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MDF for cabinet doors

3/4/20       
Mark  Member

I've always used solid stock for stiles and rails and would use MDF for flat panels. It's been years since I've used MDF for raised panels, and remember using a glue size on the hips before assembly.
Anyway, I made some shop doors the other day out of 100% MDF. Very coarse sticking and hips. Like I'd never sell to a client, even if they asked me to.
My question is, what is a good grade/brand/weight of MDF to use for raised or machined panels that won't take hours to fill and sand smooth?

3/4/20       #2: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Oggie Member

From my limited experience with MDF doors, door grade MDF panels tend to look a bit yellowish and those that are not suitable for door machining tend to be on the brownish side. Maybe it has something to do which type of wood is used to make it from. But I'm not sure it's a general rule.

Anyway, you need to google it for "door grade MDF", or "moulding grade MDF", "MDF double refined",... or something similar. I'm not sure there's a standard name for this things, looks like every MDF manufacturer has his own idea about the name, or you could ask your local suppliers for more details.

Two of my local sheet suppliers have no idea what I'm talking about when I ask about that, but the third one carries those boards, made by McEwen and the description of the product says this:

================================
MDF, Double Refined (Door Grade)

Door grade MDF is designed specifically for painted and bladder pressed doors for the cabinet door industry. Quality standards on this product ensure better machineability with no raised fibers. This is achieved by a more uniform density throughout the board with a flatter profile. 1/2″ – 49×97, 61×97 5/8″ – 49×97, 61×97 3/4″ – 49×97, 61×97
================================

Some time ago Home Depot in my area used to carry those yellowish MDF boards that machined pretty good (smooth finish, no fibers) and they were also cheap. I don't know what happened but they don't have them any more.

3/4/20       #3: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Leo G Member

Plum Creek is one of the better double refined MDF out there. If you have sharp cutters (as you should) it will mill up nice and I usually don't even sand before I put the primer on. If you are using the MDF for a bevel panel then you need to preprime and sand the bevel with a high build primer, my choice is Clawlock.

After you prime just the bevel you scuff it hard and then assemble and then prime as usual.

If you are doing flat recessed panels and the bevel is on the back side of the door then you don't have to preprime it.

For what its worth, I preprime all my panels before they are put into the door so the tongues have color on them. For the most part it's just white, but if they get a paint color other than white or off white I'll tint the primer to the color. This is in case there is a bit of shrinkage you don't see raw MDF.

Same with stained panels, the tongue gets stained before assembly.

3/4/20       #4: MDF for cabinet doors ...
D Brown

Plum creek is the best for raised panels I have used. What you are wanting is called " high density" mdf , it machines much better .

3/4/20       #5: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Leo G Member

I consider HDF not suitable because I have issues with priming. It doesn't like to dry nicely for me. Plum Creek is a high double refined MDF and I wouldn't call it high density MDF.

Maybe you are talking about another product I haven't heard of D Brown.

3/4/20       #6: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Adam

We likewise use plum. We sand the cut area with 240. Spot prime with either BIN or Clawlock. You need to use a sealer type primer to harden the fibers. Sand with 320. Prime the whole door. There is no grain. It’s better than wood.

3/4/20       #7: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Jim Herron

I prefer the 5/8" Plum Creek for raised panels.
We spray the machined areas with 50% reduced precat lacquer prior to profile sanding and assembly to harden the fibers so the machined areas are as smooth as the face.

3/5/20       #8: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Hen Bob Member

We also use Plum Creek

3/5/20       #9: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Mark  Member

Thanks for the replies all, looks like Plum Creek is the common denominator here and now I know to look for double refined material. Don't have an immediate need but I do want to be able to offer it for paint grade.
Leo G., I hear you on the sharp cutters- I didn't want to run what was essentially drops from over the years past my "good" C&P heads so I used a no name set I got who knows where. I did run a piece of poplar through first, looked ok so off I went. I even set the rpms to 10k and fed slow. Just a bad cut all around.
Lessons learned........
Again, thanks to all.

3/5/20       #10: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Leo G Member

If you are running MDF you have to have carbide cutters. I mostly by Freeborn cutters and the carbide are orange bodies. They have tangtung which is good for solid wood and shaper than carbide but they don't do well at all with MDF, they have yellow bodies. HHS will dull very fast with MDF.

Probably telling you all stuff you already know. LOL

3/5/20       #11: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Mark  Member

Oh yeah, they were carbide- just s**t carbide no names. Painted blue
Most of my C&P sets are Freeborn carbide, very reliable product with great support.

3/5/20       #12: MDF for cabinet doors ...
Adam

Likewise Freeborn except for raised panels. Many years ago I bought one of those Freud ones off of Amazon that has the two raked top cutters. They are better in my opinion. My Freeborn has been delegated to cherry only, where they must be really sharp to avoid burning.

The Freud regular blades & router bits are no good. Their industrial blades and shaper cutters are decent.

5/8” plum for raised panels. 3/8” mdf for flat panels. The faces of plum are also smoother and harder.


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