I spent an evening making what, if I do say so myself, turned out to be a pretty skookum little counter-top. I've made a couple before, and they're not all that difficult. However, things could sure go pear-shaped in a hurry if the contact cement were to get out of control!
I started with the base plywood, under-counter brace in place and holes made for the various things sticking through. We know it fits where it's supposed to because it's been there and back already:
Here it is again, only this time it's coated with sticky (and stinky) contact cement. The masking tape will prevent the glue from sticking behind the line where the electrical raceway and upper cupboard members connect. I'll trim it with a laminate cutter and a straight edge:
Firmly stuck on and flush-trimmed:
Now it's time for an end piece. I'm aware that we're a little on the big side here. I had a lot of extra material, and I wanted to avoid the funny yet tragic, "accidentally twitched and now the contact cement is stuck in the wrong place" problem.
The overlap near the rear cabinets was trimmed without incident:
And here it is, done! I flush trimmed the end and ran over it with a 45 degree bit to make a nice little reveal:
The baltic birch makes a nice, layered reveal, which you absolutely can't see in this awful, late-night cell-phone flash photo. Here instead is a pale strip between two layers of dark stuff. At least it looks nice and straight:
Trimming the holes for the sink, tap, and propane was just another quick job for the router:
It's the next day, and I still have bits of contact cement on my hands. I hope that means it'll keep sticking.
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