My Newest Desktop machine

[ger21]

Typically, the lighter the color, the better the MDF. The stuff I get at my Home Depot is very dark.

Fortunately, I work in a cabinet shop and can get the good stuff if I need it.

[microcarve]

Well, we've all heard the expression...."why not?"

















Video.....

http://www.microcarve.com/upsidedown/Up1.wmv


Somehow the subject of the carving seemed oddly appropriate.....



John

[microcarve]

Seems to look closer to real life when I resize it down a bit
and convert it to greyscale......

[Mr.Chips]

Upside down, An excellent way to keep the chips from building up!

[microcarve]

Upside down, An excellent way to keep the chips from building up!

LOL!....Yep....in case gravity stalls on us, I'll still be able to cut little
pictures.

[microcarve]

It would be nice to have a sise-by-side comparision of the good vs bad MDF? With pictures?

I will try to get some pix. It is kinda tough to know what it is you're
looking for unless someone knows what they're looking for.....

Bad MDF is practically un-paintable. It'll just soak up all you put on it.
If it gets a little water on it, it blisters up soft puffy areas where the
water was.
Drilling it can be a problem. It's really like cheap laminated cardboard.

The good stuff is nice and dense and will hold exceptionally fine detail
when carved/routed. It's very smooth and flat. It's a sort of material
that just begs for something nice to be made from it. It's actually
impressive that such nice material can be so affordable.

Then there are a few ranges in between. Mediocre to fair. Like
Gerry mentioned, here in my area the bad stuff is also darker.

It's a very interesting thing to look up on the internet.....see how
it's made, why one maker is so different from another.

I do have a few little machines around here that are at least 5
years old, and run just as well as the day they were made. One thing
I do, is keep my machines from excessively humid places. If a place
is too humid, though, 99.99% of the time the steel parts will begin
to show rust well before the MDF is affected.

I'll try to remember to get a few samples and some pictures....


John

[microcarve]

If anyone wants to send me a picture they'd like to see
cut into a small 1" or so little lithophane....like the ones
shown...I'll do a few of them.

If the shipping isn't much, I'll send it to them as well.

May as well make something meaningful to someone....

John

[microcarve]

Upside down, An excellent way to keep the chips from building up!

I'm also thinking about making a few that just bolt to the wall.
That'd make having a 24" deep workbench....or cart....to sit it on
unnecessary.

My workbench's tend to get cluttered with so many projects all
happening at the same time....


John

[microcarve]

3 different samples of MDF


The middle one is the best. It'll sometimes have an almost burnished
look to the surface.

The top one is a good B grade. It doesn't have the "polish" to the
surface....for lack of a better word....
It's similar to the Best one, but feels a little drier.

Bottom is crappy stuff. It's the darker color. A little water streak
on them will show how it changes the color.

It's a hard thing to convey in pictures, and almost like building a
cnc machine, you really don't know until you've had it on hand to
look at and see for ones-self.

It may also be different in different areas. The trees used vary
seasonally and cost of shipping the big heavy stuff keeps certain
variations in certain areas.

Usually, there's a pre-cut MDF place in many stores. For shelves, etc.
That can be a good in-store place to see differences sometimes.
Some times, it's even more cost effective to just get the pre-cut
ones if/when they look so much better. They DO travel a lot
easier...

To me, it's obvious when one is a bad grade, but then, I've been
using lots of it for a long time now.



John

[microcarve]

BTW....my "grading" system is my own.

I'm not aware of many hobbyist's who even know there is such a
variance in quality...

John

[microcarve]

A few more MDF points...

It can depend on how it's stored.

I like to buy from the "big-box" stores like Home Depot & Lowes
because the stuff has a relatively quick turn-over. It can be better
quality when stored in those temp-regulated places.

(that's also an observation which may be useless in your area....)

Sometimes, a big wood-supply warehouse leaves it either exposed
to humidity, or enclosed in extremely hot places. There's a such
place near me that sells tons of building supplies, but rarely sells
MDF. The stuff is/was nice, but it's all dried out now. They get upset
when you want a few pieces from the middle of a huge stack...

My Lowes in Statesboro, Ga. doesn't even sell MDF. Ask for MDF and
they show you the chipboard. Strange that such a big college town
with engineering students galore doesn't sell a material they'd use
for a million projects. I have to drive 80 miles to Savannah to get what
I like to use.

I guess it takes a few trials & errors. Like most everything else.....


John

[microcarve]

One last attempt at a useful picture....

Higher resolution to show better detail....

http://www.microcarve.com/zone2/mdf99.jpg

John