I'm planning to build a sideboard in MDF. Can you use a biscuit joiner and biscuits for that?
How do you make MDF look shiny and store-bought like a machine-lacquered piece of furniture?
Does anyone have tips for a beginner regarding something you need to keep in mind? Is it difficult to make shelves in or with sliding drawers?
As a novice, I gratefully welcome any tips.
How do you make MDF look shiny and store-bought like a machine-lacquered piece of furniture?
Does anyone have tips for a beginner regarding something you need to keep in mind? Is it difficult to make shelves in or with sliding drawers?
As a novice, I gratefully welcome any tips.
order from laminatgruppen and you can get laminate on mdf, they have all different types of wood grains on mdfReitmond said:I was thinking of building a sideboard in mdf. Can you use a biscuit joiner and biscuits for it? How do you make mdf look shiny and store-bought like a machine-lacquered piece of furniture? Does anyone have tips for a beginner in terms of something you need to keep in mind? Is it difficult to make shelves in and/or with sliding drawers? As a novice, I gratefully welcome all tips.
MDF is an excellent material for using biscuit joinery. If you need to screw into it, careful pre-drilling is required because otherwise, MDF tends to split along its length.
If you want something with a lacquer finish, the easiest way is to find a company willing to lacquer it, and there are more such companies than you might think. Ask around and read signs; if they can lacquer cabinet doors, they can lacquer furniture.
If you want movable shelves, you'll need to work with hole rows and shelf support pins. Look inside a common kitchen cabinet, and you'll understand the principle. Fixed shelves can be attached with biscuits, provided nothing extremely heavy will be placed on them.
Pull-out drawers are easiest to make using extension runners. http://www.clasohlson.se/Product/Category.aspx?id=251675#31-2109
You can hide the extension runners by making the drawer front larger than the drawer itself.
I usually make a proper sketch, which I then transfer to a simple scale drawing on a larger paper. This gives you a chance to see that the proportions feel right and to build the entire piece in your mind a few times; this way, you can generally figure out the order in which things should be done.
I'm doubtful about recommending working with veneered MDF if it's your first time. It requires more precision when you can't cheat with filler. MDF is best filled with Plastic padding. I haven't dared to venture into veneering yet, and I still prefer working with glued boards (it feels more forgiving) but am eager to try a project in through-colored MDF - Valcromat http://www.traimporten.se/nyheter.htm
Good luck and take it easy.
If you want something with a lacquer finish, the easiest way is to find a company willing to lacquer it, and there are more such companies than you might think. Ask around and read signs; if they can lacquer cabinet doors, they can lacquer furniture.
If you want movable shelves, you'll need to work with hole rows and shelf support pins. Look inside a common kitchen cabinet, and you'll understand the principle. Fixed shelves can be attached with biscuits, provided nothing extremely heavy will be placed on them.
Pull-out drawers are easiest to make using extension runners. http://www.clasohlson.se/Product/Category.aspx?id=251675#31-2109
You can hide the extension runners by making the drawer front larger than the drawer itself.
I usually make a proper sketch, which I then transfer to a simple scale drawing on a larger paper. This gives you a chance to see that the proportions feel right and to build the entire piece in your mind a few times; this way, you can generally figure out the order in which things should be done.
I'm doubtful about recommending working with veneered MDF if it's your first time. It requires more precision when you can't cheat with filler. MDF is best filled with Plastic padding. I haven't dared to venture into veneering yet, and I still prefer working with glued boards (it feels more forgiving) but am eager to try a project in through-colored MDF - Valcromat http://www.traimporten.se/nyheter.htm
Good luck and take it easy.