# alternative to MDF...



## goldeneyedmonkey (2 Jun 2010)

Hi all,

Although I'm pretty good at crafting a decent piece of furniture, I'm not very technically minded with regards to machinery & different timber types. As I only use Redwood Pine, Sycamore and a few times in the past mahogany and oak.

So my question to you is... As I've heard a lot of horrible things about what goes into MDF and the subsequent toxic dust that your lungs acquire after machining, what should I use as an alternative when building carcasses for the workshop. I'm gonna build a whole range of sturdy workshop cupboards & I'm thinking 10mm plywood. I know that folk like to use old kitchen carcasses, but I don't wanna use chipboard because there will be a lot of altering.
And the alcoves/ shapes that these will have to fit into are awkward to the say the least, so I will have to make my own. Do I need to go with shuttering ply? & more to the point what different types of ply can you get and how are they different?

Sorry for rambling on, but as I'm gonna be spending a fair bit on these, and as they're only for the 'shop I wanna get it right.

Thanks for your time_Dan


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## ondablade (2 Jun 2010)

There are supposedly formaldehyde free versions of MDF to be had, but i know nothing about the cost or performance of the stuff. It's described here, and suggested as being less moisture resistant than the stock variety: http://www.holistic-interior-designs.co ... board.html

The other big risk with MDF is reckoned to be the very fine dust it produces when worked.

Birch plywood is one alternative you see frequently mentioned, i've not seen it fingered as a risk. It's more expensive than MDF, but maybe not compared to fancy grades.

There are lots of synthetic boards around now, so there could be more alternatives...


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## Max Power (2 Jun 2010)

Shuttering ply would not be suitable for carcases it has a lot of voids and is rarely flat  
The ideal option would be birch ply which is multi layered and a lot stronger, with an excellent face. Unfortunately its also the most expensive.


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## PAC1 (2 Jun 2010)

Most of the cupboards in my workshop are shuttering ply. It is usually good one face so you have to choose where the good face goes but most of the time the choice is obvious. There are knot holes and other inperfections in shuttering ply but it is functional.

I would only use Birch faced ply in places where appearance and dimensional accuracy and stability matter.


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## goldeneyedmonkey (2 Jun 2010)

ondablade: Yeah I forgot to mention the ultra-fine dust was the main reason for not wanting to use MDF! (after reading a massive thread on here somewhere about extraction and the fine dust that isn't visible to the naked eye) As well as whatever they use to bond it all together.

So I think I will go with shuttering ply then. Thanks for the tips chaps


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## Chems (2 Jun 2010)

I buy ply from my local build centre, its about the same price as MDF for a 8x4 board and I much prefer it to MDF. Inless I really have to I don't use MDF much anymore.


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## George_N (5 Jun 2010)

Dan,
I think 10 mm is way too thin for workshop cupboard carcasses...if you screw through a side panel into the edge of a top or bottom panel, there isn't much for the screw to grip into. I'd use 18 mm WBP ply and put them together with biscuits and carcass screws. They are for a workshop not a high end kitchen so they dont have to be pretty to look at but they need to be pretty strong. 2440 x 1220 mm x 18 mm WBP should cost about £25.


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## Vinny (5 Jun 2010)

gotta go with george here - 18mm is the way to go. i built all my workshop cabinets with 18mm shuttering ply, pocket screwed together. 2 layers of ply on top with 18mm mdf on top of that - solid as a solid thing.

vinny


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## jeffinfrance (5 Jun 2010)

personally, i'd avoid mdf AT ALL COSTS.

for inexpensive carcasses i use glued pine boards (ready made pine shelves basically). come in 2m lengths x 200-600 widths 18mm thick. can be a bit bendy, but as long as you cut each piece right will square itself off in a carcass. cheap too 12 euros a pop for 600mm wide. there must be a supplier over there as it all comes from brazil

also a product i've toyed with a few times is branded NOVATOP. its a 3 layer pine blockboard in 19,27 and 40mm thick. sheets are a bit big for the average workshop 5mx2.1, but your supplier will cut them up for you.

mdf also canes your cutters.

hope this helps, all the best,

jeff


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## Richard Findley (5 Jun 2010)

I hate to buck the trend but MDF is really a very good product. Ok, the dust is unpleasant (possible understatment) but in industry it is used as a first choice. As long as you have good extraction and masks etc etc you will be fine.

Ply is ok but have a guess what glue they use to stick the layers together with.... yep, the same formaldahide (sp?) glue they use in MDF. Basically, woodwork is bad for you. Protect yourself as well as you can and enjoy!!!

Richard


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## jimi43 (6 Jun 2010)

MDF is the devil in carcass.....  :wink: 

Bloody HATE the stuff...it's nasty to cut....it's nasty to work...if it's not waterproof it disintegrates when it rains in Africa....it needs sealing otherise it eats finish for breakfast....it blunts ALL blades and edges...it has no grain nor character...it totally boring....

Otherwise...it's great stuff! :wink: 

Jim


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## George_N (7 Jun 2010)

jimi43":1yy2yit6 said:


> MDF is the devil in carcass.....  :wink:
> 
> Bloody HATE the stuff...it's nasty to cut....it's nasty to work...if it's not waterproof it disintegrates when it rains in Africa....it needs sealing otherise it eats finish for breakfast....it blunts ALL blades and edges...it has no grain nor character...it totally boring....
> 
> ...



So not too keen then Jim?

My main problem with MDF for workshop cabinets is that if it gets damp at all it will swell and start to disintegrate. That's why I vote for ply. 18 mm all round including the back and they will be bomb-proof.


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## Shane (8 Jun 2010)

I've used 18mm for my workshop storage and bench top, at half the price of ply I'll happily shove a mask on. I don't mind it, it has it's good uses.


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## RussianRouter (8 Jun 2010)

How about making the carcass in 2"x1/2" frames and using 4" T&G panelling all around the carcass.

I mean that panelling is cheap.


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## kasandrich (8 Jun 2010)

If you were going to use mdf every day then I agree, but this is a one off project, and providing you are aware of the dust and take sensible precautions then I don't see a problem with using it.


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