Any reason to not use particleboard?

[spOOf]

Okay, like many others I'm having a heckuva time finding 5/8 wood for my control panel.  I've called 10 local stores with no luck.  I've only found 2 things - 5/8 unsanded plywood (I was so desperate I bought of piece of this splintery mess) and a local Lowes has 5/8 particle board.

The rest of my cab is built.  I will be using the 5/8 particleboard for 2 things:

- to cover the speakers (there will be a grill covering the whole piece of wood)
- the control panel (art and plexi will cover this)

In the Project arcade book the main reason given for not using it is that painting particleboard sucks as it will not be smooth.  Since in both cases you will not see the paint, this is not an issue for me.  Is there any reason to not use particleboard for this?  I don't believe I'll have to route out any of the under panel.

I wil have 2 U360s, 1 U-Trak (flush mount) and 3/4 T-mold.  Thanks!

[saleem]

if they say painting it sucks cos it wont be smooth,why dont you get primer,put a coat on,sand with fine grit paper,wipe it free of dust,prime,sand,wipe,prime,sand wipe.

until its smooth,then paint!

man,i used like 4 1ltr tins of zinsser bin at £13 a tin,12+ 3 piece mini roller sets,2 small woodfiller,corse sandpaper,240 grit and 400 grit carbide wet and dry.

must have spent best part of £70 on prep.

now i am spraying the sides.

[spOOf]

Well, it says you'll have to sand like crazy and it still might not be smooth.  But again, you won't see or feel either of these pieces.  Both will be completely covered.  So my concerns were more on the idea of durability, how it cuts, etc.

I may have stumbled onto a possible source for a decent piece of 5/8 wood though.  Will call them tomorrow or Wednesday during business hours.

[thecheat]

Try to find MDF, the stuff made with glued together wood pulp. It's very sturdy and extremely smooth. I don't know how well it will take paint yet but I'd imagine after a couple priming coats, it should be fine. Only drawback is that the edges feather a little bit when cut.

See if you can get to Home Depot, they sell 2x2', 2x4', and 4x8' sheets in 1/2, 5/8, and I think 7/8".

I'm using 1/2" MDF and 1/8" plexi bolted together for my CP, it looks like it's going to be quite sturdy.

[GaryMcT]

Try to find MDF, the stuff made with glued together wood pulp. It's very sturdy and extremely smooth. I don't know how well it will take paint yet but I'd imagine after a couple priming coats, it should be fine. Only drawback is that the edges feather a little bit when cut.

See if you can get to Home Depot, they sell 2x2', 2x4', and 4x8' sheets in 1/2, 5/8, and I think 7/8".

I'm using 1/2" MDF and 1/8" plexi bolted together for my CP, it looks like it's going to be quite sturdy.

How are you going about routing them?  Are you routing/drilling one of them and then using a pattern bit to cut the other, or doing them at the same time?

[thecheat]

My method probably isn't the best but here's what I did (and it turned out decent, too):

I laid out my CP in Visio, printed it out onto 3 pages, taped them together, and glued them to the plexi.

I clamped the plexi to the MDF and pushed the whole thing through a bandsaw to cut the edges.

I drilled and inserted my cap-head screws to hold the plexi to the board.

Using a holesaw, I drilled the button holes and the joystick shaft holes.

I removed the plexi and used a chisel to dig out some of the MDF to flush mount the T-nuts on the top of the board.



I'm not too crazy about using MDF for the CP board. It is pretty sold but the particle sizes are so small that it's almost like thick paper. I think my CP with the 1/8" plexi will be pretty sturdy but I do worry about the T-nuts with essentially 1/4" of MDF to bite into. Thicker MDF would probably have been better.

BTW: This stuff is a PAIN to cut w/ a hole saw! The teeth load up VERY quickly with the resin that holds it together. I would go 1/8", then spin the drill backwards holding the teeth on a scrap piece of metal to dislodge the sawdust/resin gunk that melted and dried on the teeth. Had to do this four times per hole and it took FOREVER. Maybe a drill press going pretty slow would have been better to avoid heating up from friction.

[spOOf]

My local Home Depots and Lowes do NOT have 5/8.  Neither does my local Ace Hardware and the other 7 "local" lumber yards I called.  I asked for MDF or plywood suitable for a cabinet.

A place miles away had 5/8 plywood, but when I showed up it was the crap splintered kind.

Didn't get a chance to call a local cabinet builder though, which is what 1 of the lumber yards recommended.

Thanks for the advice so far, but I'm really looking for more details about using particleboard.  I know MDF is the better choice here.  But I just don't have 5/8 available anywhere in a 30 mile radius.

So, has anyone used particleboard?  Or did anyone try using it for something and rule it out because it's terrible?  I have the 3/4 MDF as a backup plan, but I'd like to see if I can use a suitable 5/8 board.  Thanks!

[Bender]

particle board is junk. (Period)
it doesn't cut well
it doesn't route well
it doesn't sand well
it doesn't take paint well
it doesn't take screws well
it doesn't hold up well
ect...

Find some MDF, MDO or ply

in the long run you'll be so happy you did


worst case get 3/4 and route an 1/8 around the bottom edge so it will look like 5/8 when installed
5/8 can be an issue to find, where are you?
how big are the two pieces you need?

[spOOf]

particle board is junk. (Period)
it doesn't cut well
it doesn't route well
it doesn't sand well
it doesn't take paint well
it doesn't take screws well
it doesn't hold up well
ect...

Find some MDF, MDO or ply

in the long run you'll be so happy you did


worst case get 3/4 and route an 1/8 around the bottom edge so it will look like 5/8 when installed
5/8 can be an issue to find, where are you?
how big are the two pieces you need?

Thanks, this is what I wanted to hear.  I'm outside Philadelphia.  I've called about a dozen places, no one has any (nor did they even offer to order it).  My panel will be 38 1/2 x 15, so that's all I need.  I figured I would have leftover from that, so would use a piece for my speaker panel as well, which is 25 1/8 x 9 1/16.  Calling that cabinet place today... fingers crossed.

[spOOf]

Grrrrr! 

Cabinet place doesn't have it and could only suggest taking a planner to a 3/4 piece of wood.  Why is this so impossible to find?

People on here make whole cabs out a 5/8 wood and I can't find a piece of it.

[spOOf]

Well, I may have hit paydirt.  Found a place that will special order me a sheet of 5/8 MDF for $30.  Guess I'll have a bunch extra, but I don't think I'll find a piece for much cheaper anyway.

[Bender]

that's good news
some place want you to order a whole stack to do a special order, so $30 is a great deal