SO I BOUGHT A CORIAN COUNTERTOP

I had done some researching on where to buy sheets of hard plastic materials -- acrylic, polypropylene, HDPE, that kind of thing.  I thought there would be some good project potential with this kind of stuff, either furniture (in particular I was thinking about a table top made of the same material as a cutting board we got from Ikea) or something else.  Unfortunately, the hardware and home improvement stores did not seem to stock it, and all the vendors I found wanted over a hundred dollars for slabs more than 2 feet long.  That was too much for experimentation.

Then, on a scrounging trip to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, I found the solution.  They were selling second-hand kitchen and bath countertops, those with the sink and faucet holes already cut out, for cheap.  After sorting though the many laminate versions, I found a 6-foot long bathroom countertop made of Corian for $25.  It probably weighed 80 pounds, and I had to borrow a hand saw from the Re-Store to cut the thing in half to fit it into the mighty Corolla, but I got it home.

I started experimenting in the Minoralterations workshop and learned some important facts about Corian.  First, it is brittle, so watch those corners while you are cutting, wear your safety goggles and do not drop your piece -- it will crack or shatter.  Second, when you cut or drill Corian, it "off-gasses," meaning it releases a terrible chemical odor.  I managed to stink up the entire house with just a few cuts, and I became concerned about the toxicity and flammability of the fumes being released.  I now make sure to wear my respirator when I work with the stuff (also good when sanding this super-dense material) and do as much cutting as possible outside.

I learned a few things about cutting and drilling, as well.  First, for straight cuts, my circular saw installed with a fine-tooth blade worked pretty well, but it did start to melt and slow the blade if I pushed too hard.  A new jig saw helped a lot, and a soon-to-arrive carbide blade should made cutting even easier.

For drilling, I read a tip on-line that made a big difference: slow down the speed of your drill.  Before I read this tip, I had my drill-press set up at a high speed for wood and metal.  When I drilled into the Corian at high speed, it quickly melted and jammed the bit.  I am lucky I did not burn out the motor.  However, when I slowed the motor down to its lowest speed, the drill sailed through the Corian like butter.