Working with MDF?

[NoahG]

I'm doing an MDF project soon and it's been hard to find here. At my local Lowes they have the stacks labeled "MDF/Particle Board". The sales people have no idea that those are two different things. I'll likely have to drive an hour an a half to find some in a neighboring county.

Same here in Michigan. MDF availability is pretty much zilch.

 

[dnschmidt]

Then go to any industrial wood supplier. The cabinet shops are getting it from somewhere. People seem to feel that if it's not at the Home Depot or Lowes that it doesn't exist. What the hell do you people do for the good stuff like Baltic Birch? In the city the size of Detroit there has to be five or six large hardwood suppliers. All of them will have MDF in whatever size you want. There is life beyond the Orange and Blue.

 

[_Riddle]

Everyone else has already said it, but the glue in MDF usually contains formaldehyde which is nasty stuff you don't want to breathe in or get into your eyes. You should have good ventilation, dust collection, and wear a respirator if you cut it a lot.

 

[mike93lx]

Everyone else has already said it, but the glue in MDF usually contains formaldehyde which is nasty stuff you don't want to breathe in or get into your eyes. You should have good ventilation, dust collection, and wear a respirator if you cut it a lot.

The formaldehyde is definitely an issue, but the particle size of mdf dust is also very dangerous. Even formaldehyde free materials need to be processed with caution