MDF

[ndbprr]

Has anybody tried using MDF in place of plywood for a base? Any comments for or against? Any tips? Thank you.

[Jetrock]

Yes--I use MDF as my layout base. I like it because it is smoother than plywood and cuts neatly, it holds track nails very well, and seems to absorb sound pretty well too. My track is nailed directly to the MDF surface with foamcore/cardstock streets.

I don't know why MDF isn't more popular, but I find it to be a reasonably priced and very effective base for my layout. It is attached to a 1x2 pine frame with drywall screws.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

... I don't know why MDF isn't more popular...

It is awfully heavy... But if used only for subroad (not over the entire layout) then it could be ok. How is the flex compared to plywood? I ask because my benchwork is cookie cutter, and I don't know if the MDF would bend like the plywood does for the slopes...

Andrew

[Anonymous]

MDF uses rather nasty chemicals to bind the fibres together. when you cut it you tend to breathe this in and it is rather bad for you.

if you use powertools then the dust is very fine and is inhaled.

Plywood also uses glues like that but they are in much smaller quiantities because you are only gluing together sheets of stuff - to millions of fibres.

It's weight to stiffness ration is even lower than plywood - which takes some doing! i.e. it will be heavier and flex the same amount as plywood

in my carefully considered opinion MDF is crap. [:)]

[nfmisso]

MDF is acoustically dead, and very dense. It is stronger than particle board. It is an excellent material for hi-fi speakers. It has it's place in the world... but cookie cutter is probably not one of them.

[ndbprr]

I appreciate the opinions but I am looking for people who have actually tried it. Many of the same things were said about plastic when kits started to use it. Nothing is perfect but if we don't consider what is available we may miss something that is revolutionary to the hobby.

[nfmisso]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ndbprr

I appreciate the opinions but I am looking for people who have actually tried it. Many of the same things were said about plastic when kits started to use it. Nothing is perfect but if we don't consider what is available we may miss something that is revolutionary to the hobby.

I have built some furniture out of MDF, my wife is particularily pleased with her desk.[:D]

MDF is a fine table top material. Most of the time, you will need to drill pilot holes for sheet rock screws, where you would not in plywood. Wood glue sticks to it very well, and it machines very nicely with router carbide router bits.

Advantages for a table top style layout: quiet, flat, heavy (doesn't vibrate), it takes paint well, and no wood grain to show through.

Disadvantages: heavy, not as strong as plywood, holes need to be drilled (can't just run a screw into it). It is not strong enough for cookie-cutter style.

It may work well as a spline road bed by cutting 1/4" or thinner into strips, as a replacement for thin plywood, masonite, pin or Homasote®.

It is not suitable for portable layouts due to weight.

[Jetrock]

Maybe that's why I've never had problems with excess noise on my layout despite the fact that I use no subroadbed.

I use it for my own semi-portable layout, although since the area I model is very, very flat I don't use cookie-cutter at all. This makes it very nice for shelf layouts and geographically flat areas where a very smooth surface is desired--like an urban belt line/trolley layout, which is what I model. It probably wouldn't be an ideal choice for a line that ran through the mountains.

It's heavy but not overly so, I have no problem lugging it around and actually kind of like the dense heft of the stuff. It also stays nice and flat with relatively light framing underneath. I don't mind drilling pilot holes. If I was building a layout to take around to shows frequently I'd probably find something lighter to mount it on.

I usually wear a filter mask when cutting wood to avoid breathing in assorted nasties.

[Anonymous]

I have used MDF for my layout. First I used it as a base which has worked well. I used AMI road bed that worked like a charm on the MDF (make sure you wipe all dust off with a tack cloth). I have made my own L brackets to hold up both decks out of very thick MDF and they have worked well. MDF won't warp. I will see if I can edit a pic in here.

It won't allow me to post a pic, but here is a link to the pic. You should note, my MDF looks "fancier" than normal MDF as I got a deal on some Maple laminated MDF from a wood store that was stuck with a lot of it when a contractor walked away from the deal.

I have since added track to this bottom deck. If you look below the bottom deck, you will see boxes of AMI waiting for me.

http://www.railimages.com/gallery/ricknicholson/aac

[Anonymous]

While I have only just started a 4x8 tabletop using 1/2" MDF for the base and don't have much experience with it in railroading, I have used MDF extensively in my wood shop for equipment stands, jigs, etc. It offers a lot of advantages.

What I like most about it for model work is the smooth surface, consistency through the thickness, and dimentional stability. Before selecting it for my table top I tested its ability to take and hold track nails. Here it is superior to plywood.

It has 2 other big advantages in my mind. First, a 4x8 sheet of sanding grade 1/2" plywood is $25 at my local Home Depot. The MDF is $12. Second, a 4x8 sheet of plywood is 48"x96". A 4x8 sheet of MDF is 49"x97". That extra inch in each direction can come in pretty handy in a tight plan.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the one above its a great product to use for sub road bed, I use it on mine

[Anonymous]

I'm building a 9x17 S scale layout using 3/4" MDF as subroadbed. I have L-girders (1x2 on 1x4) supporting 1x4 joists. The MDF attaches to that. I'm using sheetrock screws for all the assembly and so far have had no problems with anything.

I was concerned with the many negative comments I've read here and in other talk groups about the lack of strength and bowing so I placed my joists on 14" centers when possible rather than the 18" I've used in the past with 1/2 B-C plywood.

Another concern I've heard was with humidity and moisture problems. Just to be sure I coated mine with MinWax polyurethane just to seal it. I live in Scum City (that's Houston to some) and it's much more than humid here. Hopefully that will alleviate any problems with humidity and the plaster and scenery water/glue.

I don't see why it wouldn't be acceptable for cookie cutter layouts. It seems to cut very easily and I've been able to change elevations with little difficulty. I've only lowered and raised some spur tracks but haven't had problems there either.

I can say that it is very heavy, extremely smooth and straight, cuts easily, makes more dust than cutting homasote and is 1/2 the price of plywood. Unless things seriously change in the future with this layout I'll be using it on the next one too and any expansion on this one.

The quality and price of the B-C plywood at the local stores made me decide to use the MDF. I couldn't find any quality plywood here. It was all severely warped, had large voids in the layers showing from the sides and the huge knotholes were either not filled or poorly filled.

Strange about the size being 1" larger in both directions though!

Good luck with your layout.
Roger