t-bone Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 hi, does MDF mean medium density fiberboard? thinking of making my own router table iam new at woodworking but you can't be scared to try to build right. HELPPPP LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iSawitFirst Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 Yep, that's it. It'll make a great top with a piece of laminate on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 Rick Christopherson wrote a nice glossary of plywood types, including other man-made stock like MDF, MCP, etc. You can read it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 If you work with MDF, wear a respirator and set up dust collection! I did one project with MDF in a closed room without either, and I think I may have permanently screwed up my lungs. If you use a router on it, expect to have fine dust coating everything, if you don't capture the dust at the source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iSawitFirst Posted October 24, 2010 Report Share Posted October 24, 2010 ^^^ True, true. An option is to use plywood especially if you'll be screwing fasteners into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Trace Posted October 25, 2010 Report Share Posted October 25, 2010 I may be a bit old fashioned, but I really do not like MDF. It seems to be thick paper. It just did not feel right to me when I used it. I only used it once, the first and last time. I see a lot of shop projects that use it in magazines and videos, so it must work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted October 25, 2010 Report Share Posted October 25, 2010 Trace, The advantage to MDF is that it is very dimensionally stable. So, it's good for jigs that need to stay square or 45, whatever, or where exact sizes are important. It also allows you to design without needing to worry about wood movement. It's good for router tables, assembly tables, etc, because it stays flat. Also, if you're going to paint anyway, it means that you don't need to worry about grain, knots, or other wood "defects". On the other hand, it's not wood. It's not "fake wood". It's an artificial material that can be worked with wood working machines. I think most of us got into woodworking because we love wood, and MDF is not wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-bone Posted October 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Yep, that's it. It'll make a great top with a piece of laminate on it. does laminate come in sheets and can i get it at home depot or lowes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-bone Posted October 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Rick Christopherson wrote a nice glossary of plywood types, including other man-made stock like MDF, MCP, etc. You can read it here. thats great suff thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan S Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 does laminate come in sheets and can i get it at home depot or lowes Yea it comes in sheets. You have to order it special from HD & Lowes here, but Menards has it on hand. I can add one other tip, laminate both sides of the top, that way you have a moisture barrier on both sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 does laminate come in sheets and can i get it at home depot or lowes I just bought a 24x48 sheet of laminate at Home Depot, to fit my two sheets of 24x48 MDF, to make a router table. The Home Depot nearest me didn't have it (or maybe the people I talked to didn't know where it was), but the other Home Depot had a little laminate display area, with all different colors and patterns, different sizes, contact cement, and J-rollers around the corner. It was near the bathroom section. I assume that I can use the contact cement to glue the MDF sheets as well as the laminate. I plan to glue an edge of poplar around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie Posted October 27, 2010 Report Share Posted October 27, 2010 MDF= speacker box material..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_in_SD Posted October 28, 2010 Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 MDF is great for shop jigs, work surfaces in the shop, etc. Maybe ok for some painted cabinetry (faux raised panel doors, flat panels). Not very approriate for fine woodworking (unless you run a factory in China ) My biggest complaint is the nasty dust it creates and the abrasive nature on cutting tools. I use cheap blades and router bits when working with MDF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Bennett Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 If you don't laminate both sides your nice flat stock sheet will curve over a short time. It acts like plywood, if you veneer it one side only you create an imbalance in the fibre stresses that will cause severe cupping and loose the one great advantage and reason for using the stuff in the first place. It doesn't have to be the same colour laminate as long as they are of the same material and thickness. This may mean nothing to you in the States but over here in Europe, some colours are much more expensive than say a dull brown or even white. The technical term is a balance sheet so the meaning is obvious Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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