Chipping MDF

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Holy cow!!! The weekend comes and a thread totally explodes all over the place!!!

Here's a couple of thoughts. First, GeniX, I can offer quite a few solutions for you on the box construction front. An easy answer to your problem would be to use a small piece of scrap wood placed on the inside angle side of the two pieces to be joined. Now take two of your C-clamps and attach one such that it clamps the piece of scrap to a panel, now take the other C-clamp and clamp it so that it clamps the other panel to the scrap as well. (Use the same idea as the person showing the screws into a piece of 1x1, except use the clamps instead of screws) This should be good enough to hold until you get a screw in that end. Then flip and do it again. It also helps to have a large flat work surface. I use a piece of plywood on two or more sawhorses. Its cheap, pretty stable, offers a huge work surface and stores flat when not in use! (And gets used when I need pieces of playwood that I don't have on hand at the time)

As to the square-drive screws, sure they can be found in the U.S. - you just have to know where to look! In addition to McFeeley's (great source) there's also Rockler (www.rockler.com) and Home depot, if you look at the deck screws. As to type of screw, you want a coarse threaded screw, not those fine-threaded ones. (Look at the screw, see lots of threads really close together, that's fine thread, if you hold one of each side-by-side, the difference is VERY obvious)

Also, GeniX, I would recommend you use at least three screws per side, even if you are glueing. The sides can bow out in the middle, so I always put one on each end, and one in the middle. (Unless of course, your sides are really short, like 10" or less)

Everybody's recommendation on pre-drilling is an absolute must when working with MDF, otherwise you'll run into tons of problems (as you're finding out)

I hope this helps out and you aren't completely done yet!


I almost forgot, PinkMouse, another way to do that rabbet, which is slightly safer in my opinion, is to rotate the piece 90 degrees and nibble away. It takes longer, but you don't have a possibly long piece dangling in the air just waiting to fall into the blade and kick back!

My way of doing the same thing:
Set the saw fence at the width of the rabbet, (probably about 3/4") set the blade to the depth of the rabbet. Now using the sliding miter gauge, and the piece against the fence, slide through the blade. Next, pull the piece a blade thickness or less away from the fence, and repeat. Keep doing this until you have the complete cut done. Its slower, but much safer. (Its how I do tenons when I either don't want to use my radial arm saw, or the piece is too wide for it) Please work safe, you want all of those fingers!
 
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