[POLL] - MDF or Plywood

[kelemvor]

Just another one of my polls to see what other people have done to build their own cabs since I need to figur eout what to use.

So, what did you use to build your own?  If you've built multiples and have used both options, either choose multiple or choose whichever one you liked better and will use in the future.

Feel free to post a quick WHY you used what you did but not so much that this has to get moved to the Woodworking forum. 

Thanks.

[Kaytrim]

This question has come up many times.  Use the search function.

[ElKootcho]

3/4" birch plywood. The rumors are true: it's tough to stain. Even with wood conditioner it's difficult to get an even color throughout

[kelemvor]

This question has come up many times.  Use the search function.

Yes but none of them had a poll that I could fine.

[javeryh]

3/4" birch plywood. The rumors are true: it's tough to stain. Even with wood conditioner it's difficult to get an even color throughout

Really?  I used that for my cocktail cab and didn't seem to have problem staining it... I did have to put on multiple coats and I paid attention to where some spots looked lighter than others to try and even it out but I didn't think it was that bad... of course it's the only thing I've ever stained so what do I know?

I also built a mini cab out of MDF.  It's easy to cut but it's a pain to finish and it's heavy.  Cab#3 will be birch ply again... but not because I don't like MDF... I'll probably build #4 out of that again... I don't have a preference really.

[DaOld Man]

I used MDF, but due to it's heaviness when the project is finished, Im thinking of using plywood on my next project.

[Kaytrim]

This question has come up many times.  Use the search function.

Yes but none of them had a poll that I could find.

I think that it is rather easy to see that MDF is the hands down favorite for cab building.  It is showing the same results in your poll.

[shardian]

I think you should add a choice called "Why build when I can get empty or generic cabs for next to nothing?"

To be fair though, I had to repair my pacman cocktail and I used melamine - it matched up better thickness-wise with the original laminated ply.
So, I use melamine!

[dfmaverick]

I used MDF, but due to it's heaviness when the project is finished, Im thinking of using plywood on my next project.

Moi aussi.

[patrickl]

I'm surprised to see MDF is so popular.

[ahofle]

Has MDF changed in the last few years?  When I built my cabinet in 03 the MDF I used was quite a bit different from what I see in the hardware store now.  My friend just built a control panel out of MDF and it seemed to be softer with much finer fibers in it.

[hbm*rais]

I used both.

MDF for the sides, because it's easier to cut the curves and looks really smooth when painted.

Ply for everything else, because it's lighter, cheaper (where I live, at least) and holds screws near the edges better.

[Jouster]

I used MDF...mostly because I had never worked with it before and wanted to see what it was like.  I liked it...other than the mess it makes when cutting/routing/drilling it was very easy to work with.

I wanted the added weight compared to plywood also...my bartop is not light...but not heavy either.  I was afraid that with ply it would be too light.

I'd offer this advice though...pick one and build a cab...if you don't like it...build another cab out of something else...then chalk it up to experience...and get two cabs out of the deal!

Jouster

[GAtekwriter]

I purchased 3 sheets of Sandiply (Home Depot).  Very smooth sides (but one side is always MUCH more finished than the other) and very flat/straight with zero warping.  Not as heavy as MDF and has the pros of wood.

Jim

[deadkenndys1105]

MDF is some great stuff but its heavy as all hell.  It also leaves more dust than there is snow at the north pole.

[vidmouse]

I was surprised that MDF wasn't MORE popular, the
way some folks talk about it.

Then again, I hated the dust on mine (geez, it's STILL around
my workshop) from when I built mine.

[brandon]

does MDF have any of the moisture problems that particle board does?  Granted, your cabinet isnt going to get wet...  but.. just curious. 

[ChadTower]

Much less but it is still susceptible to being soaked.  All wood is to one degree or another, even hardwoods.

[Zebidee]

I just restored a small retro cabinet that had been left in the rain for several months.  All the external MDF had to be ripped out and replaced, and I had to re-seal any internal MDF with PVA glue (mixed in water to create a 'paint' that would soak in).



By comparison, all the external plywood w/ woodgrain finish (you know, that 70's-80's stuff, not the laminate) was still in good, sturdy condition, just needing a lot of elbow grease for sanding/filling/sanding/painting/sanding/refinishing 

Sooooo .... a good hardwood plywood is 'water resistant' and will only really absorb moisture if it is left soaked in water.  However, even modern MDF will still absorb moisture from rain like a sponge.  MDF is really just glorified cardboard.

[theCoder]

When I first started in this hobby, I read about all the issues associated with MDF.  Nasty, unhealthy, hard to remove dust;  Heavy;  Won't hold screws; Expensive. 

Call me old school, maybe even naive, but I've only worked with plywood.  As shardian points out, it is also good to recycle an old cab (my 1st and 4th/current are referbs).  My 2nd & 3rd were made from 3/4", 10 ply cabinet grade plywood.

Disadvantages:  Rough surface - dealt with extra coat of primer; splinters & hollow spots when rounding over edges - dealt with watered down wood putty.

Advantages:  Cheaper, lighter, holds screws, structurally strong, wood grain finish possibilities.

For what it's worth, I prefer plywood.

[Pac-Fan]

"Real" arcade games used it all.

Pac-Man: 3/4 pine-based plywood sides + 3/4" Particle board top
Ms. Pac-Man: Same as Pac-Man or 100% Particle board with side stickers
Donkey Kong: 9/16" High-Gloss Melamine coated Teak-based plywood -or- 5/8" Semi-Gloss (pebble like) Melamine coated particle board
Omega Race, Blueprint, Bump-n-Jump: 3/4" High gloss melamine coated MDF
Atari: 3/4" or 13/16" particle board with semi-gloss black inside laminate


Use whatever you like. All have benefits and disadvantages.  Ideally a nice 9/16" plywood with melamine inside and outside coating would be the best for lightweight, take screws, cut easy, no painting, 'perfect' lamination, and more resistance to dents and scratches than paint. (Nintendo WAS thinking!).

However unless you do a special order job which would cost more than everything else you put into the cab, you're not going to find that anywhere.

[Anubis_au]

I will be using wood for my cab, not MDF.

Mainly because I'm leaning towards a woody type finish as opposed to my original idea of the standard black painted cab.

Also, lighter.