Thread: Using Melamine as a zero clearance miter saw fence

For what it's worth I recently replaced my Radial Arm Saw's working surfaces (front & side tables, width strips & fence) with coated formply, which is even more "lubricious" & more expensive than melamine. For the rear table (behind the fence) I used ordinary brace ply for economy.

I do a lot of rebating & tenoning on the Radial Arm, both with the standard blade & dado head. I only ever hand hold my work to the left of the blade, and I'm constantly moving the workpiece along the fence for multiple cuts the tenon's length. For this type of work the slippery nature of the formply is ideal. If I was using the saw for cutoff work only (especially for mitering and angles) I think I'd personally prefer something more abrasive to keep the workpiece more rigidly adhered to the fence.

If you need your table & fence to be "slippy" or "grippy" really depends on the work you do.