Thread: MDF shooting boards ruins your planes

Originally Posted by section1

Yes its true MDF is made up of small glued up saw dust and metal particles that is why the side of my low angle jack has small ridges or grooves. If your going to use MDF as a shooting board I would recommend glueing a strip of ply on the runway and then your good to go or simply pay the price like I have. Luck for me no real great damage has occurred but those ridges are painful to look at.

Well, that's a new one on me!

Not according to Wkipedia, but they could be wrong...............

Medium-density fibreboard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mdf has metal in it ??

Photos of the damage and the MDF would be helpful to see.

I seriously doubt that metal is a designated component although it is possible that some metal was accidentally incorporated into the bulk fibre before being pressed into a sheet.

The other problem I have noted with MDF is that it seems to pick up grit very easily when placed edgeways onto a floor. If the grit is not cleaned off it can cause problems

Hi Big Shed,

TO quote from your own reference:

The Environmental Impact of MDF has greatly improved over the years.^{[citation needed]} Today many MDF boards are made from a variety of materials. These include other woods, scrap, recycled paper, bamboo, carbon fibers and polymers, steel, glass, forest thinning and sawmill off-cuts.

However it doesnt say that there is steel in all types of MDF

Well I am waiting to be shown this MDF made from wood and metal particles, in fact I have visited MDF manufacturing plants (used to sell UF resins) and all the production lines I have inspected had big magnets incorporated to catch any errant metall bits.

Well take it as you will they can say what they want but the evidence shows clearly on my planes, I've used my block plane and only after a few strokes small lines started to appear. The cure is a strip of ply or any wood but do not ride your planes on bare mdf. My friend cut MDF in the dark on his table saw and there were sparks, obviously it wasn't completely dark to where it was a danger to him but this was to prove a point. Whether or not they intentionally place small amounts of metal in it I don't know and wouldn't have thought they did but it is compressed by machines and the smallest amount may have come off these machines into the mix. But whatever is the case I'm going to make another shooting board for now I have rubbed on a considerable amount of paste wax and that has seemed to have the done the trick for the short term which again proves my case on MDF.

BTW I use my shooting board all the time everyday to be truthful I have had it for a few months now I've noticed these lines long ago but never thought much of it it wasn't until a few days ago that I noticed how much actual damage was done and alarm bells started to ring. Like I said before it didn't ruin my plane, it's not like it's out square but if I continued to use it who knows what real damage it could have done.

I just wanted to warn you all so you don't ruin your planes.

lol I just noticed the above quote so steel and glass is being used to make mdf, so there you go, ccover your shooting boards with some real timber or lamanate it just don't ride your planes on bare mdf.

Yep, MDF is highly abrasive; to the point where it chews through sand paper....and that stuff is MEANT to be abrasive. If you're using ply, make sure the face of it is in contact with your plane, not the edge; the glue lines are highly abrasive as well. We have a couple of sets of HSS moulder knives at work with significant wear lines from only short runs.

Big Shed, not all metal is magnetic so the magnets won't get everything.

section1, probably best to stay away from laminate as well - it's not much better

So..... it's not so much that mdf ruins your planes but the inclusions, (glass,metal,etc) are what does the damage




Pete

Originally Posted by pjt

So..... it's not so much that mdf ruins your planes but the inclusions, (glass,metal,etc) are what does the damage




Pete

I think it may also be the resin used to bond it together as well. There are no inclusions in the glue lines in plywood, but they do the same sort of damage and it's the same UF resin as MDF

Big Shed when you said not the edge that kind of threw me off because what I understood with that to use edge of plywood I would have to cut them in strips glue them together and have them facing upright, why would anyone do that.

Even though that #### doe some damage I was pleased though I was able to sand it out using only a couple of strokes of wet'n'dry 2000 grit so most of the grooves have dissapeared. I want to build a ramped version though does anyone know what is a good angle how high and low should the front and back be.

If you plan to run a plane on MDF, first seal it with Danish Oil, then wax it. In MDF shooting boards I have made, I also added hardwood to all edges.

Regards from Perth

Derek

That's a good pointer but why add hardwood to the edges. Also I sent you an email prior to posting this thread I thought you may have been on holiday but you maybe you haven't checked as yet.

If you do a google search you will find that MDF wheels are sold to grind/hone your tools to a nice sharp edge.