1/2" MDF

[Oldskool]

I just picked up a piece of 1/2" MDF for my CP, and man is the stuff ever strong.

I'm considering using it for my whole cab (probably UA2).

Is using MDF thicker than 1/2" overkill?

[Metimbo]

Not sure really.  I guess it depends on a lot of factors.

1) Design used.

2) Expected / Possible Abuse from:
     a) Playing
     b) Moving, etc

I used 3/4" MDF on my UAII and it has worked out pretty good so far.
 I'm sure you could get away with 1/2" tho.
~Tim

[_Iz-]

1/2" would be fine if you're applying it to a 2x4 or 2x2 skeleton. I'd be wary otherwise. 5/8 would be the minimum I'd use for a cab without a skeleton. (I'm a cabinetmaker by trade).

[RandyT]

I just picked up a piece of 1/2" MDF for my CP, and man is the stuff ever strong.

I'm considering using it for my whole cab (probably UA2).

Is using MDF thicker than 1/2" overkill?

Another thing to consider, and this may sound really obsessive, is the sound it makes when you put your hands on it.  The thinner the material, the more likely it will reverberate and sound like a hollow drum when it gets banged on.  Thicker material deadens this and doesn't sound as cheap.

...or maybe it's just me  

RandyT

[Snarbald]

I'm using 3/4" mdf for all the structural panels and 1/2" for any non-load bearing pieces.

[rdagger]

You should also consider the T-Molding.  The narrow T-Molding doesn't quite look right.  

[Minwah]

I got a piece of 12mm (more or less 1/2") MDF but felt it was a bit too thin to use on the bulk of a cab.  As someone said if you use a frame it should be OK - but remember it will quite possibly bow otherwise.

[eightbit]

Of the engineered building material MDF is the heavyiest and weakest. With a proper frame inside of it you could get away with using it. You might be better off with 3/4" MDF but thats up to you.

MDF Vs plywood cons-
Heavier, not as strong

MDF Vs plywood pros- cheap, smooth finish surface ready for painting

[SeanFu]

I ended up using 3/4 for the sides, and 1/2 everywhere else.  Except for the bottom, which is a plywood base anchored to the 3/4" sides with 2x4's, glue and lots of screws.  It seems pretty solid, and let me tell you, cutting and milling the 1/2" stiff was a lot easier.  It doesn't seem like it would make that much difference but it did for me.

Here's another thing that helped, have Home Depot cut as much of the MDF as possible.  They did a lot of cutting for me for free.  The sign says the first 6 are free, but the guy just kept cutting.  It is especially helpful for all "non-side" pieces that have to be a uniform width, because they've got big wall mounted saw that can do pretty accurate rips.  Unless you've got a big sturdy table saw, consistant  accuracy is going to be a challenge.  And then they have a BIG Radial arm saw that can cross cut the ripped pieces.

I went in with a list of dimensions and walked out with a cabinet kit... Sort of anyway.

good luck.

[Xiaou2]

warning:

 Every home depot ive been to that cut my wood ended up cutting it crooked : (   Thier saw machine (a circular saw mounted to a specialized arm)  gets out of whack.  

  I highly suggest buying a table saw.  It was the best 100$ investment I ever made.  Not only do you get smooth accurate cuts... You can also attach a fiberglass wheel to it to cut metal.  

  Whats also nice... is that if you had to sell the thing... you could almost make your money back as they dont seem to lose much value.  (unlike circular saws, jigsaws..ect)

[Minwah]

warning:

 Every home depot ive been to that cut my wood ended up cutting it crooked : (   Thier saw machine (a circular saw mounted to a specialized arm)  gets out of whack.  

  I highly suggest buying a table saw.  It was the best 100$ investment I ever made.  Not only do you get smooth accurate cuts... You can also attach a fiberglass wheel to it to cut metal.  

  Whats also nice... is that if you had to sell the thing... you could almost make your money back as they dont seem to lose much value.  (unlike circular saws, jigsaws..ect)

Probably a good idea - I did mine with a circular saw + jigsaw, and was happy with the end result - I don't want to have to do it again tho!  Just don't try cutting thru 2 pieces of MDF at the same time with a jigsaw!

[eightbit]

warning:

 Every home depot ive been to that cut my wood ended up cutting it crooked : (   Thier saw machine (a circular saw mounted to a specialized arm)  gets out of whack.  

  I highly suggest buying a table saw.  It was the best 100$ investment I ever made.  Not only do you get smooth accurate cuts... You can also attach a fiberglass wheel to it to cut metal.  

  Whats also nice... is that if you had to sell the thing... you could almost make your money back as they dont seem to lose much value.  (unlike circular saws, jigsaws..ect)

Its a panel saw, its not designed to give accurate cuts though if you spent some time tuning it and were really fussy when you made your cuts you could get pretty close, though good luck getting any one at home depot to do that. If you have them make the cuts you should have them cut oversized.

[NoOne=NBA=]

If you can only get one or the other, I would recommend a circular saw with a saw guide, over a table saw.

