MDF cutting help required please

[WayneKennerley]

Hi All, I wonder if I might ask if someone with a table saw is able to help me please. I am looking to get about 15 to 20 lengths each of 4mm and 9mm cut 6.5mm wide by 600mm long. Obviously will pay for material, service and postage.  The smallest sheets that seem to be available are 4'x4', so any excess can be either binned or the person helping can keep it if of use.

 

Many thanks Wayne (West Wales)

Edited June 10, 2020 by WayneKennerley

[Baggie]

Hi Wayne,

 

You may wish to mention where in the world you are to try and find someone local to you.

 

Jon

[The Evil Bus Driver]

Personally I would avoid MDF as the dust is potentially quite nasty stuff. I would go with ply. I do believe many DIY places and timber merchants offer a cutting service. If you work out what you need and make up a cutting diagram they'll cut it and you'll end up with a bespoke baseboard kit

[polybear]

21 hours ago, The Evil Bus Driver said:

Personally I would avoid MDF as the dust is potentially quite nasty stuff. I would go with ply. I do believe many DIY places and timber merchants offer a cutting service. If you work out what you need and make up a cutting diagram they'll cut it and you'll end up with a bespoke baseboard kit

 

Getting a DIY store to cut to half a mm tolerance would be a tall order though - even a mm can be hit and miss, depending where you go, who's doing the cutting and what sort of mood they're in......

[rab]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Getting a DIY store to cut to half a mm tolerance would be a tall order though - even a mm can be hit and miss, depending where you go, who's doing the cutting and what sort of mood they're in......

Half a mm? According to an ex-chippy friend of mine,

they dont work to anything less than 1/8" ( 3mm).

[ikcdab]

You're right that a table saw is the only way to cut these. If you can't find anyone locally, then think about using a hand held circular saw with a very fine blade. I bought a makita cordless one from screwfix and find it excellent for all sorts of fine cutting as well as ripping through heavier stuff.

You will find that the resulting strips are very flimsy and easily broken. Visit your local hobby shop (When open!) As they often sell obechi or thin ply strips. I might buy these to the correct width laminate them together to get the correct thickness.

[Gilbert]

34 minutes ago, rab said:

Half a mm? According to an ex-chippy friend of mine,

they dont work to anything less than 1/8" ( 3mm).

I can go to a speciallist plywood supplier and my boards are very precisely cut. They are currently operating a remote ordering and no-contact pick up system.

Chris

[WayneKennerley]

Thanks All, I chose MDF as it has the same look on all faces, it is to be used to represent concrete columns and beams. 

 

I will also look at other timber strips though a search before did not bring up anything close to what i needed. 

 

Will also look at the hand held circular saw route saw 

 

Cheers Wayne

[polybear]

Use something else, then spray with Plastikote Suede Tan:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/119853-plastikote-suede-returns/

 

[chris p bacon]

I'm able to rip material such as MDF but with a thickness of 4mm and width of 6.5mm it would not be accurate enough, as the blade will pick it up and vibrate it.

 

If this is for modelling rather than structural what about something like foam board it can be cut with a Stanley knife.

[tomparryharry]

MDF is devilish thin at 4mm. The piece to be cut will need to be very well supported. If it's a circular saw of any kind, then the finer the teeth, the better the cut. As Dave Bacon has said, the larger dwell between teeth will vibrate the blade. You might like to try a very shallow cut, at about 2mm, just to score the sheet, and then finish off with a Stanley knife. If you are looking for 600mm overall length, try making that part first, so you can make the pieces you want, without compromising the larger sheet. Make sure you get help, as a large sheet of thin material, will have a life of its own....

[barney_leadhead]

If you are thinking of buying a circular saw then maybe you need to treat yourself to a budget track saw then fit it with a fine blade.

Lidl and Aldi often have budget ones for under £100 or maybe try the Titan from Screwfix.

 

You would maybe have to work in reverse and have the material you want on the waste side of the blade so it may involve a couple of practice cuts to take into account the exact blade width when rotating.

 

At 4mm thick the pieces you cut may well curve when cut though.

 

My personal choice is to use a track saw rather than a table saw for accurately ripping and sizing sheet material every time these days.

 

[ikcdab]

As you are modelling concrete beams, have you thought about laminating thick card, a la scalescenes

[jonhall]

Laser cutting would do 3mm really well.

 

Jon

[WayneKennerley]

Thanks all, I will take a look at the various suggestions, I didn't like the idea of Laminated card but it may work if i can hide the lamination. Not sure the foam core would work with two different materials on the sides and top/bottom. 

 

Or rework my drawing to use obeche sizes, I suppose 3.2mm isn't that far off 4mm!

 

Thanks Wayne

[tomparryharry]

If you're interior modelling, try hardboard. It's not everyone's first choice, but the thickness size is easier, and is probably more workable as well.

[Dave John]

MDF that thin is going to end up delaminating and all bendy. 

 

I have used strip wood for model boat building in the past.  You can glue strips together to make up a thickness and it is sold in metre lengths. 

[smallman28]

Having worked in a DIY store with a board cutting service you would be unlikely to get 6.5mm strips cut in the first instance and even if they would do it as others have suggested the accuracy would be hit and miss to say the least.

Our saw was pretty accurate but you couldn't accurately set .5mm and the ability to repeat that 15 to 20 times and expect them to be the same size...............

I have had good success with scoring 4mm MDF to "cut" it, with a sharp blade it only take 2-3 goes to get through it.

Edited June 11, 2020 by smallman28

[brigo]

Take a look at the range of strip wood sold by Hobbies and Hobby's (different companies)

 

https://www.hobbies.co.uk/materials/wood#q=pageitems.44

 

https://hobby.uk.com/materials/wood.html

 

Brian

[rob D2]

MDF or plywood will still be rather coarse.

Id use plastic sheet , cut it up and spray with plastic coat  suede As that introduces some texture