Chip board

[mo1e]

Hello all im wondering if it is ok to use chip board for a build? or is it a no go? i want to use mdf but i can get some chipboard for free. i dont think i will be able to get a good smooth edge with it though.

[kahlid74]

So chipboard is generally a paper based product, not wood (unless the country you're in classifies it as particle board which some do).  So any use of wood working tools aside from rough cutting/drilling won't apply.  Sanding/routing would be very difficult and on top of that paperboard doesn't typically have rigid constraints.  What I mean is even though paperboard is thinker than paper, it can bend/get wavy when you move it.  Typically 5/8" to 3/4" MDF/Plywood doesn't do that.  So when you're supporting lots of weight you want the rigid qualities of wood, not the wavy/bendy qualities of paper.

So IMO I wouldn't use chipboard.  Stick with MDF/plywood.

Side note, a bartop using paperboard would be a cool concept but only if the guts of the cab were supported by a wood frame and the paperboard was merely affixed to the wood frame (holding no weight)

[mo1e]

im from the uk and the chip board is about 12mm thick heres a pic showing what it is like

[BobA]

No paper in chipboard that I can see.  Just chips of wood and glue.

"Composition

    Chipboard is made up of wood chips bound together with resin and pressed into a flat, rectangular shape. Pieces of wood that are too small, warped, or otherwise defective for use as lumber are splintered into small chips, and mixed with sawdust. A synthetic resin is added, usually urea formaldehyde, to hold the chips together and increase the strength and hardness of the finished product. The mixture is then heat-formed under pressure to create a smooth, rigid board."

It is harder to finish because it does not have as smooth a surface as MDF.  My preference would be to buy MDF even if the chipboard is free.  This will give a much nicer surface to work on.

[mo1e]

hmmm, shame. Is there nothing i can do to get a cleaner edge? T-molding looks like it would be hell on the chipboard and i dont have a router

[jmike]

My job was throwing out some old shelve units so I asked to keep the shelves and thought I could use it for a cocktail arcade or something. It looks something like the top shelve in this pic. Should I just toss these out then? It has that woodgrain look.

[TopJimmyCooks]

What Mo1e is picturing is called particleboard in the US.  only used for floor underlayment and the cheapest furniture Items.  i wouldn't use it for a custom arcade machine project.  heavy, crumbly, hard to work.  poor fastener holding.

Non structural chipboard (flakeboard) per BobA's definition is only used for very cheap residential construction, closet liner and the like.  OSB oriented strandboard is a stronger version of the same thing, again not suitable for casework, not flat or workable.

get mdf, veneer plywood or similar and you'll be better off.    Those laminate shelves have potential for jmike.  if they're big enough.  use sharp tools to avoid chipping the laminate veneer. 

[mo1e]

What Mo1e is picturing is called particleboard in the US.  only used for floor underlayment and the cheapest furniture Items.  i wouldn't use it for a custom arcade machine project.  heavy, crumbly, hard to work.  poor fastener holding.

Non structural chipboard (flakeboard) per BobA's definition is only used for very cheap residential construction, closet liner and the like.  OSB oriented strandboard is a stronger version of the same thing, again not suitable for casework, not flat or workable.

get mdf, veneer plywood or similar and you'll be better off.    Those laminate shelves have potential for jmike.  if they're big enough.  use sharp tools to avoid chipping the laminate veneer. 

Thank you for that info. i will just buy some mdf then.