Sorry guys, but I`m getting off drugs....no more MDF for me

[way_up_north]

No matter how I work with it, outside or inside...with a mask and in fresh air....

working with MDF makes me dizzy ....(cutting and sanding)...holding it im ok...lol

Ive gone and bought some sheets of 1 inch Baltic birch plywood. not as hard as MDF...but no head aches....or dizzyness

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Yeah, the dust from that stuff gets everywhere. And it keeps me coughing for an afternoon when I get done cutting/routing/sanding it.

Good luck with the Birch. Let us know how it goes!

[bergy]

I'm sure not all MDF is created equal. The junk I had worked fine in the dead of winter in a sub-freezing unheated shop (which was when/where I pounded out all of my ribs) When the weather warmed up and the spring humidity rose, the MDF would not take the pounding. I had to soak parts of my MDF in epoxy and clamp the expanding fuzz together for a while to beef-it-up. Of course it does not help that I have a river running through my yard.

[Bdflies]

Wait!! What?? No more drugs?!?!


Bill

[way_up_north]

Posting as I'm learning.....turns out Baltic birch is code word for ......Russian plywood or Finland plywood
they do produce aviation grade on request. But only up to 3/4 inch

i never asked what forest its from.......hopefully not around Chernobyl....lol

the stuff resists cutting ...takes twice the force to push it into the bandsaw blade then mdf......I thought it dulled my bandsaw blade..but then tried mdf again and it cut the mdf like butter..

post full thoughts when I start pounding aluminum against it.

michael in Toronto

[patrickh99]

Use a respirator instead of a dust mask when working with MDF. Makes a huge difference and much better for your lungs. Dust masks leak too much to really be effective.

You may have problems with the grain on baltic birch chipping or not having the even hardness of MDF. Soaking either wood with epoxy will lessen the issues.

[lsa140]

MDF dust is nasty! I built an enclosed cabinet around my CNC router along with a vac system to keep the dust contained. Cutting plywood produces chips and MDF turns to flour. I agree on the respirator. The pancake particulate filters work well for wood dust and are less prone to fog your glasses.