MDF
- Thread starter PredatorTank215
- Start date
yeah, build em cheap as hell and charge 3 times what their worth. atleast thats the story in the greater seattle area.ErikFromNJ;3077462; said:
ANYWAYS......
it was just a thought to kick around. Theres always more than one way to do something.
How about that decking material that suppose to never rot and you never have to treat it? Im not sure what its called or if that material comes in sheets. You gotta figure thats going to be exposed to plenty of water being out doors. The down side is its very expensive.
it was just a thought to kick around. Theres always more than one way to do something.
How about that decking material that suppose to never rot and you never have to treat it? Im not sure what its called or if that material comes in sheets. You gotta figure thats going to be exposed to plenty of water being out doors. The down side is its very expensive.
i would just use plywood. as for MDF, there are grade types that are pretty resistant to water but it costs like $80 and up for a sheet. We use it for exterior decorative raised panels on the outside of these million $ golf coarse homes. we soaked a piece of it in a bucket of water for a few weeks and it didn't swell or delaminate.
Exterior grade HDF (High Density Fiberboard) is tough as nails. I've used it for raised panels on exterior facades of homes as well. The stuff is outside, unpainted for months and no issues. But like mentioned, its very expensive.
Sweetie14334;3078080; said:
I assume your talking about composite board (veranda, trex, etc..) I've never seen that material in sheet goods plus a 4x8 sheet of something like that would be heavy as hell.
Plus, without a wood substructure, I wouldn't trust it. That material alone has no structural value. Screws driven into itself hold terrible as well.
Man did this thread get beaten to death. I think we can see here that plywood is the most economical as far as strength and cost.
To beat this dead horse just a bit more, there are moisture resistant MDFs (not HDFs) that come in sheet form. They used to be used for the large green highway signs we have all driven under.
They are expensive and usually have to be custom ordered.
They used to come in up to 5x12 sheets but they have become much less common since highway signs are rarely made of this material anymore. 4x8 and 4x10 are still made.
Also, the "baltic birch" plywood sold at Menards is not real baltic birch but does have some of the same characteristics. It is decent stuff but not as high quality as true baltic birch. I would consider using it for a large tank. The real BB comes in 5x5 sheets and has a green stamp in one of the corners. Some sort of Russin or Finnish symbol.
There are plywoods made in the US that match the quality of the real BB and that also come in standard sheet sizes. Appleply, Europly are the two that come to mind. Very expensive, however.
Back to MDF, the #1 reason why I would not use it is due to it's weak strength, particularly at the joints, which is a huge issue with tanks. I think it could be used but a lot of care would have to be taken to make sure the joints were supported.
They are expensive and usually have to be custom ordered.
They used to come in up to 5x12 sheets but they have become much less common since highway signs are rarely made of this material anymore. 4x8 and 4x10 are still made.
Also, the "baltic birch" plywood sold at Menards is not real baltic birch but does have some of the same characteristics. It is decent stuff but not as high quality as true baltic birch. I would consider using it for a large tank. The real BB comes in 5x5 sheets and has a green stamp in one of the corners. Some sort of Russin or Finnish symbol.
There are plywoods made in the US that match the quality of the real BB and that also come in standard sheet sizes. Appleply, Europly are the two that come to mind. Very expensive, however.
Back to MDF, the #1 reason why I would not use it is due to it's weak strength, particularly at the joints, which is a huge issue with tanks. I think it could be used but a lot of care would have to be taken to make sure the joints were supported.
I've built an enclosure for a woofer out of 1" MDF. Recently, i decided to get out the hobby and toss the enclosure next to the dumpster. After several days of rain in Chicago, the enclosure has deteriorated by itself. Granted it heavily rained, i didn't expect an enclosure to fall apart. I use this scenario as testing the MDF's strength. I wish i could have showed you a picture of the result, but it's no longer there.
CJH;3082916; said:
I had a really tough time finding true BB around my area. Lumber yards had zero access to it. Finally found it by going through an independent high end custom cabinet maker. He was able to special order it. And it only came in 5 by 5s. I was rather frustrated to go through all that work locating it, only to find it in the isle of Menards years later.... Glad to here it's not quite the same stuff. I know when I eventually get to the point of needing a ply tank after my acrylics are outgrown I know I will more than likely be using BB.
