# Any ideas on using some very nice laminate flooring for small projects (boxs, etc. )?



## ndbuck (Jul 28, 2008)

After mostly lurking around this site for about 3 weeks and not having done any woodworking for about 40 years, I am almost embarassed to ask this question. *But*

About 3 years ago my Beloved had a room floored with some very nice Kahr's laminate wood flooring There is nearly a full box left over. (about 17 sq ft).

This material is 14 mm thick, 7 ply plywood with an Oak "face" ply about 1/8" thick. Of course, it is pre-finished. Frankly, it is absolutely beautiful in appearance. By ripping off the the tongues and grooves I could end up with planks about 4 3/8" wide in varying lengths

I have been wondering on how to make use of it but, I keep thinking that with my limited skills in joinery- I probably coudn't pull it off. I pretty sure I coudn't miter the edges on a table saw adequately to make up boxes with the stock as ripped.

Two thoughts have occurred to me:

1) Rout rabbits on the edges of sufficient depth so as to leave only the oak ply and glue that to the edge of an adjoining perpendicular side, top, end etc.

2) Glue the planks to pywood or other substrate and do something with it-I just don't know what - to preserve the beauty of this stuff.

Anybody done anything like this? Any thoughts?

PS. edited to correct sp and to add the following:

Oh H--, I think I put this in the wrong forum!


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

i would think it would look great in a coffee table. just make some simple legs, an apron, then screw *not* glue the substrate on top of the frame. put some trim around the edges. and finish it off by filling in the center with the flooring. its laminate so it won't move and thats really all i can think of because otherwise you have those edges to deal with.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

I'd just cut the tongues off, and then put a real wood edge on it. The one thing to be aware of is that laminate can dull your blades real fast if you do too much cutting of it.


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## ryno101 (May 14, 2008)

So, about 3 years ago we re-did the floors after buying a condo, and when you're talking about 1800 sq feet, we just didn't have the bucks for hardwood, and got the same stuff. When the contractors were done, I had a huge box of offcuts that I just couldn't bear to throw away, thinking "I'll make something out of these, I know it".

Joining is a pain in the butt, I'll warn you. And Dan's right, you can cut through the pressed paper or whatever the back is like buttah, but that laminate edge does dull fast.

I've been mostly using it around the shop… to distribute pressure during clamping, (the wood glue sticks, but with a little twist it usually pops right off.) as a base for pressing pen parts together with my drill press, stacking to make a base for projects that are in process, etc. Anywhere I need a hard, relativley flat, thin surface. Of course, we ended up buying the "affordable" stuff, so it's not so nice to look at that I was compelled to make something to show it off…

I had a grand concept about building an old-style "cigar box" guitar out of it… but that didn't really pan out so well!

Good luck,


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## ndbuck (Jul 28, 2008)

I guess I did not express my self very well.

The material is not laminate in the sense that the surface layer is "plastic". It is a pre-finished layer of real oak about 1/8" thick.

If it were plastic laminate I wouldn'be thinking about trying to make something "nice" out of it.


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## douglas2cats (Mar 31, 2008)

My uncle made a hall table top for somebody of out short cutoff pieces. He did some sort of herringbone or chevron pattern with the cutoffs then cut the rectangle after the glue-up and attached a solid wood edge. I only saw it after the panel had been squared, without the edging. It wasn't my personal cup of tea but it came out well.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

I've used some to make zero clearance inserts for my table saw. My 2 cents.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

Ahh, much better if it's that veneer over a plywood, I think they call that "engineered hardwood"? Still beware of the blade dulling issues, I believe that they use a similar UV baked on carborundum containing finish on the wood, but the rest of my suggestion stands. It should make a really dimensionally stable table top.


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## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

I like the idea of using these for a sort of modular tool wall…

I'm indecisive on my preferred layout for tool hanging above my bench. I also don't want to allocate the room for a cabinet with doors, etc.

Back to my tool wall… I selected different planks with unique characteristics to serve as modular tool racks. I drilled 3/8" holes at a 5* angle about 6 inches apart to hang my wood planes.

I used another plank to mount my chisel rack, another for squares, tapes etc…

With your tongue and groove already built in, you could rearrange your wall if the need suits you.

It also makes a nice backdrop behind your woodworking bench…

Q


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## ndbuck (Jul 28, 2008)

"Engineered Hardwood" is a better description of this stuff.

Other than the real Oak layer (veneer) the plywood appears to be "Baltic Birch"

I am toying with the idea of trying to do Box Joints (I don't have a dovetail jig) and make the Baltic Birch a "feature" of a box and see what that looks like.

I'm looking around for a shop made router table jig (thats not to fancy) to make a trial. Several additional coats of poly shouldn't be a probllem for the exposed Oak faces.

Thanks to everyone!


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

I had some veneered flooring left over from when I did our floating floor in a couple of rooms. My son used the left overs for making boxes for photos. I use some for making jigs particularly when I need a smooth side.


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## AndyDuframe (Jul 27, 2008)

There's a pretty good selection of shop-made router table plans at PlansNOW:

http://plansnow.com/routertable.html

Some look easier than others….


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## CraftsmanCollective (Aug 25, 2008)

I used some left over walnut flooring off a job to make a countertop for our laundry room. It was tounge and groove and I just glued it all together.


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