Q about MDF

[fairchild]

Here is something I am wondering...
Havnt worked with much MDF before.... I have noticed when I cut it on the bandsaw they dust floats suspended in the air.
What bothers me is the smell. I SWEAR--- I think I can smell some kind of insecticide that seems to vaporize when it is cut.
i am wondering if that is something put in there to prevent termites. If thats what it is--- does that make the dust toxic ?????

Tim

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Maybe some level of formaldehyde and the wood fibers themselves? Some sap, maybe? Certainly tough stuff to be around when it’s floating in the air. And the dust gets *everywhere*! When cutting the stuff in an enclosed area, I wear a dust mask and also have overhead dust collection, but it’s still pretty pervasive. After a day of cutting firms and stuff, I’d be a respiratory wreck for a while. Not horrible, but noticeable. Imagine if you had asthma, COPD, or similar, you’d probably be hating life.

found this interesting bit about MDF and similar products:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/faq-mdf.htm

[bergy]

In an earlier life ('76 - '77) I worked in a fiber-board manufacturing plant. Our board was made from aspen (Populus tremuloides) and the sap from the wood was the primary non-fiber component of the board. Other components included a small amount of sulfuric-acid and a wax to control water absorption. The binding agent is phenol-formaldehyde, which is the same resin used in many plastics and even dishes. Urea-formaldehyde is another resin used in some plywoods.. That's about it. The wood sap is the stinky stuff, and I suspect different source trees would produce different smelling board. The smell permeates every pore of one's skin, clothing, car, etc. The day I quit I walked through the plant boiler-room on the way to the parking lot. I took off my stinky boots, opened the door to the huge bark-fired boiler and threw the boots into the inferno. My wife burned our mattress the next day. The dust and its effect on my respiratory system was the reason I quit. I suggest you wear a mask when working with it, as I always do now.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

The expert response!