Replies

1. 
   Lataxe | Dec 26, 2009 02:04pm | #1

   WillG,

   MDF is.....

   .....the maker of the nastiest, finest, body-polluting dust in the shed;

   ......plain, boring and downright ugly, even when painted (you know it's there);

   ...... bendy-floppy stuff with extra sag built in;

   ...... a one-way expando-sponge (once fat, it never goes thin again);

   ....... heavy yet brittle (when you drop a sheet there will be dents, gouges and probably a tear.

   ........ can't even be burnt in offcut form, as the smoke is like the dust but ten times more nasty.

   What is wrong with nice plywood or, better yet, blockboard?

   Lataxe, agin the sheet of beige wood pulp and formaldehydey stuff.

2. 
   RalphBarker | Dec 26, 2009 07:01pm | #2

   The only problem I have with MDF (aside from the nastiness of the dust) is its inherent ugliness - even for jigs. ;-)

1. 
   WillGeorge | Dec 26, 2009 09:50pm | #3

   Ralph and Lataxe...

   .. is its inherent ugliness ..

   Yes it is plain looking just like me! But, like me, sort of useable...

   I mentioned the Biesemeyer fence only because almost everybody thinks it is 'at least' a good quality fence. And then again it is made of MDF. OK, looks like plastic covered MDF.

   I 'think' I saw raw MDF inside. Hitting the hornets nest again with a long stick and now running off to some protection....

1. 
   RalphBarker | Dec 27, 2009 11:36am | #5

   " . . . plain looking just like" you? But, you're a handsome guy, Will. I can tell from your photo. ;-)

   I'll admit that MDF has good utility for some applications, particularly if plastic-covered (Melamine), but its limitations and health risks should also be considered. For many of those applications, I prefer to use phenolic-impregnated baltic birch ply, which is as stable, but more durable than MDF.

   Plus, it's just fun to poke fun at MDF's "ugliness". ;-)

3. 
   docotter | Dec 26, 2009 11:27pm | #4

   As long as it doesn't get wet
   As long as it doesn't get wet it's really flat, and doesn't have voids. And it's easy and cheap to replace. That said, I have a Unifence, which is aluminum. Not cheap and easy to replace, but I'm not planning to replace it anytime soon.

1. 
   rwdare | Dec 27, 2009 11:38am | #6

   Sir Lataxe,

   Would that blockboard and laminboard were readily available on this side of the pond. I will, however, trade that misfortune for our lack of a VAT!

4. 
   Knotscott | Dec 27, 2009 03:53pm | #7

   Do you mean that the faces of the fence are MDF or the table extension? AFAIK, neither are MDF. The fence faces are laminated ply the last I knew, but I suppose that could have changed....especially now that Biese is one of the B&D brands. The extension table was a cheasy press board with laminate on one side, which actually causes it to warp.

   Either way, I don't consider MDF to be crap. It definitely has some applications that it's a poor choice for, but there are several that it's a good choice for. It is pretty unhealthy stuff though.

1. 
   jointerman | Dec 28, 2009 01:47am | #8

   Knott,

   My Biesemeyer fence was also plywood, Apple ply or Baltic Birch ply I recall. But definitely not MDF.

1. 
   WillGeorge | Dec 28, 2009 08:11am | #9

   I happened to see a Biesemeyer fence on the new Delta TS at my local Rockler store. I was looking at the saw and noticed that the fence appeared to be laminate covered MDF. As in raw MDF on the inside. I thought it strange that it was raw and could collect moisture.