MDF vs MDO?

1/3/07, 11:17 PM #1

Robert W. Henderson
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MDF vs MDO?

Robert W. Henderson

>I want to build the mobile table saw/router table and flip top power tool stands featured in Wood magazine of October 2003.

Everywhere the design calls for 1/2" panels it calls out Medium Density Overlay. For 3/4" panels they use MDF.

Is 1/2" MDF not strong enough structurally for cabinets that are carrying the weight of a table saw or other large power tool? In most cases the 1/2" panels are being used in frame and panel construction with the frames made out of maple.

Price and availability make MDF my first choice, but I don't want this thing to collapse on me a year from now.

I appeal to the expertise of you good folk to set me on the right path.

Re: MDF vs MDO?

1/4/07, 5:06 AM #2

Ellis Walentine
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MDF will be fine

Ellis Walentine

>Not having seen that article, I don't know why they would call for MDO for panels. I use MDO for exterior panels and paint-grade work. It is more expensive and not as readily available as MDF. Its biggest advantage, other than a paintable surface that won't telegraph grain or texture, is its imperviousness to moisture. If this cabinet will be inside your shop, you can certainly use MDF instead.

Ellis Walentine, Host

Re: MDF vs MDO?

1/4/07, 1:26 PM #3

Stephen Kirk in Quakertown, PA
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Re: MDF vs MDO?

Stephen Kirk in Quakertown, PA

>I've seen many Wood Magazine projects which called for MDO. I could never find any, so I didn't make those projects. Now I know I can substitute MDF instead, which is pretty easy to find in both 1/2" and 3/4" sheets.

Re: MDF vs MDO?

1/4/07, 2:18 PM #4

Ellis Walentine
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Be a little careful, Stephen

Ellis Walentine

>Remember, MDO is plywood. It is stronger than MDF and has different mechanical and moisture resistant properties. In the project above, I can't see any reason not to substitute, since the material is being used only as a non-structural element, but it might not always be the case. Sometimes, you might want to substitute Baltic birch or some other kind of plywood for the MDO.

Ellis

Re: MDF vs MDO?

1/4/07, 3:06 PM #5

Bob Fawcett
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Re: Be a little careful, Stephen

Bob Fawcett

>I thought MDO was the stuff that looks like MDF with a paper outside layer. Is that not the case?

Re: MDF vs MDO?

1/4/07, 3:48 PM #6

Donald Pierson
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Re: MDF vs MDO?

Donald Pierson

>I used some 3/4 MDO for a work bench I made from a set of plans I got from Norm's New Yankee site. I got it at Lowes. A top grade of plywood, expensive, outside surface paper easy to paint, apparently used a lot by sign makers, expensive. Norm had a short piece on it in one of his shows.

Re: MDF vs MDO?

1/4/07, 5:22 PM #7

Lee Gordon
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Re: Be a little careful, Stephen

Lee Gordon

>MDO looks like MDF only in the sense that it comes in 4x8 foot sheets. As Ellis has pointed out, MDO is plywood; MDF is not. I think what has happened in some of the articles that may call for MDO is that the writer has either inadvertently (or maybe even ignorantly) used the two acronyms interchangably. I know I have seen that done on some home improvement TV shows, particularly shows where the emphasis is on decor rather than construction. I have also seen instances where people refer to MDF as particle board. It may be the same concept but they are different products.

MDF vs MDO?

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