The first step in building the rotuer table is to build the top. The easy way would have been to just get a piece of pre-made counter top and cut some slots and grooves in it. But that wouldn’t have been as durable, or as much fun. Instead the plans call for a 3/4″ MDF board, screwed and glued to a 1/2″ MDF board, trimmed in oak, with a piece of High Pressure Laminate (Formica) glued on top.
Lowes didn’t have any 1/2″ MDF, so I used plywood for the bottom, which I’m hoping will provide a more stable base. They also didn’t have any white laminate, so I settled for this rather dull looking piece instead. It gets glued to the top with some contact cement, and then the edges get chamfered to smooth them out. Next I used a straight cut bit to make some channels to hold down the fence, and I used a dado set to cut the groove for the miter track. I should have gotten the blue track, or a different color top, as it doesn’t really look very nice, but it should work quite well.