OT Working with Corian

I plan on re doing a kitchen soon and am thinking of using Corian for the counters. I have the idea to make my own farmer's sink for a couple of reasons. One is my wife is short and I could customize it to accomidate her better. the other is that I would like to build a sloped drainboard right into the counter since I find it annoying that the counters dont drain right. Anyways, this would entail considerable detail work and I have never worked with it before. Question is, does this stuff work easily enough on a table saw to allow me to do a first class detail fit up job on something like this? I have above average wood working skills.
thanks

I have cut and saw a little bit of it It works a lot like wood. If it was me I most likely would have a shop make up what I want and go from there. My big worry would be the sink. If it was just the top I would say go for it. Getting ready to do the same thing but in a bathroom.
David/toledo

They do make saw blades that are particularly suited for Corian, triple chip grind and zero or negative hook angle.

I've done a few counters and tub surrounds from solid surface material ( generic corian). Corian/Dupont is very specific on how their material is to be handled. If you are not certified for Corian, they will not sell it to you.

Cleanliness is everything when making joints. Any dust or foreign material will stick out and make the joints show up. Properly made joints will be as strong as the sheet material.

Table saws, jig saws, wood routers and random orbital finish sanders are all that are needed to work this stuff. Go down to your local second hand store/Restore and loook at the backs of some corian counters to get ideas on the best way to join and support things. The glue for the pieces is a two- part acrylic colored for the specific colr you choose.

If you do find a dealer who will sell the sheet goods to you, and the glue packs needed, the price will be at a level that he would do the entire job for anyway. Make a drawing of what you want, then get a quote on the whole shebang. You will be surprised. Regards, Clark

Solid surface materials are easy enough to work with, but like everything have specific rules. Forget about warranty coverage on the material if the fabrication and installation is not done by a certified fabricator. All of the fabrication info I've read recommends that final cuts be done with a router, to minimize stress risers created by sawing. Inside corners need to remain radiused, and heat from built in appliances such as dishwashers needs to be controlled. When installing over cabinetry, the countertop should be supported on rails rather than a solid build up, to allow air circulation along the underside of the top. Dishwasher spaces need to be vented into the adjoining cabinets and the underside of the top lined with reflective foil.

I've only ever fabricated a few things with it, but one thing I learned the hard way is the glue is dated for good reason. The glue must oxidize in the package, because it doesn't match the material colour beyond the best before date. Clean all seams with denatured alchohol before gluing up, and use a router on a couple of build up blocks to straddle the joint and machine it down to very close to flush. Don't belt sand the glue off, as the hot spot where you're sanding will create stresses in the material. It might not crack today, but when the sun shines on the counter (or some other anomaly), it's gonna bite you in the ass.

And then there's the dust. You'll inevitably need to do some of the seams in or very near the final installation location. When routing or sanding, the chips and dust, seem to expand at a 50:1 ratio to the native material you're removing. You'll still be finding the dust in nooks and crannies 10 years later. Wear a good mask, or a surgeon will be finding the dust in your nooks and crannies years later...

I have Corian in my house now. I paid a certified fabricator to do the work, despite the fact I run a 30 person commercial woodworking shop. I love the tops, and especially the integral sink. It's easy to clean, maintainable, and you can fix oops marks when your kids forget to use a cutting board. I had planned to do an integral drainboard, but the fabricator talked me out of it, on the basis we could always do it later. I don't miss it after 3 years, but YMMV.

Martin

While things might have been different during the housing bubble, I'd imagine most resellers today would equate "certified" to "has the money to pay for it".