Carving Corian?

[dhauptman]

Hello,

I have seen several posts about carving with Corian. Is this the same Corian that is used on counter tops? How does it carve? Is it hard on the bits? I am fairly new to the CW machine and have not done a whole lot more than MDF at this point. I'd like to try Corian. I think that would look nice and be great for gifts. Any information and pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks!
David

[Ron Smith]

and the only thing I'm careful about is to keep the chips cleaned out more frequently. Corian chips do make a mess and they stick to everything. I haven't had any problems making signs or projects out of it. The CarveWright speeds haven't shown any problem witht the routing. Corian will dull your bits quicker than wood, especially if you use the stuff with stone chips embedded. It sure cuts cleanly, though. You'll have to ask others about doing photos. I haven't done any of those yet.

Ron

[leroy]

Corian cuts great. Combined with centerline text you can make great looking signs. I have cut a lot of it and haven't had any problems with bit dulling. I would add some imiges if I knew how?????

[dhauptman]

Thanks for the responses. Any idea where to buy Corian? I have looked in my local home centers (HD, Lowe's, etc.). Also, what is the price for a small sheet of corian (maybe 2' x 4').

David

[eromran]

Ebay seems to be a pretty good place if you watch carefully i usually pay about $45 for 12 pieces about 11 X 13 X 1/4 hope that helps.

[TurkeyBranch]

I am seriously thinking about buying a dozen sheets, price break at 12 sheets
Then cutting them up into 11x14, 8x10, 5x7

Think it is worth it? It is so hard to find a supplier that you can get exact sizes, without "bidding" and the quantity you want, maybe even mix and match.

If I do this, would anyone be interested in buying from me? It would take a long time to use that much corian by yourself.

Ed

[menewfy]

you may want to try and search for a product called staron it is the same thing and I bought A whole sheet of it for 300.00 cdn from a local kitchen installer.

good luck

[Ron Smith]

Thanks for the responses. Any idea where to buy Corian? I have looked in my local home centers (HD, Lowe's, etc.). Also, what is the price for a small sheet of corian (maybe 2' x 4').

David

If you can find a counter fabricator/installer in your area, they usually have cut outs or odd sizes they'll let you have. The one I went to had their shop full. I asked if I could have a few and the manager told me to take all I wanted. I now have five stacks, four feet high, of 1/2" corian, 3 feet X 3 feet in all colors. When I build my new shop, it'll have corian benchtops. I've found lots of projects to use it, from turning pens to cutting boards. Check with kitchen installer and see if you can have some good luck.

Ron

[pefries]

I did the same thing last year for scrollsaw projects and pen turning. I found a local kitchen counter company and asked if they had any scrap I could have. They wouldn't give away any pieces that were large enough for bathroom counter tops. But, I got plenty of sink cutout pieces and odds and ends. The question I have is thickness for these light boxes I'm seeing on the forum. Is the corian still 1/2 thick or is it being shaved thinner by the machine to allow the light to shine through?

[pefries]

No need to answer my question. I continued on to the tutorials and foudn the tutorial on carving plastics and learned how light boxes are made. Duh. But, also saw art work from carved corian. Will definitely give that a try when my bit set gets here.