MDF and T-Tracks

Community Discussion 📄 General
1

Good morning all, New guy here and thank you for the help in advance.

Just build the table and about to add the T-Tracks and MDF as I see most do. Unfortunately no MDF in my area right now. Is this just the best to use or can anyone suggest another type of board?

Thanks again

Louis

2

Hi Louis! Welcome to the forum!

The major reasons for using MDF are typically:

  • it is pretty well dimensionally accurate (not too big a deal for waste board or machine base)
  • it is dimensionally stable (it doesn’t expand and contract much with changing humidity or temperature) - this is the point that matters most
  • it cuts really nicely (always a bonus)

This isn’t really my area of expertise, but I would say you could probably get good results with very uniform plywood - which can be expensive, but might get to where you need. Consider Baltic Birch (the real stuff, watch for knockoffs or fakes):

  • it isn’t as dimensionally accurate in thickness, but you can deal with this by surfacing your waste board with a very light skim cut
  • it is dimensionally stable in width and height - not sure about thickness - but it should be fairly uniform across its surface once you have skimmed it

There may be other materials available to you - the key for sure is the consistency in changing humidity and temperature.

Anyone else have ideas?

1 Like
3

You are a scholar and a gentlemen. Thank you for this. I’ll go ahead and see what else we have available in the area then.

Thanks again.

Louis

4

Louis, if mdf is not available then whatever you do is likely to be temporary, a spoilboard is going to be replaced at some point anyway. Thinking about if I was in your situation I think I would end up bolting the Ttracks and installing slats of poplar at $2 to $2.25 a bf dried, you would be able to surface just like normal. Other sheet goods will work but will generally not surface well especially ply even 13ply Baltic birch. Note a bf is 12 x 12 x 1 inch.

5

Yes Sir and thank you for that. I was actually looking at other wood options today and that makes more sense. Thank you again.

Louis