# mdf...better or worse than pine



## justholler (Jan 15, 2012)

I bought some soild mdf 2"X4"X8' boards today (yeah I know, weird stuff there right?) I only gave a buck a piece . now I want to use them for frame type work on my workshop cabinetry or tables. Having only used sheet type mdf, should I be wary of any kind of issue popping up with this stuff? If everyone foresees no problem I will probably go back and buy a bunch more. They want to sell the whole stack of 200+ for $150!


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## Viking (Aug 26, 2009)

Don't think I would use MDF for anything structural, especially framing.

Good luck.


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Unless you want to spend money on special fasteners , I wouldn't use it for anything structural. 
Framing is not its purpose in life : ) Very simply, think of it as paper held together by glue.


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## ksSlim (Jun 27, 2010)

Nothing permant about fasteners in MDF unless you use through bolts. NOT a structural component.
Suseptable to moisture, somewhat difficult to seal against the enviroment. Supported table tops when laminated all sides(top,bottom and edges) remain mostly stable and can be used when supported with solid materials.


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## Nighthawk (Dec 13, 2011)

I personally wouldn't use MDF


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## justholler (Jan 15, 2012)

Well this is sounding a little disappointing…nobody would even use this to make a cuttoff bin or sheet good rack?? How bout a corn hole board frame? I got it! A dead man to help hold things up? Oh well.


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## Dwain (Nov 1, 2007)

Now, don't get too disappointed, just remember to hold off on any structural uses. There may be a lot of jigs to use these on, alas, don't build with it, unless you are using it as a top, but I am not sure how it glues.

Good luck.


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## LeeInAZ (Aug 16, 2011)

Build what you want with it, just don't expect to have it to hand down to your grandchildren. It would be great for the internal structure of a torsion box. Put a coat or two of some finish on it to help block moisture, and it should be fine for something to last a few years.

At the price you paid for it, experiment. If something doesn't work right, you had a learning experience and are not out a lot of money. If it works - it works.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

I use MDF all the time for simple shop fixtures, etc. Not for framing but carcasses, spacers, fences on jigs, etc. If it has finish on it and doesn't come in direct contact with water for any length of time it'll hold up. If you apply polyurethane to it several coats of finish will soak in enough to create a very water-resistant layer.


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## Tomj (Nov 18, 2011)

I have used to make a porkchop guard for my jointer because it was missing the old one when I restored it. I just painted it heavily with the same color as the rest of the jointer. I chose it for it's weight, takes a paint job well and mostly because that's what I had. I've used it for numerous jigs also.


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## GCM (Jan 12, 2012)

MDF is great for just about anything not in contact with water - even then you could probably seal it in something. My MDF based CNC machine is still going great after 4 years.

There is one quality of MDF that makes it better than any other material:

It is muuuuuchhhhh cheaper!

(oh and almost as importantly - it is available everywhere).


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## justholler (Jan 15, 2012)

I reckon long pocket hole screws will have to be the fasteners in something like a torsion box application. I like the "just experiment" concept but I doubt I buy any more 2×4's although they did have some unique dimension 1" & 1.5" stuff that I should have got. Thanks for the input.


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## Stosh (May 27, 2010)

MDF is heavy and makes lots of dust when cut, and swells when wet. For 99% of stuff you can make, wood or plywood is better.


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## SteviePete (May 10, 2009)

Check the Wood Products Lab, USDA in Madison, WI lots of information. MDF makes a very stable substrate for veneer, formica, laminates. I use the thick stuff for dunnage on all my lumber, material and machinery stacks. Check out the water permeablity-some is made and sold with plastic resin glue and is claimed to be water resistant. Possibly under the name Medex (?) Use respiratory protection when working it. Good luck. On Wisconsin.


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

It may work for a while, but that stuff will sooner or later sag and ruin whatever it was supposed to hold. I'm with the rest, use it for small stuff but not supporting pieces. Dang good price tho…


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I wouldn't use it for anything structural. Pine has a much better strength to weight ratio. MDF is ok for surfaces such as bench tops or cabinet sides etc, because it does have good compressive strength but has very weak tensile strength. I really can't see any use for 2×4 MDF except as some sort of space filler or to add weight to a project like a router table.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Odd product. Is it Termite resistant? I can't think of any other reason you'd use it for structural applications.


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## 1stump (Sep 29, 2008)

Great stuff for jigs, fixtures and anything you generally want flat. Those would make great router fences, miter fences or any other such item. NOT for structural though. There are many good uses for MDF, but it's no replacement for solid woods normal use. It mills very well and paints well also. Be ware of the dust when cutting/milling as it is loaded with formaldahide and other bad stuff


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

The baseboards in my house are made from MDF. Nice smooth finish, etc., and cheap. But every time a shoe touches it, a piece of shrapnel blows off. Don't use it on outside corners. Don't get me started, it was at my wife's insistence…that, and the click-flooring. I think it would be good for things like painted crown molding. If THAT gets wet, you have much bigger problems. I used a sheet of it for a bench top, knowing that I can replace it cheap when it gets beat up. It's held on with drywall screws. The workbench is 4' by 8' and has a sort of torsion box underneath, so the MDF makes a nice flat top.

I built some totes and drawers recently out of pine, with amber shellac (drawers) and Varathane (totes) for the finish. Some really pretty grain, which you won't find in MDF.


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## justholler (Jan 15, 2012)

I have started my first project with the 2X4 mdf lumber boards. I will post a pic tommorrow when its done (glue drying). Maybe you jocks have a certain name for it. I'm in the process of installing Ceiling Max drop ceiling grid in my shop and the wife essentially complains about it being cold and don't like to help but installing this stuff really takes two people. Since her name is Yvonne I built a previous one of these and called it my dummy Yvonne…maybe you would call it a dead man. Simply stated its my second person holding up the far end of a flimsy 8' piece of plastic. I had fun with dummy Yvonne…saying how it never asks questions. how it is always where I tell it to be, it never gets tired or hungry, never goes to pee, and is always as strong as I need it to be! I didn't bring up the fact that its nice and skinny 

Back to the topic, I'm glad I held myself to $11 worth….sounds like a router fence, some jigs, possibly a torsion box maybe a shelf or something is about all this stuff is good for. The same place had some unique thicknesses of mdf that would be super for table top applications, I plan to check in to that some more. How bout those two cherry looking laminate pieces in the pic for a buck 50 each! Or the large 3/4 thick laminated pieces for $10 each! Definitely a cabinet for the workshop in my future. What kind of blade suggestion would someone have for that stuff?


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

I've to make me one of those dummies….

That is funniest comment I have ever read anywhere!


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## justholler (Jan 15, 2012)

Another update….the dummy, not such a dumb idea, buying more than 3 mdf 2X4's…a dumb idea! My experience is very much centered around SPLITTING. It makes sense now…if you have 3/4 inch mdf sheet material then you normally secure it "downward" thus essentially eliminating the potential for splitting. But pre-drilling a hole on the edge and using a screw a little larger than the hole resulted in a fast split. Even a small screw through a thin luan piece on the very end made for a quick split. The gluing option is still in the works. I think the boards will still make decent jigs I just have to be creative with fastening (and Dusty56 pretty much nailed this in the beginning of the thread).


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