[[email protected]]

I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?

[Leon]

wrote in message
ups.com...
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?


No.

[[email protected]]

Can u tell me what is a good wood then
Leon wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?


No.

[Jim]

wrote in message
ups.com...
Can u tell me what is a good wood then
Leon wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?


No.

Pine.
Jim

[Edwin Pawlowski]

wrote in message
ups.com...
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?

I'd not even call it wood, just a composite board. It has a place in life,
but not for cabinets. Over time it can sag, war, hinges pull out, etc.
Plywood, or low cost wood like pine is OK too. Or a combination of the two.

[Mekon]

wrote in message
ups.com...
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?


I'd use plywood. It is stable, strong, readily available, easily worked and
can be finished in a variety of ways.
MDF produces too much dust when you cut it and its corners and edges are
susceptible to damage after small bumps. Ply will not disintegrate when
small amounts of water are spilt on it.

Mekon

[Brian Henderson]

On 24 Nov 2006 19:55:23 -0800, wrote:

Can u tell me what is a good wood then

Cabinet-grade plywood will work. Actually, most hardwoods will be
fine, try to avoid softwoods as they will not stand up to hard use
over time.

Can you tell us why you think 'u' is a word in the English language?

[[email protected]]

Thanks for everyones help so far. Hey Brian why do u have to be so
mean. I was half asleep when tying the post. Everyone makes mistakes
Brian Henderson wrote:
On 24 Nov 2006 19:55:23 -0800, wrote:

Can u tell me what is a good wood then

Cabinet-grade plywood will work. Actually, most hardwoods will be
fine, try to avoid softwoods as they will not stand up to hard use
over time.

Can you tell us why you think 'u' is a word in the English language?

[Chuck Taylor]

On 25 Nov 2006 04:46:22 -0800, wrote:

Brian Henderson wrote:

Can you tell us why you think 'u' is a word in the English language?

Thanks for everyones help so far. Hey Brian why do u have to be so
mean. I was half asleep when tying the post. Everyone makes mistakes


Some coffee might hit the spot right now.


--
Chuck Taylor
http://home.hiwaay.net/~taylorc/contact/

[Roger Shoaf]

wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks for everyones help so far. Hey Brian why do u have to be so
mean. I was half asleep when tying the post. Everyone makes mistakes


I don't think he was being mean, he was simply pointing out that your
insipid shorthand is annoying.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

wrote in message .
I was half asleep when tying the post.

What did u tie it 2?

[Chrisgiraffe]

wrote:
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?

A quick note, aside from wood you have to consider what you intend on
using them for. If you're using them for multiple tasks (storage,
workbench) then you may need a combination of materials. If you're
using them to store solvents or flammables you may even need vented
metal. You may need drawers or the ability to add drawers or shelves
to them. A good 'look before you leap' assessment goes a long way in
ensuring you have something that gives you the most bang for the buck.
You may be able to get away with some Pine 2x4's, nails and MDF tops or
may need something much more elaborate. I think the reply, MDF not
being a good material, is really with the understanding of it as a
vertical support material and it's screw holding ability (which it
sucks at for both), it's difficulty in milling (easily milled aside
from the handling weight, but the dust is potentially hazardous to your
health and really stinks up the garage). Also, when it gets wet it's
useless (i.e. dimensionally unstable) and if you spill anything on it
like oil it looks terrible.

On the other hand, for a solid flat surface it works well when covered
up with something like hardboard or laminate. I wouldn't span it over
to great a length because it's weight will likely make it sag. In most
cases, a good 3/4 ply or 3/4 ply + pine combination works well, is
inexpensive and easy to aquire as well (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.). The
only trick is knowing how to work with sheet goods. Typically a good
cutting plan will help as you can get most home improvement stores to
make a few cuts for free.

If you intend on building cabinets that may also double as workstations
I'd consider reading Danny Proulx's book, 'Building Workshop
Workstations' (which I found very helpful/insightful) or other books
you might be able to check through at the library.

Hope this helps.

[[email protected]]

wrote:
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?

That is fine for cabinets. You may want to reinforce the top and bottom
with a 1 x 2 strip
and put a good coat of paint or a clear sealer to make it easier to
clean.

