MDF or Plywood

[GEdwardJones]

To stop before the comments begin, I'm NOT building a guitar out of either of them, in fact what I'm doing has nothing to do with building a guitar at all. However, tangentally, the answer will be applied to making a template in the future.

So, that all being said, which is more durable, MDF or plywood?

[Maiden69]

I will say plywood, if mdf gets wet its done, plywood will swell a little and usualy return to normal once dry, and they way the layers are set it's supose to give it strength, also I think a 1/4 mdf will crack easier than 1/4 plywood, but if your router bits got bearings I will tell you to build them from plexiglass.

[Jon Bell]

I find mdf goes a bit wooly round the edges as it gets used, it often reminds more of cardboard than wood. So I think plywood is more durable.

[MzI]

i use 1/2 mdf for my templates just cuz its easier to work with and alot easier to sand, but ive heard that after like 5 uses or so it starts to fall apart but im no where near to that point so ill b ok for a while

MzI

[darren wilson]

MDF machines beautifully, and is pretty sturdy (and actually looks pretty nice with a stain and clearcoat... i've seen some custom cabinetry done this way), but like all particle boards, it dents and chips easily and screws can tear out over time.

Plywood has its drawbacks as well, but good-quality ply is pretty tough stuff.

[Hotrock]

I'm using the glued together sawdust (mdf) for my templates, but that's because I'm only using them once.

If I was going to be using it more than that I'd probably use Marine Ply.

Be careful about mdf dust, It's nasty.

[Scott Rosenberger]

I use MDF for the Tops of all my work benches but for templates I use Baltic Birch Plywood. it cost's about 1/3 more than MDF but it is really resistant to warping and the stability of the edges is alot better than MDF

[Hotrock]

Baltic birch is what you build speaker cabs out of too. Not really relevent to the thread but there you go.

Most of you probably know this but if you're cutting the plywood with a jigsaw, put gaffer tape over the area that you are going to cut. Mark up the lines on this and then use the jigsaw. Jigsaws cut on the up stroke, and the tape stops the top ply from splintering and generally being messy. You can remove the tape working from the inside of the wood towards the edge and hopefully nothing should splinter off.

[a bicycle made of anarchy]

in general, how thick are everyone's templates? 1/2 inch SEEMS to be standard, but I don't really know.. I'd like to know what y'all use!

[GEdwardJones]

Just FYI, I'm building a mini-halfpipe in my backyard, the surface is going to be plywood, but for the sides I wanted to go with the strongest possible, because I'm not what you'd call a "small" guy and I didn't want to land and have the ramp crumble under me.

then it occurred to me that I'm going to be making a template for a body soon as well.

[Drak]

Baltic Birch Plywood.

[MurphC]

Just FYI, I'm building a mini-halfpipe in my backyard, the surface is going to be plywood, but for the sides I wanted to go with the strongest possible, because I'm not what you'd call a "small" guy and I didn't want to land and have the ramp crumble under me.

then it occurred to me that I'm going to be making a template for a body soon as well.

I used to have a quarterpipe made out of plywood and some of those heavy beams used for roofs and walls. Worked great until the plywood started rotting

[Curtis P]

for a half pipe, i would use skatelite or masonite for the top, for the sides, plywood will work fine, use 2x4's for the ramp support and 4x4's for the structure itself

Curtis

[Guitarfrenzy]

Birch plywood is what my copy carver is made out of. It's really sturdy, and should work great for templates. I think that the pickup routing templates work better when they are 1/2" or up. That way you can use a 1/2" pattern cut router bit, and plunge down easier without having to route too much wood before the bearing will ride on the template.

[GEdwardJones]

for a half pipe, i would use skatelite or masonite for the top, for the sides, plywood will work fine, use 2x4's for the ramp support and 4x4's for the structure itself

Curtis

skatelite's not an option, too exspensive. I heard that masonite has a tendency to get slippery.

[SonofaMesa]

MDF is more dimensionally stable than plywood, in tha it doesnt flex too well, but over time it can creep and failures tend to be a bit more catastrophic.

[Hotrock]

I wouldn't recommend MDF for anything external. Well not with the british weather, but thats something you don't really have to worry about.

I'm not to sure about baltic birtch ply or whether normal marine ply would be fine. Either way as long as you protect it (especially the edges, cause thats where the water gets in and does the damage) should be fine.

Built a shed out of normal marine ply (a mixture of 9mm and 18mm) and it's still standing and the water's not started to seep into the wood yet. It's been up about 8 years now and still looks good.

[Scott Rosenberger]

MDF Swells and gets soggy when it gets wet G

I'd use Baltic Birch or Marine Ply