In building my hunting cabin, Ill be making my formica countertop in my shop 45 miles from the site. I plan to do a template with 3/4 MDF strips 2 in wide and use hot glue to hold the templates in place and together till I get back to the shop. The template will become the underside of the cabinet top after I screw and glue it to the final sunstrate I plan to use.
Any experienced templaters( That cannot be a word) care to give me some feedback on the dos and donts?
Replies
You don’t say how long it is. If its 8-12’ long and only held together with hot glue, I’d be worried it wouldn’t make a 45-mile trip bouncing around in the back of a truck/van.
I usually use ¼” luan or equivalent. IMO ¾” x 2” MDF will be pretty heavy for hot melt glue to hold unless its laying flat (and again I don’t know how long it is). Maybe just in case, trace your ¾” mdf pattern onto a sheet of rosin paper or butcher paper in case it comes apart.
Another way would be to use pocket hole jig to fasten the mdf together.
Dan
Why not butcher paper?
You can rough cut the paper a little smaller, then glue strips at each edge to fill out your space; then roll it all up.
I used to install for a showroom, sales company. They subbed out the tops to a dedicated top shop. I did the exact opposite of what you propose. I'd template the sheet of P-board for them, and they'd add the build up when they lammed it.
I mean all the scribing is on the back and maybe a side, so the front is just a straight line. And handling a 25" x 8-10' Pboard is not a big deal, nor will it get ruined or whacked in transit.
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Your making the top? Build it on site! Forget transporting.
If you really must go back to the shop. Cut the tops to fit and then add the build up.
Door skin or 1/4" ply rips joined with hot melt glue are lighter and easier to work with. That's what the vast majority of countertop guys use.
Personally, I'd use whatever sheet goods you are using for the top, scribe in place, take back to the shop if you like for the formica. The template is probably an extra step that doesn't gain you all that much in this situation.
Good building!
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