Shopsmith Forums

MDF always gets a bad rap here and I often wonder if people aren't confusing it with particle board or worst yet chip board. And while holding power in MDF of screws can be on the weak side it glues very nicely using screws to hold it while glue dries. Always drill a pilot screw hole. A good coat of oil, either boiled Lin seed or Tung makes it resist water in most practical applications.

Good quality ply also makes good jigs but they can become costly if not used a lot to warrant the price.

When I first started out I made a lot of hard wood jigs. Many warped over time admittedly mainly do to storage. And that is a real consideration, do you have space to store these jigs so they do not warp?

reible wrote:There are only a couple of things that I would not use, particle board and flake board are two of them.

This. All over the place last night. Particleboard is an awful idea. Live and learn, but what was I thinking?

I will echo Ed's sentiments that it definitely depends on what you are making, but your initial post mentioned some generic applications, and I guess I filled in my own blanks. When I say I use Baltic Birch as my default, that was meant for the type of jigs I *assumed* you were making--fences or sleds or mitering jigs, etc. where I think I will use it for a while and I want to make sure the registering faces are nice and flat. As Ed mentioned, other materials can also serve those purposes, and still other materials can be used or added for some friction reduction on a lot of jigs.

Also, as an aside, I mentioned the heinous shipping on Woodworkers Source for Baltic Birch. They *do* ship 12" x 12" pieces, however, and I think the shipping on those is much more reasonable, but obviously would only be suitable for certain (smaller) jigs. But I have found, generally speaking, that any material I'm working with of appreciable size is better sourced locally, in terms of price, if I can find it.

Ed in Tampa wrote:MDF always gets a bad rap here and I often wonder if people aren't confusing it with particle board or worst yet chip board.

Though this wasn't presumably directed at me, since I didn't malign MDF specifically, I don't often use it (and I certainly wouldn't confuse it with particle board). It does glue up pretty nicely (and yes, screw holding power is on the weak side), but I find moisture and impact resistance to still be a problem. I am notoriously clumsy and I also have an uninsulated, detached garage in the midwest, which subjects my shop to a lot of temperature and humidity fluctuations. I've had MDF get a little too soggy for my tastes and lose its flatness (typically on thinner stock).

The price and easy access of MDF should not be overlooked, though. Again, like everything around here, personal preference and personal need will be the deciding factors.

I use all the materials listed above for jigs depending on their attributes. For jigs and fixtures that are going to be around for a while I use the Baltic birch. Very stable and very flat if you find the right source. Major hardwood suppliers are probably best. But for jigs that are for a single purpose I frequently use plain particle board from HD. It works and it cheap. Especially for jigs that are for a single purpose. MDF is extremely stable and great for situations where flatness and stability are required but not worth the price of BB. The same applies to melamine. Then there are the prototype situations where you're not quite sure of the design and would rather test the waters with PB to see if it works. When you look at pictures of my table saw array and router table they are structurally made completely of laminated PB. Even the legs are four layers laminated and cut to dimension. I made them thinking they were probably going to be redesigned and then out of BB. Turns out I liked the original design and so far (3 years) they have remained stable. I figured they wouldn't survive the beach weather here. So far they have done well but at some point they will be terminal. Hope this helps.
Paul

Well Masonsailar said it all, up to you to take it all in and make a choice for your application.

I also use Popular for a lot of things. It is cheap but not too hard.

I made the legs for the out feed table for my PM200 table saw from 8/4 Popular.

Clean shop is clean. Call me jelly.

I got a sheet of 3/4" x 4' x 8' UV Prefinished Birch Plywood at Menards.
Reg price was $44.99, looked a few sheets and I saw one that had scratches in it. Asked them could they lower the price because of the scratches in it.
Got it for $30. It was UV prefinished on both sides and only one side had the scratches. Helps to check. That is what I make my jigs out of.

jsburger wrote:I also use Popular for a lot of things. It is cheap but not too hard.

I made the legs for the out feed table for my PM200 table saw from 8/4 Popular.

Love the shop. I've got OCD so I love how organized it is

Menards also sells 4x8 sheets of Baltic Birch plywood. I don't think the stores stock it, but they will ship it to your local store for free. Here's a link to the page for the 3/4" version.

Click the Technical Specifications link on that page for details about the product. It appears to me to qualify as real Baltic Birch. I haven't bought any of it yet, so I can't speak to the quality. But the price is certainly attractive.

If anyone tries it, please let us know what you think.