The price for the saw/sawguide will be about the same as a table saw; but the combo is more versatile than a table saw alone.
This is especially noticable when you try to make your first cuts from the full sheet (i.e. removing a 12" x 8' strip, to get the sheet down to 36" x 96").
With a table saw, you will still get some drift; and, without additional rollers for put on/take off, it is really hard to get what I would consider a "good" cut with a table saw.

With the saw guide, you can clamp it on to the "good piece" of the board, and push your saw along "scrap piece".
If you mess up, and let the saw drift away from the saw guide, you can come back and clean it up with a second pass, resulting in an "almost" perfect cut.

I use my table saw for all my "panel" cuts (i.e. kick panel, control panels, top panel, back panel, etc...); but I use the saw guide, and a circular saw and jigsaw) for fabricating the side panels.

Your results may vary; but I've never gotten the same level of precision out of a table saw that I can get with a saw guide.

[Wienerdog]

warning:

 Every home depot ive been to that cut my wood ended up cutting it crooked : (   Thier saw machine (a circular saw mounted to a specialized arm)  gets out of whack.  

  I highly suggest buying a table saw.  It was the best 100$ investment I ever made.  Not only do you get smooth accurate cuts... You can also attach a fiberglass wheel to it to cut metal.  

  Whats also nice... is that if you had to sell the thing... you could almost make your money back as they dont seem to lose much value.  (unlike circular saws, jigsaws..ect)

Probably a good idea - I did mine with a circular saw + jigsaw, and was happy with the end result - I don't want to have to do it again tho!  Just don't try cutting thru 2 pieces of MDF at the same time with a jigsaw!

Finally a topic where I can provide intelligent input!  I have a $500 Craftsman 10" table saw ($150 at a garage sale).  I agree it is one of the most essential tools in the workshop, but... when I need to rip a 4x8 sheet of plywood down to 3x8, I used my circular saw, a straight edge, and a $15 Freud plywood blade from the borg (Home Depot).  The cut was perfect because I had the right blade for the job.  More importantly, I didn't have the room or right outfeed equipment to safely rip the plywood on the table saw.

[NoOne=NBA=]

My point EXACTLY.

[Oldskool]

If you can only get one or the other, I would recommend a circular saw with a saw guide

I agree, and just about any straight edge will serve as a guide. Just clamp it to your piece, measure, and start cookin'.

A good blade is key. I have a 40 carbide tooth that does a fine job in my circular saw.

[Wienerdog]

My point EXACTLY.

lol, we were posting at the same time but saying the same things.

Oldskool hit it on the head too.  The 40 tooth carbide blade is the one I got from HD for 14.99 (red Dialbo blade).  

[SeanFu]

warning:

 Every home depot ive been to that cut my wood ended up cutting it crooked : (   Thier saw machine (a circular saw mounted to a specialized arm)  gets out of whack.  

  I highly suggest buying a table saw.  It was the best 100$ investment I ever made.  Not only do you get smooth accurate cuts... You can also attach a fiberglass wheel to it to cut metal.  

  Whats also nice... is that if you had to sell the thing... you could almost make your money back as they dont seem to lose much value.  (unlike circular saws, jigsaws..ect)

Its a panel saw, its not designed to give accurate cuts though if you spent some time tuning it and were really fussy when you made your cuts you could get pretty close, though good luck getting any one at home depot to do that. If you have them make the cuts you should have them cut oversized.

Idunno - I think you're being rough on the "Depot".  I'm talking about the saw mounted on a wall, and you roll your 4x8 sheet through.  It may not have been acurate to 1/16", but all the sheets were the same width in the end which was more critical to me.

On the other hand, I have managed to use square panels to somehow make a slightly crooked cabinet.  I'm probably the only one who would notice but it's going to drive me crazy...

[Wienerdog]

Idunno - I think you're being rough on the "Depot".  I'm talking about the saw mounted on a wall, and you roll your 4x8 sheet through.  It may not have been acurate to 1/16", but all the sheets were the same width in the end which was more critical to me.

You're talking about the same thing.  Actually, they are going easy on the borg.  I've seen the employees pull the radial arm saw extremely fast through some wood so that it doesn't give a smooth cut.  So fast that is seemed intentional (I don't see how someone could accidentally do what this guy did...).  I've also seen the same thing on the panel saw.  It's like they think it cuts smoother if you pull the saw through the wood faster.

Anyway, it IS a great service and I even had them cut some stuff tonight.  It's just tough to get them to do finish quality work.  On the other hand, get a guy/girl that likes to do woodworking, and they would be thrilled to cut all of your wood for you (and be exact about it).  Good luck finding that one person though.  

[rdagger]

I just picked up a 4'x8' 5/8" MDF at Home Depot yesterday for $19.99.  I had them make 3 cuts using the wall mounted saw.  The cuts came out straight, but they screwed up most of the corners.   As their saw finishes the cut, it bites a good 1/2" out of the corners.  Fortunately, I had them cut the pieces oversized.  I'll use a circular saw with an edge guide to clean up the pieces.

[jsomethin]

One thing I found from my limited experience it cutting MDF with a circular saw is setting the blade depth properly.

I had TONS of problems before a friend of mine reccomended making the blade depth such that it's only about 1/4" more than the width of the MDF sheet.

Made a world of difference.

Although I still didn't get very good miterd cuts, even with a guide....Perhaps because it's a cheap saw.