TimNott

I hope your UK readers don't attempt to enter this competition. The phrase 'Show us your drawers', in UK English is a colloquialism that translates roughly into US English as 'Show me your panties'
No kidding
Tim

I can't think why MDF should not be used to make 'Fine' furniture. In terms of dispassionate technology, it's vastly superior to solid wood for veneering or painting. I can't say I like it, but we can't get birch plywood for love or money.

We use a lot of MDF in our tiny French workshop, mostly for built-ins such as the billiard room on the home page of our website (www.timnott.com), the fitted walnut library and the Ash kitchen in the built-ins section of the web site gallery. And, as previously stated here it's great for router templates - used several to make the oak staircase.

We're working on another set of walnut/MDF built ins right now.

I think we've cracked the joining of carcases - no glue, just alternate biscuits, for alignment, and Spax MDF screws which are incredibly strong - you just need to drill through the face of one board and countersink, then drive the screws straight in to the edge of the other board. No predrilling and no spllitting unless we get too close to a corner. They have Torx recessed star heads - which are a vast improvement over pozi or slotted as long as you are strict about replacing the cordless sccrewdriver bits at the first sign of wear (we pay around 3$ for ten).

One lesson we've learnt is DON'T use ordinary MDF for kitchen cabinet carcases or any other situation where the MDF might get wet. It swells and bubbles badly at the slightest hint of water, but there's a moisture-resistant grade that's tailor made for kitchens, bathrooms etc and isn't much more expensive.

Hazards. MDF is foul to work with because of the fine dust. The dangers are fairly described in Wikipedia and this site here http://www.childrensfurniture.co.uk/mdf.html.

Bear in mind that most wood dust can be harmful and our carcinogenic, it's just that the dust from MDF is incredibly fine. So, we use dust extraction at source, even on the biscuit jointer. On the table saw we have a big chip extractor (which we plan to move outside the shop) and connect the shop vac to the 1 1/4" spout on the crown guard. My son wears disposable masks, I don't (but should) as I can't get one with them. We also have a Jet air cleaner, which, as a recent issue of FWW stated, really does make a heck of a difference. Next year we plan to move carcase cutting and MDF cutting out of the main workshop and buy a vertical panel saw (about 2500$, but then we are doing this for a living).

Hope this helps

Our workbench is two big laminated slabs of 65mm (2 1/2" for those of you living in the past) with a removable centre well.
Four rows of dog holes on the top line up with four more on the Veritas twin screw vice at one end. A pattern makers vice sits on the side at the other end, with a row of dogholes on the side cheeks to support long boards or plug in a bench jack.

The removable centre well means we can drop in the shop made router table when needed. Don't see the need for levelling - the floor is level, or fixing the top to the ash frame - gravity manges that just fine. A 6 way power strip on the floor takes care of all our electrical needs - we use the FWW tip of a year or two back of identifying the tool and plug with coloured tape wrapped round each end of the lead.

Don't see the need for a variable height - routing and sanding are just fine at 36", but we do have a little bench to clamp on top for close work, such as grinding shaper cutters or hand-cutting dovetails.

It's a tiny 550 sq ft workshop but my son and I have managed to walk sideways like crabs and scrape a living out of it for the last year. It also has a very low ceiling so we can't stand e.g. house doors upright. Top of the wishlist when we have a few bob (a bob is 5 UK pence) is to put in a concrete floor and some doors in another currently open-fronted dirt floor outbuilding and stick in a 8' x 4' assembly table.

Six, I make it. The sawblade has no guard.

My favourite is a 150mm stainles rule from Axminster (UK)
It costs £0.89, and is usually in my pocket. Or somewhere else, which is why I bought two.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-Metric-Stainless-Rule-22753.htm
Second favourite is a 3-inch engineers square from the same people.