MDF

I do a lot of plaque of various patterns, mostly from hardwood (oak, maple, ash etc.) I am wanting to expand into painted plaques and was wondering if MDF would be a good? What are the advantages or disadvantages over using soft woods like pine or poplar. Would I need to alter the blade selection and how does MDF effect the blades. I use FDUR for most of my cuttings.

thanks POPS

I would think that MDF would dull the blades more due to the large amount of glue in the construction of the material.

MDF paints really nice, except the edges will soak up paint very quickly A lot of people will size the edges with watered down glue before painting. Or you can prime the wood with a double layer on the edges. I like the way it cuts. One thing to note, though. MDF dust is toxic and very fine. You don't want that in your lungs. So be sure to wear a dust mask and take any other necessary precautions.

I agree with Travis, definitely wear a dust mask, I have been working with 24 4 foot by 8 foot sheets of MDF making 110 shelves for lockers to sell to my school (I am in middle school), once I didn't wear a respirator and I was hacking up small balls of MDF dust for a day or two after. Now I where a respirator. Also, be careful, if you drop a board of MDF on its corner, it will start to peel up like cardboard.

At the risk of sounding foolish, what is fdur? Is it douglas fir?

Hi Pops. I just had a friend stay with me for a week, all she had ever cut previously was 18mm MDF and she was really bored with it. It was not the cutting of it that got her down but the finishing, two coats of primer and then two top coats of acrylic paint, so time consuming, especially on plaques with names cut out. I got her to cut a few things in birch ply wood and one coat of acrylic brush on paint gave a great finish, two coats were even better. i then got her to cut a few things in hardwood and you should have seen her face when I put an oil finish on it and the grain pattern seemed to jump out. Now she is hooked on making things in birch ply and hardwood and never wants to see another piece of MDF as long as she lives.

fdur.... is a specific type of blade sold by Mike...@ mikes workshop....hope this helps

Fdur-Flying Dutchman, duh? Now I really feel dumb

I am a bit confused, Travis says MDF paints well and now Artmill girl friend is fed up. I guess opinion are like belly buttons, everyone has one except Adam.

I only use MDF I put MDF sealer on first then it paints great.

how well it paints depends on what part you are painting and the type of paint that you use. Like someone said, the edges soak up paint (or what ever you put on them) so you need to be careful with that. The flat surface is really flat and paints well if you are doing artistic painting type things.

mdf does not play well with water or humidity, in my experience, so if you are outside avoid it.

I too, really like MDF but the painting was a problem. What is MDF sealer and where is it found? I mean, lowes, home depot or a craft shop?

Not my GF. ????

If your doing outdoor work, why not use MDO, it is like mdf except made for outdoor use. Sign companies use it all the time.

harleyguy

As an experiment I put a piece of unpainted, unfinished, MDF in a glass of water the other day. The MDF was about 1/4 inch tapering to 0 and about three inches long. I was thinking of making some necklace pendants from it and I wanted to see how it might hold up under sweat and humidity. I forgot about putting it in until the next week when I was able to get back into the shop. I pulled this sliver out of the glass again and it was slightly pliable but still rather strong and had not lost it's shape. I checked the flexibility and it was still firm although a little bendable but not in the thicker part.

I then dried it out to see how it worked. It was just like new cutting it and it still retained the original shape.

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that it will definitely hold up under the heat, humidity and use of being a wearable. I'll be doing some more!

I use B-I-N Shellac-base primer dries quick and very low smell. Also I use FD-TC blades they seem to last the best.

nice to know info about mdf