Hardboard??

[kmmcrafts]

Doing a remodel project in my house and having a small section of uneven wall, I needed a small cheap plywood 1/4" thick.. Went to Menards to look and pick something up since the only stuff I had on hand here in 1/4 was expensive good two sides Walnut, Cherry, or Oak plywood... not using a $30 chunk of plywood as a shim, LOL.. Anyway I came across the stuff called hardboard..  I bought a small 2 x 4 foot piece.. and have a small part of it left... It's dark colored.. like dark brown? almost looks black from a distance with low lighting.. Anyway this piece I bought was like $5 including tax etc.. Think they had full 4 x 8 sheets of the stuff too.. I cut the piece I needed right on my scroll saw since my table saw was blocked in with little room to work around it.. The stuff cut very well and even left a pretty smooth edge..  I'm not real sure what the stuff actually is.. but just wondered if anyone ever used it for scroll saw projects or at least for backers.. Many times I'm using backers of foam sheets for black or dark brown etc to give a good contrast.. The foam sheeting is not very stiff for a solid backer on a fragile piece.. I would think this stuff would be a much better option and very cheap to use.. I may look into getting more of it to mess with..  I have about 15 new styles of wall hanging clocks I made several months ago but I'm low on backer material and just keep getting side tracked so there they sit for a long time now.. Considering trying this stuff to see how it goes on these clocks.. 

 

Anyway, anyone use it? If so hows it hold up longer term?   

 

Edit to add a link to the stuff I bought. 

https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/panel-products/handi-panels/1-4-1-4cat-x-2-x-4-hardboard-panel/1291135/p-1444431332443-c-13337.htm?tid=-574490155626983128&&ipos=6

Edited June 10, 2019 by kmmcrafts

[MrsN]

Hardboard, is high density fiberbord (MDF is medium density) it is created with higher heat and pressure resulting in the darker color compaired to MDF. I have only found it in 1/8" and 1/4" thicknesses. I use hardboard for a few things around the shop. I have kids use it at school for practice scrolling because it is cheap. The top surface paints well, kids like that also. I use it often for making templates that will be traced. I also use it as the back of picture frames when we make frames at school.

I don't specifically remember a time when I used it as a backer for a scrolled piece, but I think it would work just fine.

[OCtoolguy]

I think, and don't quote me here, it is also called "masonite". If I am wrong, please enlighten me.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Hardboard is referred to as Masonite also because the company Masonite was the first to sell hardboard and not many people knew enough about it. It is made from compressed saw dust, wood pulp and a resin and pressed under high pressure and heat. The resin adheres to the wood products. The heat as mentioned gives it the dark color.  There are a couple versions of it with basically the one sold in Home centers and also a tempered version that is treated with linseed oil. We use tons of this in the construction industry for covering finished floors to protect them. It is hard material but will chip on ends easily and is moisture prone which causes swelling. Not sure that it is any cheaper than laun wood or whatever underlayment home centers are selling these days. No I would never use it for backing but have used it for workbench top for protection. It does paint well if you do not use the one with the oil in it. 

[GrampaJim]

Some Intrasia people use hardboard for their backer boards that the pieces get glued to.  Others use things like BB ply.

[oldhudson]

I use the .25" to make templates when routing. And I too have used it for the top of a workbench. Here's a pic of the two uses. Another great sheet good. I've been kicking around the idea of using the pegboard version to provide a pattern/template of make a mft bench like all the Festool folks have.

[dennis123]

Masonite is available in regular and tempered.  The regular breaks fairly easily and has pretty poor edge strength.  The tempered variety is fairly hard and holds up pretty well as a bench top material.  Both are commonly used as peg board material.  Again, the regular version doesn't hold up as well.

Dennis

[teachnlearn]

I've used it to back some cabinets and also backed puzzles. So far I've cut it to a sheet shape and applied it as a type of backing. Have read of its use to protect floors for moving, or moving heavy objects. RJF

[tgiro]

I buy that stuff by the 4' x 8' sheets. Lowes calls it Melamine, but I've always thought of it as masonite. I use the 1/8th inch stuff to back most of my small intarsia projects. Although it can be somewhat brittle and break easily behind thin pieces. When I have a large project, I'll use contact cement to laminate 1/8th" BB and 1/8th inch masonite to make a 1/4" inch board. That becomes a super strong back board.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

38 minutes ago, tgiro said:

I buy that stuff by the 4' x 8' sheets. Lowes calls it Melamine, but I've always thought of it as masonite. I use the 1/8th inch stuff to back most of my small intarsia projects. Although it can be somewhat brittle and break easily behind thin pieces. When I have a large project, I'll use contact cement to laminate 1/8th" BB and 1/8th inch masonite to make a 1/4" inch board. That becomes a super strong back board.

Melamine to me is a laminate over particle board usually used for shelves

[Rockytime]

Melamine is a laminate. You are correct. My clock benches are all covered with Melamine. Nice stuff and is always easy to wipe off and keep clean.

[John B]

We call it Masonite. It was used quite commonly in houses as a lining board. You had to wet it first, nail it in place and it would shrink tight as it dried.

[Brianr24]

Iv calling it both Masonite and hardboard. We used it years ago for forming radius in concrete walks and driveways. It it didn’t work good but that’s what we uses. It was never rigid enough and you had to put them in same mourning of pour cuz it would get wet onvernight and warp up. 

  Later I started using plastic forms they cost way more but I never used Masonite again. Now I use it on most of my work bench tops I guess like a workbench table cloth Its easy and cheap to replace it when it gets all junked up. I also have a piece of it cut to fit on my scroll saw top as a zero clearance top. Works great for both. 

[edward]

I use a 2x4 piece of it  for the top of my work bench.

[stoney]

 I have used both types over over the years and much prefer the tempered.   It is quite a bit stronger in my opinion.   It works really well for templates.   I put a 4x8 sheet down in my wife's sewing room on top of the carpet to make it easier to roll her chair from one machine to another, much cheaper then replacing the whole floor.  LOL   

Edited June 23, 2019 by stoney
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