What do you think of using Melamine for the top of this table? The one in the Winter 2010 Tools and Shops.
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Too Much Trouble
Most melamine panels have a coarse particle board core that doesn't look good or clean up nicely if the edge is exposed and melamine panels are harder to work with and more easily damaged in all machining operations than MDF. It is also quite a bit heavier than the lightweight MDF I used and I suspect it is heavier than even regular weight MDF.
MDF has a very rugged surface, a router table I made for the Fine Woodworking shop has a top made from MDF and after several years of use the aluminum plate the router is mounted on is fairly worn and beat up looking but the MDF still looks fine. You can give the MDF a couple of coats of shellac or a few coats of furniture wax melted in with a blow dryer if you want to get a slicker surface but it works just fine as a table surface if left unfinished.
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