Tip: Never use MDF. Ever.

Got 4 sheets of 3/4 MDF around 2 months ago for my furniture shop, and still have a sheet left. Had never used it before, and it is terrible. Remember guys, all MDF is is thick paper, and it is no good for anything with any weight. Lesson learned.

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Mdf is great for tons of stuff, once spray painted it will be a nicer finish than most other sheet materials. It might be bad for your health to work with because of the fine dust but once proper ventilation, extraction etc is in order you should be fine

the only good thing MDF is good for is to be left at the hardware store…just kidding it has some purpose but not suitable for any kind of structural projects it doesn’t like horizontal spans, it is heavy,  doesn’t like glue, staples or screws…easy to work with with a router and can make good trimming detail….

It’s good for subwoofer boxes. Made a few of those back in the day. I’m not a fan of it by any stretch but it does have its place.

Not bad as a sacrificial covering on a plywood topped work bench.

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and 80% of north american furniture along with particle board….

I’ve made a few music boxes out of it Because of its density. But anyway yea it sucks lol

kruton wrote:

Not bad as a sacrificial covering on a plywood topped work bench.

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I thought about using it for just that purpose

bddhome wrote:

I thought about using it for just that purpose

It has worked really well for me. Definitely worth trying out if you haven’t before. Plus Norm Abrams uses it, that’s reason enough to do it!

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True. I’m new to his work but thanks to YouTube I’ve been benge watching his episode for the past 2 months lol

MDF is great if you know how to work with it. The sealed surface doesn’t like glue but end grain takes glue very well. It’s fantastic for anything that will be painted. Closet shelves, painted bookcases, trim, anything with a detailed profile, are all great uses for MDF.

Work tables, MFT tables, sacrificial material.

Jigs and templates for sure!!

I’m with Ricky. Awesome for work tables. I have two MFT’s and aside from all the heavy duty aluminum the tops are MDF. Super dense and you can hammer on it. Just don’t get it wet!

I also agree with Chrisk and Ricky I’ve use MDF for 2 out of 3 benches that I have in shop and they’ve held up great but like Chrisk said don’t get it to wet it’ll bubble pretty quick.

Best to use something else.

This is especially true for Scroll Sawyers, even if you have top of the line dust collection and dust masks due to the ultra fine toxic dust.

That’s all they seem to use on all the Home shows on tv

Just go all natural, and then u don’t have to worry about toxic dust.

Only use I liked it for was a platform bed I made it was soft and required little fisnishing.

I’ve 16 sheets waiting in site for me this morning

I have used MDF for the tops of mobile stands screwing into solid wood. Flat and smooth but it throws up dust when cutting. But I try t avoid it, I prefer plywood.

Totally agree with you about MDF, it is terrible and I never never use it, heavy and makes a complete mess when you use it. Not worth the little money you save over a good quality ply wood. 

The company i work for we manufacture doors. We CNC router MDF all day long. Its not bad stuff to work with

kruton wrote:

Not bad as a sacrificial covering on a plywood topped work bench.

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Held up great on mine for three years now.

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rrich1 wrote:

Held up great on mine for three years now.

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Yeah mine has some years on it and it is still working fine.

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