Shopsmith Forums

I came across this term green mdf, at first I was picturing it being green as in tomorrow is Earth Day. Well it might be that too but it is green in color and has some interesting properties. Maybe it could have been called super mdf???

Anyone heard of it?

Yea already did the google thing on it....

Ed

reible wrote:I came across this term green mdf, at first I was picturing it being green as in tomorrow is Earth Day. Well it might be that too but it is green in color and has some interesting properties. Maybe it could have been called super mdf???

Anyone heard of it?

Yea already did the google thing on it....

Ed

So, what did the search tell/show, I bet environment friendly, not just an Earth Day/ St Patty's Day green beer.

Hmm! must have been ground from a green tree.

Ed about 10 years ago a woodworking magazine had an article featuring the new colored MDF that would soon be available. Well it has not materialized anywhere that I could find. I followed up leads in the article and on google that were all dead ends. I talked to one plywood engineer I happened to bump into and he said the stuff is toxic and could not pass through government safety hoops.

I wanted it for the quick and dirty dressers I make for a charity that gives them out to people who need them. I love making the dressers, I hate the mess of painting them, but they are so ugly if unpainted.

If you google colored MDF you'll get a lot of hits. https://www.google.com/search?q=colored ... QIIw&dpr=1

I haven't heard of green MDF, but any time I hear about MDF or any other kind of particle board made from sawdust and glue, I don't look into it any further.
Particle board of any type isn't allowed in my woodworking shop. I even refuse to buy plywood with particle board center. If it isn't wood ply core, I'm not interested.
I find MDF to be very destructive to blades and other cutting edges. Sometimes you will see sparks fly from it from the metal scraps left in it during build.

garys wrote:I haven't heard of green MDF, but any time I hear about MDF or any other kind of particle board made from sawdust and glue, I don't look into it any further.
Particle board of any type isn't allowed in my woodworking shop. I even refuse to buy plywood with particle board center. If it isn't wood ply core, I'm not interested.
I find MDF to be very destructive to blades and other cutting edges. Sometimes you will see sparks fly from it from the metal scraps left in it during build.

MDF is definitely hard on blades but I believe the dust from MDF is of greater concern. I have used MDF a lot; probably more than I care to acknowledge. When working with MDF I do use a mask.

However, with all the negatives, I still appreciate the way MDF finishes and you can count on it being smooth and flat. Furniture built with MDF will be heavy. This is, in my opinion, one of the more negative factors.

I agree with everything Steve and Dusty said. It's certainly not fine furniture BUT I do find it useful in many ways. Inexpensive painted furniture. Jigs. I recently bought some MDF core walnut veneer plywood because the plywood core sheets at Youngbloods were severely curled and they made a lot of trouble for me. The MDF core walnut veneered plywood was perfectly flat and much easier to work with.

I never say never!

Several years ago, I had a contract to build Point of Sale counters for several NAPA stores. All MDF covered with NAPA blue Formica. IIRC we went through 220 sheets of 3/4" After that job, I've never used the stuff again.
I don't care what color it is, It won't be in my shop ever again.
If I need FLAT I use BB. More expensive but, not nearly as nasty OR HEAVY!

Gene Howe wrote:Several years ago, I had a contract to build Point of Sale counters for several NAPA stores. All MDF covered with NAPA blue Formica. IIRC we went through 220 sheets of 3/4" After that job, I've never used the stuff again. I don't care what color it is, It won't be in my shop ever again. If I need FLAT I use BB. More expensive but, not nearly as nasty OR HEAVY!

220 sheets? Well that was a nice contract. I can see why NAPA wanted to use MDF and I also see why you won't touch the stuff ever again

I am a big fan of BB also. It's such a pleasure to work with.

Okay what is BB?