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IndustryArena Forum > Mechanical Engineering > Epoxy Granite > Quartz Counter top for Mill Base
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    33

    Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    I have been looking at Quartz Counter Top remnants to use for a CNC router base. Has there been any research on this?

  2. #2
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    Dec 2013
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    33

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Attachment 307162Attachment 307164
    Rough concept of what I am talking about. The Quartz counter top is made of 93% quartz and 7% binder. It is pressed and heat treated for high strength. The size of pieces that I would use are all available in the remnant area for about 10$ a square foot. I would use inserted nuts for clamping and jack screws and then fill the gap between pieces with epoxy so that all dimensions could be as accurate as possible.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    1422

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    I'd be asking two questions:

    - is it flat
    - is it stable or at least consistent wrt temperature changes

  4. #4
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    33

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Quote Originally Posted by dharmic View Post
    I'd be asking two questions:

    - is it flat
    - is it stable or at least consistent wrt temperature changes
    1.2 x 10^5 for quartz vs 6 x 10^6 for cast iron. I will put my sample on my surface plate tomorrow

  5. #5
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    4252

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Probably more stable than home-made epoxy-granite, as the makers are doing it on a production basis.
    Flat? That you can fix/handle yourself fairly easily with a tiny bit of epoxy fill.

    Old tombstones - they are the thing. Matured.

    Cheers
    Roger

  6. #6
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    May 2015
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    1422

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Hmm, might have to go "shopping" one night?

    If it goes all Buffy on me I'm gonna blame you, Roger.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    4252

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Ah, don't worry: we'll send the Drop Bears after her.
    Hey - maybe we could put the whole Liberal Party (State & Fed) into the Hellmouth?

    Cheers
    Roger

  8. #8
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    May 2015
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    1422

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    *BACK into the Hellmouth?

  9. #9
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    Jun 2010
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    4252

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    YEAH.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Is no one worried about the eventual Ghost in the machine?
    Lee

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    4252

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Ghosts?
    Poor weak pathetic gutless GHOSTS?

    Look Lee, our machines already have quite enough Gremlins in them that there is no room for ghosts. Forget it, ain't gunna happen.

    Cheers
    Roger

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2015
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    1422

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Descartes or Deadly Terrors type Ghost in the Machine? I can deal with the former, and I write software so wrestling psychotic bugs into submission is part of the daily routine.

  13. #13
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    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Boggarts. Definitely.

  14. #14
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    May 2015
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    1422

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Yess, Miss Susan.

    NOT THE POKER!

    Ahem.

    None of this is helping the OP.

    Levelling out with a gloop of epoxy - surely that's not going to be particularly strong without filler, is it?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    It works great as an adhesive or a filler. Not as well as a surface. Especially if it is laying on an already smooth surface.
    Lee

  16. #16
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    Jun 2010
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    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Epoxy - well, I know many people have used it happily. It's all about pressure: if the epoxy is spread out over a large area the surface pressure will be low, within what epoxy can handle. Sure, add filler if you want. Not a lot of difference between epoxy fill between rail and base to handle small gaps, and Turcite plastic on dovetails. Granted, some discretion about what is resonable is required.

    Cheers
    Roger

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    6618

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Having it ground flat is likely the best scenario. Anything else may or may not work, so would be a gamble.
    If you have some extra material. Give it a few tests. You might consider adding glass fiber if it is pretty thin. That would give it some inherent strength.
    Lee

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    419

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    I did a little research on the topic.

    As far as I could find just about all counter top composite is made with polyester.

    Polyester keeps on hardening over time so the machine would get more brittle over time.
    For a thick base that may not be a problem but for me it meant I went back to working towards self made epoxy concrete.

    I would never use the material as thin as it appears to be in the sides of the gantry in the sketch
    Sven
    http://www.puresven.com/?q=building-cnc-router

  19. #19
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    Jun 2010
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    4252

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Not quite right. Solid-surface (countertops) are made of epoxy, acrylic and polyester, in descending order of cost. Lab benches are often made of epoxy, to get the highest performance. Polyester can be thermo-formed - which may or may not be good for a CNC build.

    What is interesting is that materials like Corian are acrylic resin with aluminium trihydrate as the filler. Looks very nice, and is available in big sheets. It can be glued. But you can also get quartz/resin, glass/resin (as in broken bottles I think!) and granite/resin sheets. An interesting thought. Not as dense as steel, but it could be easily as heavy when you build up the thickness.

    Even more interesting: you can buy the two-packs kits for repair and casting by the gallon through Amazon. The stuff is no longer hard to find.

    Cheers
    Roger

  20. #20
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    Jul 2009
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    419

    Re: Quartz Counter top for Mill Base

    Ah, yes. All the information I (me) could find on the composite stone I (me) could get my hands on seemed to be made with polyester.

    And then I forgot that there are more polyesters than just the ones used for boats and some are thermoplastics.

    Not quite sure what to call the glass fiber build kind, but as far as I do know, glass/polyester boats keep on hardening and thermoforming is not possible.
    Sven
    http://www.puresven.com/?q=building-cnc-router

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