MDF For Signs

[smitty0312]

I just recently joined instagram & am following a few scroll saw people......I see quite a few of them use mdf for lettering & other projects......but I rarely see mdf used here in people’s posts.......am I missing something? 

Edited August 16, 2020 by smitty0312

[NC Scroller]

MDF is extremely messy to work with.  It creates a lot of dust that is very fine.  The dust can be toxic due to the chemicals used to make it.

[Foxfold]

MDF cuts like butter but it is incredibly dusty and in my opinion only good for pieces that are going to be painted.  Most of us prefer to work with 'wood' as it looks good without 'paint'. I must admit the only time I use mdf is if I'm doing a plaque with my router as it is easier than wood to carve. 

[amazingkevin]

MDF cuts like a dream and I love useing it but refram from doing so from the terrible hazardous dust it makes. Paints and stains so easy. I was given 6' tall stacks 10.75" x 8" cuts. Perfect for the scroll saw but turned it down which I kicked myself for doing.All I needed was a mask, but hate masks.

[oldhudson]

I know many don't like working with mdf for the reasons listed, and it's awful if it gets wet and is not as strong as PW, but there are advantages too. It's really cheap, dead flat, available if lots of thicknesses, paints well and in lots of stores. I love it for jigs and other shop projects. I especially like how it works with this mft work surface I made last year.

[John B]

I am always amazed at the reference to MDF dust being more hazardous than wood.
The make up must vary greatly from country to country. The Australian Dept of heath rates our MDF made to Australian standards as no more or less hazardous than wood dust and recommends that you take the same precautions.
I use MDF almost exclusivity when cutting letters etc which are to be painted and fixed to another board. I also use it for backing my tray puzzles and after it is painted black I use it to back my portraits.
If the piece is likely to be in a damp area I use HMR which is High Moisture resistant MDF.
It would be hard to find another material which would paint as nicely and stay as flat.

[BadBob]

I use it for some toys and shop projects. MDF produces some very fine dust and paints very well. It is not strong enough for some things, but neither are some woods.

The dust is a problem, but not any more than the dust I get from sanding wood.

MDF is heavy.

I see lots of people making all sorts of claims about MDF's health hazards, but I can't find any authoritative source that says it is any more hazardous than wood. Wood is full of toxins and has naturally occurring formaldehyde.

This car body is made from MDF.

The paint is the most hazardous part.

[amazingkevin]

52 minutes ago, BadBob said:

I use it for some toys and shop projects. MDF produces some very fine dust and paints very well. It is not strong enough for some things, but neither are some woods.

The dust is a problem, but not any more than the dust I get from sanding wood.

MDF is heavy.

I see lots of people making all sorts of claims about MDF's health hazards, but I can't find any authoritative source that says it is any more hazardous than wood. Wood is full of toxins and has naturally occurring formaldehyde.

This car body is made from MDF.

The paint is the most hazardous part.

 Badbob you may be on to something here. It could be the biggest mistake in my scrolling life to have turned down an unlimited supply of the stuff too. sometimes we go overboard with knowledge. I miss cutting MDF!!!  

[John B]

20 hours ago, BadBob said:

I use it for some toys and shop projects. MDF produces some very fine dust and paints very well. It is not strong enough for some things, but neither are some woods.

The dust is a problem, but not any more than the dust I get from sanding wood.

MDF is heavy.

I see lots of people making all sorts of claims about MDF's health hazards, but I can't find any authoritative source that says it is any more hazardous than wood. Wood is full of toxins and has naturally occurring formaldehyde.

This car body is made from MDF.

The paint is the most hazardous part.

Bob, I have been trying for years to tell people that MDF is no more dangerous than timber.
I have used it for many many toys and being a cabinet maker, it is my go to sheet material for cabinets, veneered and laminated.

[BadBob]

11 hours ago, John B said:

Bob, I have been trying for years to tell people that MDF is no more dangerous than timber.
I have used it for many many toys and being a cabinet maker, it is my go to sheet material for cabinets, veneered and laminated.

The world is full of toxic substances. Many of which you can't live and be healthy without.

 

[Gordon 121]

I love MDF its the main thing i cut, don't care much about the toxic stuff i used to smoke and i drive a car so am spreading toxic fumes all the time lol, its cheap and so easy to get in various thicknesses, am limited on the real wood i can get and i only cut things from scrap or reclaimed wood, sorry but i find it hard to drive by a skip full of timber going to land fill, up scaling instead of land fill is my option and i love turning a scrap bit of wood into a portrait of a dog or person or what ever comes to mind

cheers Gordon