Today's MDF is much better than 20-30 years ago. If your furniture's are
going to be stored or used in a control environment where the temperature is
ambient all the time MDF is fine. However if your are going to build
cabinets for your unheated garage and intent to keep them for a long time I
do not recommend this material. Unless, after the cabinets are completed
you first prime them and apply a good quality paint. The longevity of this
material is subject to where you reside. I live near the Eastern coast and
the humidity and temperature vary a lot in my unheated garage. The top of
my radial arm saw is made with MDF and stored in my garage. Not a big deal
but after 15 years the top is starting to disintegrate and needs to be
replaced.
The room cabinets that I have build for my three children 20 years ago with
MDF are fairing out good. Only the unpainted area of the MDF located in the
back and sides of the cabinets are starting to show sign of disintegration.
Let put it this way It will not hold a wood or metal screw too well?
At the time, we had three kids and they needed room furniture and MDF did
served me fairly

wrote in message
oups.com...

wrote:
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?

That is fine for cabinets. You may want to reinforce the top and bottom
with a 1 x 2 strip
and put a good coat of paint or a clear sealer to make it easier to
clean.

[Robatoy]

wrote:
I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?

Flex your latent woodworker muscle a little. Look into paint-grade
maple plywood. 3/4" is about 15 dollars per sheet more than MDF... at
Home Despot. Finish the edges with a poplar face-frame. Just nail them
on with Titebond III and paint. Fill the nail-holes if you must. (I
suggest a 15 or 16 gauge nail if you're so equipped.. but a 2" 18 gauge
will hold reasonably well in the plywood I'm thinking of.)

With the cost of material around here, that is IMHO, the biggest bang
for the buck. Make a gang of manageable sized cabinets, optimizing the
dimensions you can rip out of a 4 x 8 and create boxes you can move,
filled with stuff, to another arrangement. Go modular. Don't make
really big cabinets.

To make MDF reasonably water resistant, you're doing a whole lot of
sealing, sanding and painting.. and those edges are sponges... You
don't want to go there...besides everything they told you in here is
true..stuff is dusty and heavy and smells bad.

r

[Henry St.Pierre]

wrote in news:1164416733.146000.283020@
45g2000cws.googlegroups.com:

I am wanting to build some cabinets for my garage and want to u 1/2 and
3/4 mdf board. Is that good wood to use?



Melamine works well for the garage. Not much more expensive than MDF.

[Brian Henderson]

On 25 Nov 2006 04:46:22 -0800, wrote:

Thanks for everyones help so far. Hey Brian why do u have to be so
mean. I was half asleep when tying the post. Everyone makes mistakes

There's nothing mean about pointing out that, in a text communications
environment, it's important to use proper English spelling and
grammar.

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all the help so far and sorry if I almost started a flame
war Brian. My garage is climate controlled so humidity is not an issue
here. Gonna go to Home Depot Monday I think and look at the cabinet
plywood.
Brian Henderson wrote:
On 25 Nov 2006 04:46:22 -0800, wrote:

Thanks for everyones help so far. Hey Brian why do u have to be so
mean. I was half asleep when tying the post. Everyone makes mistakes

There's nothing mean about pointing out that, in a text communications
environment, it's important to use proper English spelling and
grammar.

[Robatoy]

On Nov 26, 6:59 am, B A R R Y wrote:

On another note... One of my local suppliers sells pre-finished maple
plywood for ~ $15 a sheet more than the unfinished stuff. The finish
is some sort of durable, factory applied, pre-cat style lacquer,[snip]

That is great stuff. Ideal for what Mr. Mustangs7S ( IF that's his real
nameg) is going to do. I don't know what the budget is, but I find
that this system pays for itself quickly, even on a one-time job:

http://tinyurl.com/yajdr2

Just buy the basic set-up, because it is all you need for a simple
project.
I wish more people would embrace the 32 mm system. It makes way too
much sense.... that is for functional projects, it has no place in real
'furniture'.

Another minimal investment, if he has a router, is a biscuit set-up.
Again, for that one-off project.

http://tinyurl.com/yjyebq

For just over $ 100.00 in tooling, one can make some decent projects.
A basic pocket-hole jig can also add a lot of versatility.

.....and, after a successful garage cabinet project, he'll be back soon,
with questions like: Left tilt ot right tilt? LOL.... oh wait... DAGS
first!

Good luck, bro'!

r

[Brian Henderson]

On 26 Nov 2006 00:31:11 -0800, wrote:

Thanks for all the help so far and sorry if I almost started a flame
war Brian. My garage is climate controlled so humidity is not an issue
here. Gonna go to Home Depot Monday I think and look at the cabinet
plywood.

Better idea, find an actual lumber supplier in your area and avoid
Home Depot/Lowes. You'll get much better prices and much better
quality that way.

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:14:38 GMT, Brian Henderson
wrote:

On 26 Nov 2006 00:31:11 -0800, wrote:

Thanks for all the help so far and sorry if I almost started a flame
war Brian. My garage is climate controlled so humidity is not an issue
here. Gonna go to Home Depot Monday I think and look at the cabinet
plywood.

