Solid surface projects

[don62]

a friend and i run a small home based business specializing is solid surface material. thanks to two other friends we have an abundant supply on hand and a continuing supply of decent size scrap. the ShopBot and solid surface material make a great combination. add in VCarvePro, and hopefully soon Aspire and there is no limit to what we can do. The Sequence Board was done using a playing card font and for the classroom signs we 'resawed' the solid surface to get it to fit into existing signs.
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[jhicks]

Nice work Don. would you care to outline your approach in cutting and finishing methods?
I've had corian scraps around a long time but never tried it. Your recommendations will give me the courage and motivation to give it a try.
Love that gold fill on granite.

[don62]

glad to. a key problem with working with solid surface is that is creates a powdery dust that permeates everything and is not good to inhale. i strongly recommend wearing a mask. we have a festool dust collector and sander that is truly outstanding.

i prefer onsrud bits for cutting (using 1/4 spiral (52-280, i think) that will easily cut through the full half inch; however we leave a thin strip to hold the items in place, then surface sand to release the items. we have also found that putting the item through a surface sander helps when doing detailed engraving as it ensures the piece is flat. we engrave using mainly 45 v bits, but also 90, 60 and various size bull nose - once again i would stay with onsrud. speed is limited mainly by the machine - as when you do small engravings the short movements at high speed give me and bot the shakes - not the ability to cut the material. we then spray paint the engraving with exterior enamel ( also recommend sanding the piece before engraving to at least 120 - otherwise you could sand out the engraving) let it dry and then finish sand, polish, wash in dish water and wipe down with counter magic. rough sanding is with 6o grit, we then do (festool titan) 120, 220, 330, 600 and scotch brite pads ultra fine pads. also, make sure you use an airgun to blow out the dust from the engravings before you wash - if the dust stays in it is a challenge to get out when wet. hope this helps - thanks for the compliment

[jhicks]

Thanks Don.