the thing is rock solid... so 5/8 will be fine.

Black laminate is a personal issue (obviously ), but it worked out great on my cab, and gave a nice micro textured satin finish to the interior.  Some folks do it because it is easier, but I prefer the look.  I also like Coke over Pepsi.  


The laminate was in fact a little less than 1/6 inch, and the wood is also thinner than advertised, so I also had overhand with the t-molding.  You can buy tools from trimming this sort of thing, but I just took a little time a sharpened my chisel.  Honestly I think a box cutter with a fresh blade might work even better since it might be easier to hold.


I trimmed inside and out, over the laminate and my side art without any difficulty.  I just had to take my time and then run my hand back over the work to find the occasional high spot that I didn't quite get.  I took a look at a lot of t-molding on arcades while I was building mine, and I think the trimmed edge looks great.  IMHO it gives the sides a very crisp look.  Just my 2cents!