okie757
Member
Registered: 06/07/09
Posts: 4
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I want to make some signs using a router and a dremel tool. Will mdf dull the router bits faster than using plywood or solid pine?
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NiteWalker
Member
Registered: 03/12/06
Posts: 2714
Loc: Albany, NY
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Welcome to the forums.
Yes it will dull your bits faster.
Be weary of the dust it produces.
It routs very well though.
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My Woodworking and Crafts Blog
"Happiness is seeing that big brown truck pull up in front of the house".
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KC
Honored Veteran
Registered: 11/30/99
Posts: 6654
Loc: Seguin, TX USA
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I've cut a whole lot of MDF over the years, and I've not found it to dull cutters any more than wood does.
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CILONE
complained one time too many about the mods
Registered: 01/31/06
Posts: 1891
Loc: Boise, ID
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KC said:
I've cut a whole lot of MDF over the years, and I've not found it to dull cutters any more than wood does.
+1
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handi
Honored Veteran
Registered: 10/11/99
Posts: 4233
Loc: Murfreesboro, TN
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MDF is made from ground up scrap wood. Including a lot of pallets. Including the nails.
I kid you not, they throw entire stacks of pallets into massive grinders to make MDF. Soooo, if you look closely at the sawn edges of MDF parts you WILL see small flecks of metal. When you cut and rout it, you often, if lighting is right, will see sparks.
Yes, it will dull your bits a little faster, but I doubt you'll be able to tell. The real hazard, as mentioned is the dust. I hate working with MDF and avoid it whenever possible.
My 2 cents,
Ralph
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www.consultingwoodworker.com
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fredhargis
Member
Registered: 08/21/03
Posts: 1935
Loc: Wapakoneta, Ohio
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There is disagreement on whether it dulls the bits faster, I think it does...but I will only route it when I can do so outside. The dust/mess routing the stuff is unbelievable.
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I long for the days when Coke was a cola, and a joint was a bad place to be..... (Merle Haggard)
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Routerman
Member
Registered: 10/15/99
Posts: 2245
Loc: Escondido/CA/USA
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MDF wears out carbide faster than most materials but it will still rout with that dead cutter whilst the same cutter will cry "Uncle" in hardwood and burn the hell out of it.
Wear lines show up in <100' in MDF! Would rather rout aluminum.
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Pat Warner
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BarryO
Member
Registered: 04/20/05
Posts: 4469
Loc: Ax Men country
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handi said:
MDF is made from ground up scrap wood. Including a lot of pallets. Including the nails.
I kid you not, they throw entire stacks of pallets into massive grinders to make MDF. Soooo, if you look closely at the sawn edges of MDF parts you WILL see small flecks of metal. When you cut and rout it, you often, if lighting is right, will see sparks.
Depends on where you get your MDF from. My supplier stocks this stuff, which is made from virgin material.
Borg MDF? Who knows.
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Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans ... are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit. - Anthony Bourdain
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packerguy
Still Mourning loss in Lambeau
Registered: 12/04/05
Posts: 10952
Loc: St Paul, MN
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MDF is much harder on carbide than plywood.
MDF doesnt shear like plywood so its harder on the cutting edge
MDF has a higher amount of glue than plywood
MDF is more dense, thus is more abrasive and more heat will build up.
MDF is more compressed and there is less open cells, where as plywood has many open cells so there is alot more air in plywood. Cut a solid sheet of metal vs a web pattern sheet of metal. Which cuts faster and is easier.
Dont fool yourself thinking MDF and any plywood will make carbide wear the same.
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Once Favre hangs it up though, it years of cellar dwelling for the Pack. (Geoff 12-18-07)
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Timbeck2
Plane Valet
Registered: 11/13/02
Posts: 32290
Loc: Vail, Arizona
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MDF doesnt shear like plywood so its harder on the cutting edge
I haven't found that to be true at all.
MDF has a higher amount of glue than plywood
I wouldn't know since there is no accurate way to measure it.
MDF is more dense, thus is more abrasive and more heat will build up.
I think the ease of cutting it is a trade off. I haven't experienced any more heat with MDF than plywood. The more time the blade is contacting the stock the more heat will build up. I find MDF cuts a lot faster than plywood so heat isn't that much of a problem.
MDF is more compressed and there is less open cells, where as plywood has many open cells so there is alot more air in plywood.
You're talking about that cheap chinese stuff at the BORG aren't ya? If plywood has a lot of open cells, you aren't getting quality plywood.
Cut a solid sheet of metal vs a web pattern sheet of metal. Which cuts faster and is easier.
It stands to reason that thicker material takes longer to cut than thin.
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