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Hearing that Corian (the material used for counter tops in kitchens
and bathrooms) is excellent for turning and cut- ting small parts, I set
out to find some. A local cabinet maker informed me he had a 12-inch by
12-inch scrap cutout from a sink which I could have for $40.00! I then
contacted the cabinet maker who worked for our church and he gave me four
large pieces which were probably worth $150.00 based on the first quote.
One piece is 1/2- inch thick, and the rest is
3/4-inch.
Corian,
a registered trade mark of Du Pont Company, was
developed fifteen years ago for counter tops, work surfaces, sinks, walls,
and so forth. It is a hard, solid, non- porous, homogeneous, mineral-filled
acrylic resin containing methyl methacrylate.
Technical data which I obtained does not state the detailed properties, but
the manufacturer claims it to be impact, stain, and heat resistant, and it
can be worked with normal woodworking power tools. Du
Pont does warn that hot cookware should not be placed directly on the
surface, but I have found that it has sufficient temperature tolerance to
withstand normal lathe procedures. The data also does not address the
compatibility with various paints, but most acrylics and enamels should
work well. It comes in a variety of colors.
Corian
cuts very easily on the band saw and the 4-inch table saw with a
carbide-tipped blade. As blanks for turnings, I cut 3/4-inch, or smaller,
square stock. I cut 1/16- inch, 1/8-inch, etc., slabs for flat parts on the
band saw and then dimension the stock accurately on the thickness sander.
The material sands better than maple both on the thickness sander and with
hand-held sand paper. On the lathe it cuts with flakes and spirals like
brass, only faster. Corian is more forgiving than
brass, and results are excellent on the mill. For example, capstans can be
turned and the slots for the whelps can be milled axially. The capstan
barrel, head, bar ring, pawl ring, and base can be made separately and then
assembled, just as if brass were used. The Corian
I use has a light cream color, so parts look almost like ivory or bone.
Lathe work or thickness sanding
with regular plastics would be disastrous due to their heating and
resultant melting. Corian glues very well.
Although I generally avoid cyanoacrylate
adhesives because of their brittleness and undetermined longevity, I tried
some on this new material and found the bond unbreakable. Hobbypoxy (or Devcon epoxy)
gives an extremely strong bond in about fifteen minutes. The manufacturer
of Corian sells an adhesive kit for joining
pieces for counter tops, and I am told the bond is extremely strong and
invisible. However, the kit costs $8.00 and all its materials must be used
at one time - this is not practical for miniature work where a dab will do.
There are disadvantages to Corian. The first is that when machined, dust and
flakes get all over everything. It is like baby powder. When making deep
cuts on the lathe such as when rounding square stock, it is helpful to have
a shop vacuum running with the nozzle right over the work. Secondly, fine
pieces will chip if care is not used. This is usually not a problem if the
tool is set properly and fed gently. I have turned 1/32-inch-thick lips
1/4-inch deep on drums for rope reels. Thirdly, one large piece was a dark
gray - a perfect color for some parts in my current project. However, it
overheated and dulled the cutting tools very fast. Apparently the color was
produced by imbedding a gritty, pumice-like substance in the material. The
distributor told me this was not Corian. However
it is safest to stay with light cream colors. Finally, finished Corian parts must be painted, so for pieces which need
to look like brass or wood I recommend they be made from those materials.
An added comment: If you can obtain a
"sink cutout" or similar piece, you can use it for an absolutely flat
building surface. Heavily wax it and adhesives will not stick to it. It is
not possible, however, to pin pieces to it.
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