MDF or medium-density fibreboard is a man-made wood product that is tougher and stronger than normal particle board.
It is formed by breaking down hardwoods and softwoods to fibres, combining it with a binder such as wax or resin and then set by high temperatures and pressure.
MDF may split when screws are used without pilot holes but gluing and dowelling work well. There can be problems when cutting. MDF is a wood-like colour all the way through but can be laminated into any colour that laminate comes in. Veneer also works well but it doesn’t look very good with some sort of finish.
MDF is used I mostly in the furniture or furnishings industry when laminated or with veneers. It makes kitchen cabinets, wardrobes, cupboards and cab used for almost any furnishing as long as you don’t want it to be real wood.
Plywood
Plywood is a type manufactured wood and is made up of a number of sheets of wood veneer.
A large wood log is peeled by being spun around on the centre axis and an extremely sharp blade is pressed against it, stripping it into sheets of veneer. These sheets are dried and cut to the desired size, patched (if needed), glued together and then cooked in a press at 140°C.
It is fairly flexible, cheaper than normal wood and stronger in that it doesn’t have weak spots and is supported by the next layer of veneer. The strength of the plywood is also improved by the cross grain structure, meaning that there isn’t a side with a weakness. It is resistant to cracking, shrinking, splitting and warping. It is also less sensitive to splitting. It is easy to cut, nail and the overall workability is very good. It can be laminated and can also be stained to give a much more natural look than MDF or particle board.
When laminated plywood can be used for flooring. It can also be used for furniture, storage, house construction, fencing, and supports, used for concreting and almost any other application when extra strength is needed. It is also commonly used on skate ramps.
Particle Board
Particle board is a manufactured wood product that is made up of wood chips, wood particles and even dust. It is combined with a resin that acts as a glue.
The wood material is fed into a chipper to make it into small enough pieces. It is then dried, glue/resin is added to the wood chips and it is then made into a sheet. It is then pressed, cooked and prepared for the finishing’s.
It can be painted and veneers added to hide the chipboard appearance. It can be turned into quite a nice cupboard or storage box.
It is used in the same way as MDF but it is not as tough and can be damaged by water. Cupboards and other pieces of storage furniture is its main use.