Better idea, find an actual lumber supplier in your area and avoid
Home Depot/Lowes. You'll get much better prices and much better
quality that way.

Possibly.
It was interesting when our Home Depot first opened and I was building my work
shop their prices on construction lumber was on par ( a bit lower ) with the
local lumber supply places but the quality was FAR superior. HD was selling an
Alberta product that appeared to be at least a grade above the competitions BC
lumber.
The HD 2x6 and 2x4s were perfect.

But few months later their lumber quality went down hill and now appears to be
of worse quality than the stuff carried by other local suppliers.

Right now Home Hardware has the good stuff. I actually found a lift of 2x4 and
1x6 spf that actually had pine and fir in the lift.
The yard guy let me hand select my 1x6s but would not allow me to hand select
the studs. Studs could only be refused if they were defective because
customers were ripping stacks apart for the fir.
So I came home with a lot of great almost clear 1x6 pine and some fir at
construction grade prices.

[J. Clarke]

On Sun, 26 Nov 2006 11:38:24 -0800, jimmy wrote:

On Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:14:38 GMT, Brian Henderson
wrote:

On 26 Nov 2006 00:31:11 -0800, wrote:

Thanks for all the help so far and sorry if I almost started a flame
war Brian. My garage is climate controlled so humidity is not an issue
here. Gonna go to Home Depot Monday I think and look at the cabinet
plywood.

Better idea, find an actual lumber supplier in your area and avoid
Home Depot/Lowes. You'll get much better prices and much better
quality that way.

Possibly.
It was interesting when our Home Depot first opened and I was building my work
shop their prices on construction lumber was on par ( a bit lower ) with the
local lumber supply places but the quality was FAR superior. HD was selling an
Alberta product that appeared to be at least a grade above the competitions BC
lumber.
The HD 2x6 and 2x4s were perfect.

But few months later their lumber quality went down hill and now appears to be
of worse quality than the stuff carried by other local suppliers.

Right now Home Hardware has the good stuff. I actually found a lift of 2x4 and
1x6 spf that actually had pine and fir in the lift.
The yard guy let me hand select my 1x6s but would not allow me to hand select
the studs. Studs could only be refused if they were defective because
customers were ripping stacks apart for the fir.
So I came home with a lot of great almost clear 1x6 pine and some fir at
construction grade prices.

The thing is, there are two kinds of lumber yards, softwood yards and
hardwood yards. Home Depot is a softwood yard (to the extent that it's a
lumberyard at all)--they have a limited supply of hardwoods at not very
attractive prices--this is not specific to Home Depot but generally true
of softwood yards. Find a hardwood yard and you'll find hardwoods at a
lower price and with vastly better selection. They also are not
culturally uniform--some are set up mostly as wholesale yards, others are
mostly retail, some cater to specific fields, and so on. Generally they
sell lumber and plywood and not much else. They also tend not to have Web
sites, although this is changing--your best bet for finding them locally
is the Yellow Pages.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

[Tom Watson]

On 26 Nov 2006 09:57:17 -0800, "Robatoy" wrote:



On Nov 26, 6:59 am, B A R R Y wrote:

On another note... One of my local suppliers sells pre-finished maple
plywood for ~ $15 a sheet more than the unfinished stuff. The finish
is some sort of durable, factory applied, pre-cat style lacquer,[snip]

That is great stuff. Ideal for what Mr. Mustangs7S ( IF that's his real
nameg) is going to do. I don't know what the budget is, but I find
that this system pays for itself quickly, even on a one-time job:



I was using some of that today. My supplier used an epoxy acrylate
finish. Great stuff for carcasses and backs. Since I needed to paint
it for this cubscout project I'm doing, I'm hoping that my scuff
sanding with 120 will be good enough for the primer to bite into.






Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

[Robatoy]

On Nov 26, 4:53 pm, Tom Watson wrote:
[snipper to brevitize]
My supplier used an epoxy acrylate
finish.

Now, was than an "epoxy" or a "two-part" g,d & r

(I was going through some archives.. seems that "epoxy vs two-part"
horse is pretty much flogged to death by now, eh?)

[Tom Watson]

On 26 Nov 2006 16:14:28 -0800, "Robatoy" wrote:



On Nov 26, 4:53 pm, Tom Watson wrote:
[snipper to brevitize]
My supplier used an epoxy acrylate
finish.

Now, was than an "epoxy" or a "two-part" g,d & r

(I was going through some archives.. seems that "epoxy vs two-part"
horse is pretty much flogged to death by now, eh?)


Yeah. Those fellas were right, though.

I was using field language and should have been using more educated
language.

Such is life...


Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

[Robatoy]

two-part = epoxy.
scotch & water = crime.