Thread: Mdf

what are you making?

Hi, I am aware of different brands of MDF. And I was curious if any one hand experience with different brands. For example the stuff you buy at Bunnings water resistant or not and then the stuff you can buy at some of the more specialised board suppliers.

I'm in humid Brisbane and so I mostly avoid plain MDF. I do use melamine sometimes. However several times people have suggested the moisture resistant MDF can last much better. So if I did buy any, it would be MR MDF.
Unless you just want one board on a weekend, go to your local sheet good supplier. You will get a better deal and probably good advise. Plus for a charge, they will accurately cut it for you, if that helps you.

Originally Posted by DaveVman

I'm in humid Brisbane and so I mostly avoid plain MDF. I do use melamine sometimes. However several times people have suggested the moisture resistant MDF can last much better. So if I did buy any, it would be MR MDF.
Unless you just want one board on a weekend, go to your local sheet good supplier. You will get a better deal and probably good advise. Plus for a charge, they will accurately cut it for you, if that helps you.

Uh, it depends. Bunnings has the cheapest MDF prices anywhere. My two big local board suppliers are mostly out of stock right now, and what they have is very expensive. One of them charges $5 per cut too, the other $1.00. I only buy from them when I want long sheets. Anything 2.4m or less I get at Bunnings.

I haven’t seen this for years but there was a product called HD3 from memory which had 5 times the urea glue in it.
I used to laminate this with Urea Formaldehyde glue and turn up bucks for a local metal spinning co for production work.
Still have a few small offcuts but I haven’t seen it for sale for 20 years or so.
Only commercial use I heard of for it was public dunneys.
It was just about vandalproof.
H.

Such a loaded question....

One can buy an outdoor MDF that carries a 50 guarantee. I'll find the name. Tricoya

For indoor building work and lowest price is important, Bunnings MDF is the cheapest and it's horrid to use. It will barely hold a crisp edge if you plan to route a profile onto it. Thirsty AF for painting edges. DONT use it for full surface presentation painting, its just not flat.

I used it as last resort.

My go-to supplier is TimberWood.com.au. Their MDF is fantastic. Not much more expensive. Crispy edges, crispy routing, great edge painting. F0 for the paranoid. Heavier and denser. Nice and flat hard pressed surfaces.

I used it as 16 and 18mm for kids furniture and it was excellent to use

Thanks woodpixel just the info I was looking for..
Steven

I have used a product which was epoxy of some sort impregnated plywood. Was that stuff was so dense I found with it really hard for basic cutting or drilling and come to think of it just about anything at all. I have a jig for holding water stones which I use for sharpening and it is just great and impervious to water. I have few tiny offcuts laying around but have no idea what i could use them for. and the stuff is so hard it really needs metal work machine to use it such as a mill or lathe and but then the fumes would knock your socks off.

I'm making a new workbench and looking for a good dense MDF to make a MFT type table with dog holes. It appears like the Tricoya is a custom order product - do you know if anyone stocks it in normal 1200x2400 sheets? Any alternatives?

Bluenose, regular MDF works well.

I made a Parf top with 18mm and its lasted years. I only just happened to toss it and will be making another soon.

I've also a Festool MFT and the MDF used on that is pretty ordinary. Any quality MDF would be better than it TBH. The Festool stuff seems pretty... flour-ery.

I really don't think one needs to get super fancy with it. Treat it as a disposable surface, when worn a bit, flip it over. Worn out again, toss it and make another.


I suppose if one were keen on longevity, the surface could be sealed with epoxy or polyurethane (?), flooded with tung oil (or such) or even MRMDF could be used.... another option would be some 18mm or thicker ply with a decent face on it?


EDIT --- oooo! I should have mentioned, I found these huge panels at Bunnings and I'm making a new mini-bench and stool-bench with them. They are 26mm Merbau or Oak (get the oak, the merbau bleeds like crazy).... These would be GREAT for a top!

I made my Paulk style bench with Bunnings MDF. I drilled both faces. I treat it like crap and it still is accurate and flat. I waxed it when new and refresh it occasionally. Glue and most paint spills chip right off. I use my track saw on it, have assembled lots of heavy doors on it etc etc.

When the saw kerfs get too awful I spend a bit of time with some body filler and a card scraper. I think I will get ten years out of the first surface easily before I have to flip it.

Originally Posted by Greg Q

Uh, it depends. Bunnings has the cheapest MDF prices anywhere. My two big local board suppliers are mostly out of stock right now, and what they have is very expensive. One of them charges $5 per cut too, the other $1.00. I only buy from them when I want long sheets. Anything 2.4m or less I get at Bunnings.

Seconded.

Great idea @woodpixel! Will make an amazing top with zero effort - 26mm will be SOLID AF!!

Originally Posted by bluenose

Great idea @woodpixel! Will make an amazing top with zero effort - 26mm will be SOLID AF!!

That they are. Just about finished my "portable" mini-bench.

I'm a BIG dude and it is bloody heavy. The final size used 98% of the panel... so its solid


My straddle work-horse is next