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Thread: Preferred base for jigs

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    Leesville, SC
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    I would use Baltic birch. Never had any MDF in my shop and not making any plans to get any. I don't want to work with compressed saw dust / cardboard.
    Army Veteran 1968 - 1970
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  2. #17
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    Sep 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by pat warner View Post
    Aluminum. Threads well, won't bend nor change shape like MDF, sucks up vibration, water proof, and
    jig plate is ground flat and is of uniform thickness.
    Sounds expensive....where you get?
    David
    Confidence: That feeling you get before fully understanding a situation (Anonymous)

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
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    If I were making a drill press table or something I want to keep around a long time, I would use Phenolic coated plywood to keep it easy to move and durable. That said, my table saw sled is made of 1/2" MDF and is probably 10 years old, and has still worked fine.

    Doc
    As Cort would say: Fools are the only folk on the earth who can absolutely count on getting what they deserve.

  4. #19
    Metal supply houses. Cut offs ~$2.79/pound here in San Diego CA. Use it once & your precision and accuracy increase x 10.

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Hines, MD View Post
    ...I would use Phenolic coated plywood to keep it easy to move and durable.
    Another great option along these lines is MDO, which is a resin-paper bonded plywood. All the structural advantages of plywood with a surface even flatter than MDF. I haven't used phenolic plywood, but I would imagine it's very similar in these respects.

  6. #21
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    Oct 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garth Snyder View Post
    Another great option along these lines is MDO, which is a resin-paper bonded plywood. All the structural advantages of plywood with a surface even flatter than MDF. I haven't used phenolic plywood, but I would imagine it's very similar in these respects.
    Here's a second vote for MDO board. You're not going to find it at the BORG, though. You need to go to a commercial lumber yard that sells to the trade.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
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    West Central Alberta, East of the Rockies - West of the Rest
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    I don't think I've built any jigs from anything but BB yet, but I have some left over 5/8 MDF Superlite around and when soaked in Polyurethane it's durable - why not, it's cheap.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    Lawrenceburg, Tenn.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Cav View Post
    Here's a second vote for MDO board. You're not going to find it at the BORG, though. You need to go to a commercial lumber yard that sells to the trade.
    At my lumber yard, they call it Sign-Makers Plywood, and it is also very handy to have for jigs.

    Doc
    As Cort would say: Fools are the only folk on the earth who can absolutely count on getting what they deserve.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Beantown
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    I prefer mdf for the great majority of jigs I build. It's greatest attribute is that it's flat, which your not going to get with any plywood….even baltic. It does hold screws into the face just fine, it's the edge screws you have to be careful with. Even on my shaper jigs the DeStaco clamps that hold the work down are secured by regular wood screws and haven't had any problems. As far as dimensional changes with humidity…..that would have to be a really large humidity swing to noticably change the size of an mdf panel Keep in mind everything you see for flat panels in the commercial world is likely to be mdf, from high end conference tables, to elevator panels, to hotel lobbies. So the idea that it's going to start moving significantly due to a humidity swing is just not accurate.

    The stuff is really almost perfect for jigs as it's easy to machine with the most basic tools and holds up very well over time. Many of my hinge jigs and shaper jigs are well over a decade old and still as accurate as when they were made. Aluminum and/or Plastics would be good for jigs as well, but they're heavier, harder to machine, and honestly a bit overkill for anything but really high production use. The weight of full sheets is a PITA to deal with, and you can get around it a bit by going with Ultralight…..but for jigs I still prefer the heavier denser stuff.

    good luck,
    JeffD

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    Cincinnati Ohio
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    What does a sheet of Medium Density Overlay cost ?
    Last edited by Dave Lehnert; 05-14-2015 at 11:47 PM.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Thompsons Station, Tn.
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    At Menards, who stock 1/2 & 3/4" MDO, 3/4 is ~$65 and 1/2 ~$5 less. Good stuff I like it a lot. I have a rain gauge mounted on unfinished MDO that has been exposed to the weather for 4 years. The only change has been fading of the top surface.
    Rollie

  12. #27
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    I am envious of all you guys with Baltic birch and MDF. I have to have that stuff special ordered. We are thinking about ordering a pallet for the shop to have on hand. I use the stuff HD sells that is prelaminated with white "Formica-looking-stuff." It makes nice jigs that last forever and the white gives them a clean look, but moreover it makes it easy to see what you are doing and gives you a good place to pencil in notes or make tick marks.

  13. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Lehnert View Post
    What does a sheet of Medium Density Overlay cost ?
    Here in Seattle, a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" MDO runs about $80.

  14. #29
    MDF vs BB for jigs - depends on what the jig is for (and often what is on hand in the scrap box).

    if I have a choice, i pick the material best suited for the type of jig - if flatness matters but structural strength does not (like a shooting board) MDF is a better choice, also it is easier to finish shape - all my patterns for the shaper are MDF - I find it much easier to get a perfectly smooth fair curve in 3/4" MDF than BB.

    I have yet to buy any material just to make a jig - in the end the jig is made from what is on hand

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