MDF and a shaper

[Scott Brandstetter]

I was wondering if MDF can be run through a shaper to create moldings like baseboards, crown, et. Has anyone tried this? I see that the big box stores sell MDF trim and got me wondering how this is accomplished and whether a home shop could create this as well. Obviously, if it were to work, dust collection will be a very important detail to consider.

[Jamie Buxton]

If you're going to go to the trouble to make your own moldings, I'd use better material -- at least poplar.
And if you're going to make a lot of feet of moldings, get a real molder like a Williams & Hussey.

[J.R. Rutter]

I run MDF cabinet door raised panels on the shaper. It dulls carbide quickly, but the cutter works fine for MDF even after it is too dull for hardwood. I use insert cutters, so we just keep the MDF inserts and change them in as needed. You are best served by a good quality MDF that has fine grain size. I use Plum Creek here in WA.

[Keith Weber]

I used MDF to make the baseboards in my house. I like it for that purpose because it's nice and flat, cheap, and it doesn't move much outside of a bathroom. It's also pretty dense, so if you bang into it with something, it doesn't dent as easily as a lot of woods.

On the bad side, it really makes a mess if your dust collection is sub par, and it tends to dull your cutters fairly fast.

[Mike Schuch]

Yes, you can run MDF through a shaper. Yes it will dull cutters much faster than wood. Yes it will make a huge mess with dust I would not want to breath. If it were me I would just buy the MDF stuff from the home improvement store and save myself a ton of work for the little bit of money it might save me.

[Peter Quinn]

I've actually made passage doors with it, rails, stiles, the works. Not my choice, had to simulate true-stile product for client. I've also done a lot of raised panels for paint grade. I suppose it would work for baseboards, but my preference would be to use MDF for the square base and do an applied base cap in poplar or soft maple. Real wood paints better with a profile. Not sure about the crown, MDF crown may be thermo formed rather than milled, it would be hard to deal with 16' lengths common for crown, perhaps better to use lumber for that or buy the MDF crown remade if required.

i haven't found MDF to be an ideal molding material. It has dent or impact resistance as flat stock, but once you mill it it can chip fairly easily , square edge translations are very brittle to crumbly, it requires heavy priming to grain fill that "sponge like" texture, not so easy to repair. Often a dent in solid wood can simply be steamed out.....don't try that with MDF!

[Brian Backner]

I made close to 800' of molding for my house from 1" thick MDF. Most of it has been up for 10+ years now and I can only think of one significant ding/dent. As I was trying to replicate antique molding, I removed a piece of existing trim and sent it into a custom shaper cutter shop - can't remember who at this point. I specified that I would be cutting MDF and so the shop used a tougher grade of carbide for the cutting edges. They are still razor sharp and cut hardwood with no tear out or fuzz.

One thing with MDF - molded edges/profiles will become quite rough and "fuzzy" after application of the first two or three coats of finish. It was so pronounced with latex paint that I changed to shellac. This helped but didn't eliminate the problem. So I ended up putting on three coats of shellac, with a good sanding between each, then a "primer" coat of latex enamel before hanging the stuff. Turned out great, but took a lot of extra work.

The initial idea was to save money by going with the MDF instead of poplar. Given the amount of extra time/work involved in the sanding, it was a mistake.

Another thing is to have a lot of helpers. I special ordered 16' panels. At 1" thick they were HEAVY.

MDF will work for trim, but it has some unique challenges when used as such. As time dims the memory of how much extra work was involved I would almost consider using it again. Almost.

Good luck with the project.

[Carroll Courtney]

I made my baseboards and some window stools,trim out of MDF routing the edges.When I went to paint the mdf the surface takes paint very well but the edges obsorbs so much primer.Primer/sand,primer/sand,etc.I like the ideal of caping the edges with trim.Hope you also have a good nail gun,your going to need it for the mdf.
I also made raise panels using mdf and for me it was so nice not having to worry so much about expanding/contracting.Like others stated a DC is necessary or it will be all over the place-----Carroll

[Larry Edgerton]

First, I Hate MDF! But if you have to use it, and I do make patterns out of it, treating the edges with West System will make them harder, very hard actually. Paint it on the machined edge liberally and it will soak in quite a ways, about an 1/8". This will give you a hard surface that will resist dents, sand it once and paint.

I came across this method to solve a problem of guide bearings sinking in to the MDF and slightly changing the patterns.

[Mark Wooden]

I've actually made passage doors with it, rails, stiles, the works. Not my choice, had to simulate true-stile product for client. I've also done a lot of raised panels for paint grade. I suppose it would work for baseboards, but my preference would be to use MDF for the square base and do an applied base cap in poplar or soft maple. Real wood paints better with a profile. Not sure about the crown, MDF crown may be thermo formed rather than milled, it would be hard to deal with 16' lengths common for crown, perhaps better to use lumber for that or buy the MDF crown remade if required.

i haven't found MDF to be an ideal molding material. It has dent or impact resistance as flat stock, but once you mill it it can chip fairly easily , square edge translations are very brittle to crumbly, it requires heavy priming to grain fill that "sponge like" texture, not so easy to repair. Often a dent in solid wood can simply be steamed out.....don't try that with MDF!

+1+ with everything that Peter said; you have to size with glue or thinned filler(sometimes more than one coat)and sand before priming to get a decent finish on milled MDF IMO. I do use it for paint grade raised and flat panels and size and sand the hips before assembly unless asked not to (I charge for it)

Like Peter, I once made a set of doors from MDF at the homeowners request. The painters had a fit trying to sand the sticking and panel hips smooth and charged the owner for the extra sanding and coats of paint. The resulting job was very "muddy" as all the details were blunted and rounded over.

[Erik Loza]

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/Mini%20Max%20Shaper%20Projects/Raisingpanelfirstpass.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/Mini%20Max%20Shaper%20Projects/Raisedpanelfinishedproduct.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/erikloza/Mini%20Max%20Shaper%20Projects/Garnigapanel-raisingcutter.jpg

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Randy Red Bemont]

Well as stated, yes it will work and yes it will make a huge mess but it's doable.

Red

[Jerome Stanek]

Plus 1 on the Plum Creek MDF lot better finish after milling