(First time cabinet) Question about MDF and threaded inserts

[Justn]

Hello everyone. I have been looking at this site for about a year now and finally planned out my first project and purchased many of the materials. Thank you all for your advice so far.

I am using 3/4" MDF for my cabinet. My wife insisted I figure out a way to be able to take apart parts of the main cabinet for moving purposes. My question is has anyone used threaded inserts to connect some of the MDF cabinet panels to the ledger boards on the inside. I had been planning to use coarse drywall screws to connect the panels to the ledger boards that are glued and screwed to the sides of the cabinet. Is this a bad idea to use the threaded inserts for the top bottom and back panels ect.?  Any advise would be appreciated.

[Slippyblade]

MDF is probably the WORST material you could possibly use for something that is being designed as a knock-down construction.  Unless you are already deep into the build, I'd say to just go with a good quality plywood.  Then you can glue your batens and screw into those without worry.

Coarse drywall screws are great, btw.  I've seen tests and the strength difference between the cheaper dry-wall screws and expensive wood screws is insignificant.

[RandyT]

MDF is probably the WORST material you could possibly use for something that is being designed as a knock-down construction.

I have to disagree.  The OP indicated the desire to use threaded inserts.  This is a very good way to circumvent the weakening of the material which comes with repeated assembly/disassembly.  Threaded inserts will grab a lot more material than any wood screw, due the the much larger surface area and depth of thread.  And, since the screw threads which hold the panels together are never actually bearing on anything but the metal of the insert, the material will never have to carry the burden of interacting with the fasteners.

[lilshawn]

I would say YES and NO.

YEs, you can make a MDF or particle board cabinet that you can knock down, BUT you'd have to make it differently than a standard cabinet.


You'd likely see fasteners on the outside in order for the strength to be there. I wouldn't go a hidden fastener system like how a cabinet is normally built (battens or brackets inside.) and expect it to be strong.