Dan Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 Cincinnati, Ohio has an initiative called zero-landfill Cincinnati where companies take all their old remnants of carpets, flooring, wall coverings, and more, and give them away instead of filling up our landfill. I decided to see what they had to offer and saw some great potential. Below are some pictures of just a few of the material I picked up. There were boxes and boxes of Formica and other laminates. All were just samples, but some were 10" x 8" and some just 2" x 3". These could make some great ornaments, bookmarks, and possibly pendants and earrings. Everything I have is just 3/64" thick and very strong. Someone got there earlier than me and got some great looking laminates. I didn't know how well these would cut so I thought I'd give it a shot. I stack-cut four bookmarks. I cut the blanks just a little oversized on the table saw. I wrapped them in blue tape, adhered the pattern, and drilled blade entry holes. All that took about 5 minutes. I used a #3 Flying Dutchman Ultra Reverse blade to cut the entire project. That took another 20 minutes. Then I sanded the edges a bit. No finish required. What I found was the laminate was a little tougher to cut than wood. I'd guess that this is because of the glue used to make the laminate. With wood, I usually stack 6 to 8 pieces. The blade heated up a bit more than I expected but it never broke but did seem to dull a little faster. It was a little slow going. The material does have a strong odor when cutting so I suggest good ventilation and possibly a small fan. One downside to this material is the back is not finished. The back of most of them is nice enough looking that I'm happy with this material. I will probably glue two pieces back-to-back and try some ornaments next. For about 30 minutes of my time and free material, I think I like this stuff enough to try a few other things. If anyone is in the Cincinnati area, they are doing this again next Saturday, Sept 11. PM me if you need the location. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntter2022 Posted September 5, 2010 Report Share Posted September 5, 2010 Dan looks like a nice source , sure you will be there at the next one doing your part in recycling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBridges Posted September 18, 2010 Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 I wish they'd do that hear. I'd love to have some of that stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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