Kevin M. Padden
AZ School of Rock & KM Padden Consulting

YOU DO A BROAD SPECTRUM OF FABRICATION, YOU UNDOUBTEDLY DO, OR WILL DO, A BUILT UP EDGE DETAIL REQUIRING “LAMINATING” A STRIP OF STONE ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE COUNTERTOPS YOU’RE MAKING.

Laminating a second strip of stone gives the illusion of thickness and creates a “built up” look that can’t be achieved with a single layer of stone. We see this in 2Cm markets that have been using the thinner slabs for decades, and have opted to offer a “built up edge” in order to please customers’ tastes.

One of the most time consuming tasks in the lamination process is the “prep” or back grinding of the edges and the lamination strip, so the a tight glue line is achieved, further completing the illusion of a thicker edge.

As a fabricator, grinding down the outside of 2 to 4 inches of the stone and the thin strip that is the lamination is a tedious task for a beginner, just as the removal of stock in order to create a flattened of “jointed” effect can be tricky.

If you don’t pay attention to the softness of the stone or the amount of time you spend over a certain area of the work, it could result in a “not so tight” glue line that will trumpet your lack of ability and place you in the “also rans” when it comes to fine quality workmanship.

Traditionally, a coarse steel cup wheel (I have been using Braxton-Bragg “Turbos” for many years) has been the standard beginning step in doing gross stock removal to get your glue lines down to the “near invisible” state. I have always finished my prep of the lamination and the underside of the front edge using either a fine grit steel turbo cup wheel, or carbide stones in 60, 80 and 120 grit.

The prep phase of doing the “back grinding” of the two mating surfaces has always been one of my least- favorite tasks in the shop, but in the market where I reside, 2Cm laminated edges have been around almost forever.

In my opinion, anyone can fabricate 3Cm slabs – they are basically “whack it and pack it” – wherein, you only have to cut the piece and polish the edges. A 2Cm stone that gets a laminated edge, on the other hand, needs almost an entire extra day of fabrication time to cut laminations, prep the edges, mock up your lams, glue up and wait for your glue to cure.

Happily, one area of the lamination process that has been effected in a positive way is the introduction of a new style of grinding wheel that lets you “blow through” a particularly nasty part of the operation – removal of fiberglass backing or “scrim coat.”

Removing the scrim coat on the back of slabs is, and has been, a very dirty and messy portion of the overall process of lamination, due to the fiberglass mesh backing that is usually applied to the backs of many slabs that need the extra reinforcement to make the slab stronger and safer for transporting from the finishing plant to the distributor, and then to your shop. The fiberglass scrim coat has to be removed when you are laminating your edges, otherwise, you’ll have a glue line that sticks out like two sore thumbs!

Removing the fiberglass with a conventional turbo cup wheel has been the method of choice, up until now. There is a new tool available from Braxton-Bragg that speeds up this process, and makes removing and prepping the back side of the stone much faster and easier.

The new tool that I am using now is called the “Cyclone super Cluster Removing Wheel.” That’s a mouthful, but it works like a charm and reduces the amount of time and effort needed to prep your edges for the lamination process.

I have been using the Cyclone super Cluster Removing (CDSCR) Wheel with outstanding results. Glue lines have been pretty much non–visible, and the amount of time that is required for this step in the process has been greatly reduced.

The CSCR Wheel gives a great smooth finish in a fraction of the time it has taken me with previous methods, and I would recommend that if you are doing laminated edges, you pick one up and give it a “try out.” If you’re like me, you switch over to using an CSCR Wheel whenever you have a fiberglass mesh-backed slab to fabricate.

One tip I would pass on is that the little bits of fiberglass that the CSCR Wheel will remove, will float around in the air around you if you use the wheel dry, and if you do, you’ll need to take the proper precautions by making sure you have adequate ventilation, and vacuum the dust as it is grounded off. Additionally, you’ll need to wear a dust mask, and use eye protection, as well as wearing a long-sleeved shirt to keep the fiberglass particles from getting on your skin.

You can, however, use the CSCR Wheel wet and keep the fiberglass particulate from getting into the air around you; this is what I do, as the dust factor is not an option in many shops that want to be OSHA compliant.

Using a water-fed grinder (air or electric) will reduce the dust factor significantly, and not affect the grind quality that the CSCR Wheel is capable of providing.

If you are a fabricator who has to do a lot of prep involving removing fiberglass mesh from the backs of your slabs, I would highly recommend that you pick up an CSCR Wheel and give it a try. You’ll be spending less time removing the fiberglass mesh backer, and your glue lines will look terrific!

You can use them wet or dry, but as with most grinding tools, wet is always safer and kicks up less dust. Trust me: you don’t want to breathe fiberglass dust!

Until next month – best Regards and Happy Fabricating!

“Laminating” is a Hands On Fabrication topic that is taught each month by Kevin M. Padden at the AZ School of Rock in Gilbert, Arizona.

For more information on classes, contact Kevin at 480-309-9422 or online at www.azschoolofrock.com.