which saw to cut large MDF sheets?

[kingcod]

I need to cut up some 8' x 4' MDF oak veneer sheets to make a wardrobe. Its 26mm deep.

Which saw should I use? A handheld circular saw with clamped planks as a guide, a table saw or a plunge saw with rail guide?

The sheer size of these sheets might make my modest table saw a bit unwieldy, but my basic Bosch handheld circular saw might be underpowered... I have yet to splash out on a plunge saw with rail.

 

[wizer]

this'll do it

er or if you don't fancy that then assuming your CS can cut the depth then it should be able to handle it. Use a home made saw board and cut with the good side up to minimise tearout.

Unless of course you want us to convince you that you NEED a festool CS with guide rail .. :wink:

 

[OPJ]

Plunge saws don't really have an advantage over the old 'skil' saws, if you're only ripping down sheet material. As for the guide rail, take wizer's advice and build your own.

Even the basic models are able to cut over 2in. thick so, you shouldn't have any worries with 26mm MDF. :wink:

 

[Paul Chapman]

Do you have a decent router? If so, you could cut the boards, say, 1/4" oversize, then trim to size with the router against a straight edge. If you take several shallow cuts, this will give you a nice finish with no break-out. And a lot cheaper than a new saw and guide rail system :wink:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Joe]

A regular circular saw will tear the grain of the veneer when you cross-cut (may not matter if edges are hidden), as will a table saw without a zero-clearance insert or a sacrificial bit of sheet material. An 8' x 4' sheet of 26mm MDF is also extremely unwieldy on a table saw. So I'd suggest either a rail guided saw, or make an MDF guide that your saw sits on top of (and cuts through on it's first pass).

Joel

 

[oddsocks]

I'm assuming that you are already in possession of the MDF - If not, ask your timber merchant to cut it - I bought some 18mm oak veneered boards last year and these were cut to my cutting list by them a vertical panel saw (i think that's the term) and there was no noticable breakout on any piece. If in doubt, do as Paul suggested and get each piece cut slightly oversize and then trim with a router.

Dave

 

[SVB]

Just a thought but do you need 26mm mdf for this project? I would have thought solid frames with 1/2" or even 1/4" panels would be an option.

(keep in mind I am mainly a turner so don't take offence if this is a stupid question!).

 

[kingcod]

Just a thought but do you need 26mm mdf for this project? I would have thought solid frames with 1/2" or even 1/4" panels would be an option.

(keep in mind I am mainly a turner so don't take offence if this is a stupid question!).

Good point - the 26 mm is only for the shelving - based on the good advice I already received here https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... p?p=375966

 

[patl]

I'll second, or is that third, the plunge saw and rail guide. I've just been cutting 26mm maple veneered mdf for some bookshelves and it came up a treat. But then again, since it was a choice between that and my slightly wonky hitachi c/s the choice of saw to use wasn't really in any doubt. Having said that, I still cut it oversize and routed it back to reduce the risk of rail slippage (aka operator incompetance) cocking it up.

 

[oddsocks]

Just a thought but do you need 26mm mdf for this project? I would have thought solid frames with 1/2" or even 1/4" panels would be an option.

(keep in mind I am mainly a turner so don't take offence if this is a stupid question!).

Good point - the 26 mm is only for the shelving - based on the good advice I already received here https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... p?p=375966

I looked at the thread and Brad's advice re 25-30mm board over the 1200mm width. When I built my daughter's fitted wardrobe I used 18mm but added (at the back) a piece of oak (from memory 18mmx 50mm). This was to give the shelf extra stiffness but also prevented racking of the shelf and sides (mainly during the assembly rather than on completion as it filled the alcove completey). Given that that the wardrobe only has clothes the shelves have not sagged.

 

[newt]

Just a thought. I cannot stand sagging shelves made from anything, but particularly MDF. Solid wood is so much stiffer and I suspect not that much more expensive. However I suspect you already have the material.

 

[kityuser]

Knockup a zero clearance plate for your cs out of 1/4 ply , then run against a straight edge

 

[Mark.R]

I about to commence with my scratch build kitchen, this very issue has been on my mind for a while. IE how do I cut up the 8x4 walnut veneered mdf sheets for the carcasses.

I just want to run my solution to you, and would welcome your comments. I have a large workshop, but would still find it slightly awkward cutting the 8x4`s down on my Scheppach TS2500 saw bench. I was intending to cut them down roughly to size with a Hitachi circular saw, outside (for dust purposes as well, don't forget).

