MDF for tool cabinet

[Matthew N. Masail]

I have a simple question, if I make a tool cabinet using 3/4" MDF for shelving, back, door panels.... am I asking for trouble in the long run? The rest of it, such as door frame and sides will be pine. I'm sure plywood is so much better, but I can't afford it at the moment.

[Trevor Walsh]

MDF will tend to sag over time, can be really heavy and any moisture will ruin the stuff. I'm not sure how you would want to join it, as most of the usual "by hand" techniques and neander tools won't work to well (then invented all sorts of hideous fiber board planes to plane it etc.) I think the wisdom in tools of buying the best once also applies to lumber/materials.

Aside from that it's just nasty stuff. Many of us in the neanderthal forum have minimal power tools or woodwork in more central parts of our houses or appartments. MDF dust is horrible for you and get's everywhere. If you were working in a spare bedroom or something I'd advise running, not walking away from mdf altogether.

[Jim Matthews]

I wonder if there is plywood from shipping containers available, nearby?

MDF may be suitable for the vertical portions of a cabinet, but not the horizontal sections. It can be braced by battens.
Personally, I hate the stuff - the smell and mess working with it aren't welcome in my shop. I made LOADS of loudspeaker cabinets with it in the 1980's - it's my last choice, now.

[Matthew N. Masail]

yeah... I understand.... I just have a huge sheet of it that I have no planes for, and I'm working in a rather small bedroom that isn't set up yet so my house is flooded with tools and wood right now, and my wife won't
take it forever.... (-: so I need to build something quick. I plan to do all the cutting outside with a circular saw, I was going to joint in with glue and screws and in dadoes cut into 4 pine "legs" at each corner. as I said, I need it quick, and I've never cut a dovetail before, this will be my first workshop
So I think I use it anyway... I'll brace the bottom panel as said, thanks ! but I guess the more important question is - how do I seal it? will a shellac based sanding sealer and water based finish work well enough?

Thanks again.

[Jerome Hanby]

Just cover it with shellac...a lot of shellac. That stuff really soaks it up. That will toughen it up a bit and help seal it to prevent the out gassing. I never realized how critical that could be until they opened up a huge used book store locally. Every shelving unit in the place was made with MDF and left unfinished. I can't be in the place more than a few minutes without having a splitting headache. I don't see how people work there. Was in there again a few weeks back, about a year after it opened, and had the same reaction...

[Todd Burch]

Hi Matthew.

I made several (my first) shop cabinets out of MDF ~19 years ago. They are 3/4 MDF boxes, bottoms, tops, horizontal and vertical partitions and have 1/4 MDF backs. The cabinets are loaded with heavy drawers and heavy tools. They sit on 2X6 (on edge) bases, and all have a 3/4" maple ply tops that span > 1 box at a time. They have 3/4" pine face frames simply glued and nailed (one piece at a time) to the exteriors and the exterior sides are painted where they are visible. Dado, yellow glue and pneumatic nail construction.

Over 19 years, in South East Texas, (read: high humidity) there are zero signs of swelling, sagging, drooping, racking, degrade or other undesirable affects.

They are heavy, but permanently mounted. I have moved them several times (multiple shop rearranges and one shop relocation). I have not made a hanging tool cabinet for the shop using MDF, but have made other hanging shelves out of MDF for clients.

Unless I get the bug to make all new shop cabinetry, I'm pretty sure I'll be using them until I can't woodwork any more. Perfectly functional and more than adequate as a cabinet for the shop (or any interior cabinet in a "normal" setting). My first shop was a 2 car attached, sheetrocked, garage and my current shop is also a garage (originally just stud wall, no hvac) but now has insulated and sheetrocked wall, but still has open rafters to the uninsulated attic. I do have heat and A/C, but rarely turn the A/C on since it is still pretty much uninsulated without a ceiling.

MDF stinks and I hate the dust and the weight when handling it. It's cheap, suitable for most painted cabinet work, and with the proper prep on cut and profiled edges, is one of the best surfaces for painting.

If it sags, your design was wrong - don't blame it on the MDF. MDF is probably the flattest substrate you can use in woodworking. There are different grades, and I don't touch the stuff you see at the BORG with a 10' pole. It doesn't have the density of the good stuff.

I just ordered several sheets for the painted drawer fronts (3/4") and the raised panels (5/8") for my dad's kitchen. They will look amazing once sprayed in black lacquer with a satin clear topcoat.

Todd

[Steve Friedman]

Matthew,

If you are thinking of a cabinet that you plan to hang on the wall, I would reconsider the MDF. Also, I agree than MDF for shelves is not a great idea unless the span is really short and the weight really light. Otherwise, the MDF will sag from its own weight.

What about using the MDF to build a tool chest instead? I would still reinforce the corners.

