Guide to Working with Plastics: A Primer on Poured Shapes--Sheathing Three-Dimensional Objects a Table Intended for Laminating

Laminated objects intended for less utilitarian purposes than kitchen countertops require preliminary planning in order to ensure neat, unobtrusive joints. The beauty of laminates is only skin deep. When their patterned or colored surfaces are cut, the core is exposed, and it will be visible as a dark line wherever two pieces of laminate meet at right angles. But there are ways to minimize these lines— by plotting the sequence in which the object is assembled and its surfaces are covered. The assembly of the parson’s table at right shows proper planning.

Before applying a laminate, first consider the angle from which the object will most often be viewed. The surface facing the viewer is the one that should be covered last. On a low table, for in stance, the sides should be covered be fore the top. The dark line of the core will then face the sides of the table, where its presence will be less obvious. On the other hand, the sequence of placement should be reversed for a high shelf such as the mantle over a fireplace, because the top of the mantle tends to be in view less often than the sides.

The second consideration in planning neat joints is the nature of the surface over which the router’s roller guide passes as the router trims or bevels laminated edges. The smoother this surface, the neater the beveled or trimmed edge. Wherever possible, try to plan these finishing operations so that the router will move over the side grain of plywood or over a previously laminated surface. Running the router over plywood end grain, with its bumpy surface, will inevitably create a wavy edge

1. Cutting the base and top. Cut a square tabletop from ¾-plywood. Cut two side- pieces the same width as the top, and two end-pieces 1½ inches narrower. The end-piece legs will thus be 3/4 inch narrower than the sidepiece legs, but the aprons of all four pieces will be identical in width. Lap the sidepieces over the end-pieces and secure them with six- penny (2-inch) finishing nails. Nail the top to the resulting skirt assembly.

Cut eight plywood rectangles for the inside legs. Each rectangle should be the same height as the skirt assembly, but four should be as wide as the outside legs of the end-pieces and four should be 3/4 inch narrower. Nail the wide and narrow rectangles together in pairs to form each L-shaped interior leg. Then join the L shaped legs to the skirt assembly, nailing through the face of the skirt into the interior edges of the legs. Countersink all nails.

2. Completing the lamination. Using the techniques described, apply laminate in the numbered sequence shown here. First cut eight rectangles of laminate to fit the inside surfaces of the legs. Trim the rectangles even with the bottom of the end and side skirts, and apply them to the insides of the legs (1). Then sheath the end-pieces of the skirt assembly (2), thus covering the end grain of the plywood of the sidepieces; trim the laminate to size either with a router or with a rasp and a file, as shown opposite. Next cover the side- pieces (3), trim the laminate to size, and bevel the outside corner of each leg. Finally apply a piece of laminate to the top (4), trim it to size and bevel the top edges.