Once smaller, I will take them inside and cut square and to exact size on the Scheppach saw bench. I am hoping I wont have any damage caused to the veneer. To assist with this, I am buying a brand new blade for my circular saw. (again, any advice on what sort of blade would be appreciated!)

Fingers crossed, this technique will produce good results.

As said, I would appreciate your opinions and advice.

Many Thanks

 

[ajmoran]

The thing about building wardrobes is that the number of sheets needed gets large quickly. And an 8 by 4 sheet of 18mm MDF weighs about 44kg so it all gets a bit physical. For these reasons I use a cutting list service where I get all the parts cut to size. Makes assembly easy too because the accuracy is dead on.
I'm working on a 3000mm run of floor to ceiling wardrobes at the moment which uses 300kg of MDF/Birch ply. There's plenty to do what with grooving the cabinets for backs, building drawer boxes and fitting hardware. I'm so glad I didn't choose to break down the sheets - just unloading the dimensioned parts from the delivery van was enough work :lol:
I don't know the size of your job so the other suggestions in this thread may be more appropriate but that's my 2p's worth
Andrew

 

[Chems]

And an 8 by 4 sheet of 18mm MDF weighs about 44kg so it all gets a bit physical.

Surely that can't be right, I know its hefty stuff but I didn't realize it weighted quite that much per board.

 

[Grinding One]

Hand held saw and rail,no tear out or splintering Festool all the way and no dust with their vac. its just that easy.My wife no longer complains of dust anymore,happy as a bunch of clams :lol:

 

[kingcod]

And an 8 by 4 sheet of 18mm MDF weighs about 44kg so it all gets a bit physical.

Surely that can't be right, I know its hefty stuff but I didn't realize it weighted quite that much per board.

The 26mm sheet is 56kg!

Knockup a zero clearance plate for your cs out of 1/4 ply , then run against a straight edge

can someone explain this a bit more? what is meant by zero clearance?

 

[ajmoran]

And an 8 by 4 sheet of 18mm MDF weighs about 44kg so it all gets a bit physical.

Surely that can't be right, I know its hefty stuff but I didn't realize it weighted quite that much per board.

I believe the range can be 40-50Kg depending on density/manufacturer. So two sheets of 18mm MDF can weigh the same as a 6ft man!
Melamine faced chipboard weighs a lot less at around 30Kg but varies a lot more from board to board.
Andrew

 

[Tim Nott]

I had to do about 30 sheets of unveneered 25mm MDF and found that

1 It was too heavy to manipulate alone onto a saw table
2 And anyway I couldn't be arsed to transport it from the site where it was to my workshop
3 My 6-inch Skilsaw wouldn't cut the stuff, though it had been fine on 18mm

So, bought a 9-inch Makita saw from local bulders merchant - on offer inc 2 rip and one fine blade.
Made a guide from two layers of 10mm ply (or MDf) with the overlap just a bit more than the distance from the edge of the saw sole plate to the blade - run the saw down the rebate so formed to cut the excess and you have a wysiwyg guide and dnon't have to faff about calculating offsets or taking out a second mortgage to enrich Festool.
Made another guide in a similar manner like a giant t-square
Made a sacrificial trellis thing in 2x2s to slide under each sheet - they were in a flat stack.

It was still hard work, though!

 

[George_N]

The cheapest option, by far, is to use your existing CS with a home made saw board. As suggested earlier cut a little oversize and trim down to final size with a router. You can make the sawboard so that one side of the fence works with your saw and the other with the router. If you don't have a router...get one...even a cheapish one (to take 1/2" shank bits) will do, you'll find lots of uses for it. MDF is quite hard on tools so I would suggest that you get a 1/2" x 2" (50 mm) replaceable tip cutter (Wealden Versofix). That way you have three lots of clean edge (in 18mm MDF) and the cutter is reversible so you get six bites of the cherry. You can also make scoring cuts with a hand-held CS...set it for a 2-3 mm depth of cut and pull it backwards, using the sawboard to guide the cut, then reset the saw for full depth and complete the cut. A grid to support youe 8x4 sheets is also a good idea. I have one made from 4x2s that sits on a couple of Triton Multistands (home made sawhorses would doo as well) and the sheet is supported at a convenient height during and after the cut with no pieces falling on the ground (or your feet) and getting damaged.