Well, it's not the END of DIY of course, some of us own pickups.
For those who's pickup is in the shop, I used to rely on Home Depot's cutting service to get the panels into manageable sizes before bringing home to true up on the Table saw.
I went to Home Depot to get my center channel MDF panels made, and Home Depot apparently now has an (enforced) policy that they won't cut MDF. They feel the health risks are too high. I haven't checked Lowe's (also close).
IS there a big health risk with cutting MDF?
I'd always heard 'use MDF' but I haven't seen any objective sound comparisons.
If there are health risks, would 7/8" flooring plywood be an alternative? (same glue I think, but less of it).
What about 'Apply ply' or Baltic Birch / Oak? They are supposed to have less voids.
I guess the other alternative would be to bring some 2x4's to the parking lot, buy a cordless 4" saw, and rough cut it up there.
For those who's pickup is in the shop, I used to rely on Home Depot's cutting service to get the panels into manageable sizes before bringing home to true up on the Table saw.
I went to Home Depot to get my center channel MDF panels made, and Home Depot apparently now has an (enforced) policy that they won't cut MDF. They feel the health risks are too high. I haven't checked Lowe's (also close).
IS there a big health risk with cutting MDF?
I'd always heard 'use MDF' but I haven't seen any objective sound comparisons.
If there are health risks, would 7/8" flooring plywood be an alternative? (same glue I think, but less of it).
What about 'Apply ply' or Baltic Birch / Oak? They are supposed to have less voids.
I guess the other alternative would be to bring some 2x4's to the parking lot, buy a cordless 4" saw, and rough cut it up there.
My Home Depot just cut some for me yesterday. I bought 2 sheets cut into convenient 2' x 4' pieces. I can fit those in the back of my SUV easy enough. Maybe I should head back and get some more before they change their minds. On the other hand, HD MDF is only of average quality, so I was looking for another source anyway. (here in the midwest US)
I would fly out to California to see you do it.jgwinner said:
btw -- HD sells a plastic "panel carrier" for sheetrock and you can use it to tote 4*8 sheets of ply, particle board or gypsum wallboard with it -- it's only a couple bucks. i think that they do have some panels precut to standard sizes like 24 * 48 inches.
MDF dust is carcinogenic. Nominally. Being in the old world(e?) of Britain, we don't have an HD, but our equivalent, B&Q cuts it, no problem. If your HDs are anything like our B&Qs, then the big cutters have vacum attachments anyway (I believe that's a legal requirement for stores of that sort in the UK, I've no idea about the US) to almost negate the risk, and the operator have to wear filter masks which remove the last real risk.
Sounds daft to me -I seriously doubt that it's down to any possible health risks at all; with proper safety precautions, which should always be used anyway being plain common sense, the risk is removed. I suspect the real reason is a terror of being sued (without cause, but I bet the legal eagles love it as it would be tricky to prove otherwise) thanks to this stupid compensation culture we now live in.
Scott
Sounds daft to me -I seriously doubt that it's down to any possible health risks at all; with proper safety precautions, which should always be used anyway being plain common sense, the risk is removed. I suspect the real reason is a terror of being sued (without cause, but I bet the legal eagles love it as it would be tricky to prove otherwise) thanks to this stupid compensation culture we now live in.
Scott
Scottmoose said:
Doesn't help that most of these composite wood products use formaldehyde containing resins -- the formaldehyde can be demonstrated to cause nasal cancer in rats --
if you have a question about a product, there's likely to be an "MSDS" on it -- Manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet.
by the way, Kodak took formaldehyde out of C-41 color film processing because of exaggerated health concerns. The molecule which replaced the formaldehyde was hundreds of times more expensive.
Our local Bunnings (probably the equivalent of HD) won't cut MDF either. It's not their health, it's the health of the other customers wandering the warehouse that's caused this change.
But..., as they don't handle 1" MDF, I get the suppier to cut it to size before they ship it on special order, so it hasn't affected me.
But..., as they don't handle 1" MDF, I get the suppier to cut it to size before they ship it on special order, so it hasn't affected me.
hmm if you use a mask its fine. have you had your urea formaldehyde lately
http://www.design-technology.org/mdf.htm
oops im a dead man
http://www.design-technology.org/mdf.htm
oops im a dead man
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It seems like a year or so ago, it was posted on one of the forums where HD wasn't cutting MDF at that time, either. However, I still think it depends on the store you visit - and who's running the saw.
The 2' x 4' panels that my local HD stores sell is 1/2" thickness, not 3/4" thickness like the 4' x 8' panels are.
The 2' x 4' panels that my local HD stores sell is 1/2" thickness, not 3/4" thickness like the 4' x 8' panels are.
Holy $&*% I never knew MDF had dangerous chemicals in it that could be harmful to the respritory system. Looks like I'm going to buy some masks before my next project! I can only imagine how many pounds of that dust I have inhaled before. ALOT
It cant be as bad as bondo dust though. I never got sick from too much MDF dust, but sand down a ton of bondo without a mask and you're screwed
It cant be as bad as bondo dust though. I never got sick from too much MDF dust, but sand down a ton of bondo without a mask and you're screwed
Jack, I'm only 11 miles from LAX, you're welcome to come out
I wonder if they'd let me cut it in the parking lot?
When I got my Dewalt cordless drill, they had a kit with a bunch of attachments I didn't think I'd need - one being a 4" cordless saw. I passed
I don't think I saw any multiple ply birch, I'll go look again. I know Rockler has some but I dimly remember funny sheet sizes.
I guess I'll use the birch if I can find it. I was hoping someone had some objective sonic comparisons of different plywood - I did some googling but nothing came up.
Thanks for the advise everyone
I wonder if they'd let me cut it in the parking lot?
When I got my Dewalt cordless drill, they had a kit with a bunch of attachments I didn't think I'd need - one being a 4" cordless saw. I passed
I don't think I saw any multiple ply birch, I'll go look again. I know Rockler has some but I dimly remember funny sheet sizes.
I guess I'll use the birch if I can find it. I was hoping someone had some objective sonic comparisons of different plywood - I did some googling but nothing came up.
Thanks for the advise everyone
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