Resawing Corian

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Jake Horner
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Resawing Corian

Post by Jake Horner »

Hiya Hiya,

I need to resaw some 5x8x1/2 corian for some inlays. Is a 1/2 by (reasonably fine toothed) bandsaw blade going to be adequate? Or am I going to have to spring for a carbide tipped blade (Hoping not)? My plan is to get three 1/16" thicknesses from each blank.
David King
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Re: Resawing Corian

Post by David King »

Corian is 2/3 bauxite mineral which is pretty hard stuff. I'd try a Freud diablo 7-1/4" blade in a table saw. An M2 bi-metalic bandsaw blade might get you part way but the Diablo will be half the price and last longer.
Jake Horner
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Re: Resawing Corian

Post by Jake Horner »

Thanks for the quick reply!

I use Lennox 3/4", 3 hook teeth/inch bimetal blades for resawing wood. Do you think that will be too coarse for the corian?
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Bob Gramann
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Re: Resawing Corian

Post by Bob Gramann »

I use the same 10 tpi steel blade that I use for fine cuts wood (and bone) on Corian. If I did any quantity (which I don't--I just do an occasional nut), I would expect it to eventually dull the blade. But, those blades are pretty cheap. I would worry about a 3 tpi blade grabbing and breaking the Corian. Figure out how to hold it so your fingers are nowhere near and wear safety glasses.

Cabinet makers use router bits to cut and shape Corian, so using a wood cutting bandsaw blade isn't a stretch at all.
Jake Horner
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Re: Resawing Corian

Post by Jake Horner »

Great. I'll start with a steel blade and see how it goes. And, yes, I like my fingers just the way they are : )
David King
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Re: Resawing Corian

Post by David King »

And don't breath the dust! I wouldn't expect any trouble resawing if your saw is set up correctly as the material is very solid and stable. You may develop a lot of heat however if the blade starts to get dull so some sort of lube/coolant on the blade might help if you can arrange that. It's the heat that dulls blades. Otherwise just take it in little bursts and let the blade and material cool in between. You may find that the material actually cuts a little easier with a little heat but too much heat and the binder epoxy will break down. I kind of doubt that a steel blade will yield a full sheet before it's dead dull but you'll find that out for all of us.
Cabinet makers undoubtedly use carbide router bits which are an order of magnitude harder than carbon steel so I'm a little dubious.
Jake Horner
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Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2012 3:17 am

Re: Resawing Corian

Post by Jake Horner »

Lungs? We don't need to stinkin' lungs.. Yeah, I pretty much always wear protection when I am machining.

Yeah. Carbide tipped tools last a lot longer. But like I said, I'd like to avoid the expense of a carbide tipped BS blade.

I've been a woodworker all of my adult life and built 6-7 guitars, but I've always used shell for the inlays or farmed them out. I'm making some 36x21 trays for the restaurant where my son works and they want their logo inlaid in the middle of each tray. (I'll post some pix once I get going).

It will be good to add corian to my list of materials. It will open up some design possibilities.
Clay Schaeffer
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Re: Resawing Corian

Post by Clay Schaeffer »

The binder for Corian is acrylic. I've milled a lot of it over the years - mostly with a router, but occasionally with a jig saw and tablesaw. It isn't particularly difficult to cut but does dull non carbide blades. I would be inclined to use a jig saw with semi disposable blades rather than a band saw if I had much cutting to do. I have cut small pieces on my bandsaw but only because it was quick and convenient.
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