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