Hello All,
We install custom English built conservatories, that are pre-manufactured in England and shipped here. Our product is made of mahogany and we have been having a lot of trouble with trim shrinkage. We are currently exploring the use of engineered products, in particular MDO to mill our trim in to combat this. My question in particular is can MDO be milled with a shaper and does anybody know any particulars about the stability of MDO as trim. Lastly I would also welcome any other suggestions to help solve this problem.
Replies
MDO is a plywood product with a paper overlay. So I would say you cannot mill it. If you mean MDF, medium density fiber board, yes you can shape it.Hdf ,high density fiberboard is even better for molding an edge.
Both of the latter should work for you. The panels are heavy and the dust they kick up when shaping has to be dealt with.I would first try HDF, after milling I doubt you will have to fill and sand. MDF is more porous below the top 1/8" layer.Sometimes you have to either seal or fill the porous edge.
mike
I don't think mdo nis a plywood product. It's mdf with a paper face, rated for outdoor use.
For the mdf & hdf, don't use latex or waterbased finishes.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
http://www.canply.org/english/products/overlaidplywood.htm
It is a plywood with a paper face.
mike
Mike & Shep, I stand corrected. I have never used it ... I was going by what I had read.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Ed, I had not used MDO until two years ago.Never heard of it until I saw Norm or maybe Tom Silva using it. Good product for exterior work, takes a nice paint job and is supposed to last a long time in the weather.I paid $45.00 a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" ,primed both sides.
mike
Ed-
the MDO my yard carries is an AC ply with the paper face, available in 1/2" or 3/4" with either one or two sides faced.
The MDO I buy is a fir plywood, filled, and with paper overlay. I wouldn't advise detailed milling of it
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Are the conservatories sent with mahogany trim? Or are you making/buying the trim to after the conservatoire is installed. Either way it sounds like you need to let the trim acclimate for a week or two and then I would back prime a couple of coats of what ever you are using on the surface.
is can MDO be milled with a shaper
If, MDF, then yes, it can. You can also use a multi-tool cernter, too.
You will need to probably spring for diamond tooling to get the most out of the tools.
Sure you could jsut buy 4 carbide cutters for the price of the one diamond, and they'll last about the same time. The tricky bit is how long does it take QC to notice the trim is milled out of spec, and use an in-spec cutter. (You can remill the rejects, if they are not too bad, but that's bad for throughput.)
A good sanding sealer shot on after milling will help stabilize the material, too.