Main > Woodworking
Materials other than MDF
Mike A:
It is funny. Whenever this question comes up everybody agrees plywood is better yet everyone keeps using MDF. Can you guys please knock it the ---fudgesicle--- off already with the MDF.
mahuti:
I still use MDF and like it. ;D
(not for everything though)
Mike A:
:'(
jennifer:
:)
Alejo I:
I feel like the love for ply may be a bit exacerbated in here because it's a very common building material in North America (much less in Yurop) and there were American cabinets made of ply, so there's even some nostalgia factor to it. Meanwhile, MDF and chipboard are far more common in Europe and nobody has any issues with it for home usage. Plus, it has some advantages when laminating and warping is a non issue. It's just what each of us has grown used to use.
The complains about water damage and weight are kind of moot since an arcade cabinet is not something you are going to take outside or frequently move around. And if you ever need to push one down/up the stairs, you are going to need help anyway. I feel like the ply over MDF debate may hold some weight if we are talking about cabinets that are going to see some heavy use (barcades and the like), which would be far more stressful for MDF and chipboard. But for home use? They are all fine.
For what is worth, I think ply is far better in terms of retaining structural strenght, but it's not like quality MDF is bad at all, specially if you use threaded inserts for pieces that may need some reassembly. It's horrible for router work, tho.
Regarding alternatives, hardboard (HDF) could be interesting since it's extremely hard and you can even find dyed versions in a variety of colors from brands like Valchromat. It's commonly used in furniture that needs to be pretty strong but can't show any woodgrain after painting.
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