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MDF wood working advice
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Negativecreep0:
I'm about to start a showcase cab and am new to wood working so here is what I have gathered from this message board on working with mdf board

use a circular saw blade with smaller teeth, this is good for smoother cuts and will help avoid tearouts. Also put a piece of scrap wood under the piece your cutting to help avoid tearouts. Whats the deal with using tape on the good side? what kind of tape is good to put on the line where you cut (this avoids tearouts Im told)

Also i have seen an example of how to make a ripper board for your circular saw. This helps keep every cut straight. much faster and reliable than clamping a straight board down on your line.

In terms of jointing the mdf boards I plan on reinforcing them with 2x4's my question is what do you think is the best thickness to use for this as I will be using a very heavy 33" wg d9200 monitor? Also what type of screw is best for 3/4" mdf, length? brand?. I have seen these screws online
http://www.mcfeelys.com/multiple.asp?productID=7050-CSP
wanna know what people use and think. As far as making joints with mdf I would also like to know what glue people use and how deep they countersink. Do you guys screw right into the edge of the mdf or into some sort of support .

Thanks for any help you guys can give me.
Taborious:
    I completed my cab about 3 months ago and I used 3/4 MDF and NO support beams inside; ie 2x4 framing. I screwed right into the side of the MDF and right into the other piece of MDF. I used no glue but I would recommend if you paranoid. I have moved my cab several time (UAII) and have had no problems with the joints. I used drywall screws and just countersinked enough to get the screw head flush.
    For the circular saw I had 2 blades a 150 tooth non offset blade and that sucked. I went and bought a 40-50 tooth carbide blade and that was PERFECT. Nice and smooth no tape needed.
    For the formica I cut with a razor knife with tape along the lines; to prevent chipping. You have to cut your formica larger than you will use and then glue to the surface. After dry you can then fine cut to fit with a router.

I have some pictures of my project on my site if it helps http://www.taborious.com

good luck...
wintermute:
I used Deckmate #8x2.5" screws and they worked well.  These are available at home deopt.  You definitely want something pretty long with an aggressive thread, MDF doesn't hold screws half as well as normal wood will.

  In my circular saw I use a Freud thin-kerf combination blade.  (The blade is red).  It works pretty well, cuts like butter although my tablesaw still is cleaner, but that might just be the nature of the saw.

To tape over the cut, I've used blue masking tape in the past with good results.  Make sure you put the tape down, THEN draw the line on top of the tape.  It's hard to see your cut line with tape over it ;)

wm
rdagger:
Another option to secure the MDF to the 2x4's is to use T-nuts.  On my cab, I flush mounted T-nuts in the MDF panels and then used bolts to fasten them to a 2x4 frame.  This allows me to easily remove the panels with a socket wrench.  It is also very strong.
prOk:
Use 1x1 blocking on the inside.. arcade cabinets from the early 70's to current day use this same method as it's cheap, small and strong.   Screws or staples and glue from the inside.

/brian

http://www.rgvac.com
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