Good luck,

Steve

[Matthew N. Masail]

Thank you everyone, I really aprriciate it. What is the difference between a tool chest and cabinet? I really like that hanging cabinet idea, it's perfect for me as I don't have any floor space nor do I want to bend down 123 times a day.. .

what about this: a hanging cabinet, constructed as I said, and I'll hang it using a french cleat, maybe out of 1" (need more?) beech, that is:
1. glued and screw to the MDF back
2. butted against the MDF top.
4. end grain glued and screwed to the pine side vertical battens

would that be strong enough? the cabinet is also not huge, it will be 31inches wide, 27 inches tall and 12 inches deep including the doors.

[Jerome Hanby]

I'd stack up all the material then pick it up and see if you think you can manage lifting and installing the finished cabinet. I just finished some 72" x24" x 23.5" cabinets out of birch plywood and just about unmanned myself hanging one up on a french cleat. If I had built that out of MDF and tried the same stunt, I'd still be in my shop, crumpled underneath it...

[Zach England]

One way I have found to effectively seal MDF is to make a thin mix of regular titebond wood glue and water and roll it on with a paint roller. I have used it to make some small "furniture" type things (hard to explain) for our pottery studio, where they get exposed to quite a bit of water.

If I were making a tool cabinet I'd much rather make it out of salvaged pallet wood than MDF. MDF is great when you need something dense and heavy (loudspeaker cabinets) but for a tool cabinet dense and heavy are what you want to avoid.

Also, MDF is horribly messy to work with. I don't think you really could work it with hand tools, even if you wanted to. If you cut it on your tablesaw don't use your best blade.

I have a set of speaker cabinets coming up this spring or summer and am dreading cutting all that MDF.

That having been said, it is a wonderful substrate for veneer. It is flat, smooth and stable. My very first "woodworking" type project of any seriousness was some speaker cabinets I made when I was in high school. For my skills and resources then it was a VERY ambitious project. They continue to serve me well as shop speakers. My main audio system has gone through a few upgrades since then.

[Von Bickley]

I don't use MDF, particle board, compressed cardboard, glued-up woodchips, etc. I just don't have a place in my shop for any of that stuff.

[Bob Strawn]

MDF is great stuff, as long as you use it right. It is great for putting sandpaper on to sharpen tools with. There is a certain justice in this, since the left over grit from sandpaper and MDF are the two things most likely to dull a tool.

MDF is also great for insulation. If you cut out a section to fit in a wall section and spray it with some borax laden water, it will of course expand to fill the section snugly. The borax may compensate for the tendency for sections of MDF to become infested with insects and mold. As years pass, and the MDF expands more and more, it will compensate for the sagging in the insulation and the less tight seals that happen over the years.

Another great quality that MDF has, is the ease of take down. After a couple of years have passed, and it is time to remodel and replace all of your fixtures, you don't have to pull nails and staples or unscrew screws to take the MDF fixtures that you need to replace apart. Instead you can just pull the MDF off of the screws and nails. Any staples that do not automatically collect themselves by imbedding themselves in your fingers or gloves, can just be carried away, with the two year old MDF, to the landfill with no issues.

Just remember, nothing in this world says you need to get more power tools than MDF.

Bob

[Jerome Hanby]

I had never considered it until I got some Woodpecker measuring tools recently, but MDF doesn't make a bad "case" for holding a tool. I may try my hand at routing out a holder for my Starrett Combo Square blades and heads.

[Jim Neeley]

A few things to keep in mind with MDF...

It is essentially made of sawdust and glue. The glue is very tough on steel. In a router forum I'm a member of, standard advice is not to use a good carbide bit because it'll ruin it quickly; get a throwaway.

Another is, being glued sawdust, there is no "grain" to hold it together when a wedging action (driving screws) is performed. Therefore it's important to pre-drill screw holes.

The third is it is very dense (heavy) so you'll need plenty of support. If I were going to mount a MDF cabinet with french cleats, the cleats would be hardwood and the cleat would be glued and screwed to the face of the MDF.

Just my $0.02..

Jim

and +1 on the loads of nasty dust. I only use mine for tailed-tool jigs and disposable shooting boards / benchhooks. It is a popular material in cheap cabinets.

[Sean Richards]

MDF is going to be fine to make your cabinet out of Matthew. In the pattern shop we used it extensively and when boat building we used all the time for jigs, patterns, etc. In the boatyard we had a great big industrial router sitting in a table made out of 100% MDF - never had any issues.

For building your cabinet it sounds like you are planning to screw and glue onto battens which is a good idea. The shelves would be best sitting on battens at the back and ends. I would also recommend using a wooden edging (say 40mm deep) on the front of the shelves to reduce any possible sagging and also to make it look nicer. Polyurethane works well as a finish.