Looking for supplier of imperial measured Mdf in England/Leeds

[ripsnort]

Does anyone know where i can get mdf in imperial measurement in particular 5/8 for the control panel top, it seems every big diy store around here now only sells metric and the thickness's all are slightly slimmer than the imperial equivelant. I did manage to buy 2 sheets of 3/4 from wickes but they now stock 18mm and its too thin if used with 3/4 t molding. ive also tried on the net but again all the british companys stock in mm's.

If anyone knows any it would be a great help cos i have a pile of buttons and stuff and cant get started.

Cheers

Rik   

[sstorkel]

For all intents and purposes, 19mm is close enough to 3/4" and 16mm is close enough to 5/8". The difference is .002" in the 19mm size and .004" in 16mm size. For comparison, .004" is roughly 1/256th of an inch. I doubt your cuts will be accurate enough that a difference that small will come into play...

[ripsnort]

hi 

 i know theres not much difference but i cant find any 16mm board only 18mm and 12mm as you said 19mm matches 3/4 very well but that is not available either the 18mm is gunna leave a lip with the t mold and if my cuts arnt accurate a quite noticable lip. think im gunna have to search harder.

[Franco B]

Quite noticeable? Its only 1/2mm a side.

Its easy to set your router up to cut the slot exactly. Set the router to depth as close as possible by eye and cut a slot in a scrap piece of wood, flip the wood over and if you have got it spot on (which you probably wont by eye) then the cutter will slide into the slot, if not adjust the blade and do another cut on a fresh section and repeat until its bang on.

Ive used 3/4" t-mould with 18mm MDF on my last cab and im using them again on my cocktail and I have had no problems at all. Once you get a few layers of undercoat and paint or vinyl etc you probably wont be far off 19mm anyway.

[ripsnort]

hi

thats quite a good tip and at least i know i'm safe with the 18mm . At the mo this isnt a problem though as per my original post i have already got the 3/4 mdf its the 5/8 equivalant and a place to buy it that im stuck on, or any alternative that anyone might suggest. i have thought about just a standard 3/4 CP with an overlay but i really want go down the acrylic covering route so need the thimmer wood .

[sstorkel]

5/8" MDF is often a special-order item. Chances are you won't be able to find it at a big DIY store; I've certainly never been successful. Find a full-service lumber yard and ask them to order what you need. Or call custom kitchen cabinet makers in your area and ask them where they buy plywood and other sheet materials. The place I use caters to cabinet makers, so they have just about everything in stock. Anything they don't have, they can get in 2-4 days.

If you can't find what you need, you might be able to go with slightly thinner wood and a slightly thicker acrylic overlay.

[FhM]

I have used 18mm MDF and the t-molding is fine it is just over so you can feel it but not so much you will visually notice.
I am using 18mm for the control panel as well with an overlay and an acrylic cover. What I plan to do is just use my router to take of enough material off the top so the acrylic will sit flush.

[ripsnort]

i think thats what i might end up doing just take 2mm or so of the top of the whole cp with the router and get a 2/3mm acrylic top just hope my router and bits are up for a bit of shaving. I just cant be arsed with any special orders of mdf just for a peice 2ft by 1ft. I even thought about buying 2 thinner sheets and gluing and clamping them together. im sure one way or another i'll figure it out.

[Pops]

I've had this problem and what I did was offset the slot so the moulding is flush on one side. the lip on the otherside -the inside- covers the join to the front and back pieces.
The only end visible is just around the monitor area, this i trimmed with a Stanley knife.

You can center the slot and the lip is not really noticeable to look at but hands rubbing against it over time may cause it to become more visible. At least that's what I was hoping to avoid.

Oh I also found that t-moulding goes on much better if its not freezing cold when doing it, plyability an all that....

[sstorkel]

You could also try trimming the excess moulding with a router and a flush trim bit. I haven't tried this, so I don't know if it works. I'd suggest experimenting on a couple of test pieces before attacking your cabinet with a router. You'll probably want a very sharp router bit and you may have to play around with the speeds see what produces the best cut... if anything.