Shop Tool stands, Particle board, MDF, Plywood

[Bob10]

Having a small shop, I am eliminating a few of the steel legs in my shop in favor of cabinets with some storage capabilities.  For example the Ridgid Planer shipped with a steel base, but a cabinet base will work better for me.

Particle Board is <$18 for a 4x8 sheet, and will give me the functionality I need.  A decent quality plywood is ~$60, with MDF somewhere in the middle.

My pea-brain tells me that painted particle board is good enough for the shop.

What say you?

Where are you located?

[Cooler]

I built some "back room" cabinets for my framing business and they ended up in my basement.  All the surfaces were painted particle board.  I had milled 1/4" grooves in the particle board to accept masonite dividers.  

My basement is sufficiently damp that the particle board swelled enough to permanently lock the dividers in place.  I milled the slots on 3" centers so that they could be moved as required.  That ain't gonna happen until I move them to some place really dry.

If your basement is humid or damp, consider using plywood instead of MDF or particle board.

[EricU]

You will still be living with the cabinets long after you forget how much they cost.  Use decent quality plywood.

I have some cabinets I made out of CDX.  I was young and poor and just wanted to try out the idea.  I'm still living with them 35 years later.  They are too useful to throw out, and it would be a lot of work to replace them. I would want to keep the drawers, so the same tedious construction technique would be required because of that..  I keep thinking about replacing them, but it's down the list.  Nowadays I would build them with baltic birch and they would outlast my kids for very little extra money.

[Cecil]

Where are you located?

I am in Western NY.

[Bob10]

I am in Western NY.

I did a search and came up with 3 big suppliers Mosher, Thruway and Niagara.  No idea how many borgs are near you but for shop cabs I would call which is closest and ask about damaged material.  I needed 9' sheets for a project started calling around one yard said he had a unit of it that was special order and somehow never moved.  Not only did I get it when I wanted but for less than 8' sheets which would have left a huge amount of waste.  While it might not matter to you that the material has some stain from water or whatever it will change their ability to sell it

[Cecil]

I did a search and came up with 3 big suppliers Mosher, Thruway and Niagara.  No idea how many borgs are near you but for shop cabs I would call which is closest and ask about damaged material.  I needed 9' sheets for a project started calling around one yard said he had a unit of it that was special order and somehow never moved.  Not only did I get it when I wanted but for less than 8' sheets which would have left a huge amount of waste.  While it might not matter to you that the material has some stain from water or whatever it will change their ability to sell it

Thanks.  If I remember correctly, Thruway will not sell to me.  I am not willing to purchase a large enough quantity.  Mosher looks promising.  I have picked up good quality, made in Canada, hardwood plywood from Sixt Lumber, about 30 minutes south of Buffalo. However, that was not for shop furniture, nor at shop furniture pricing.

[Bob10]

Thanks.  If I remember correctly, Thruway will not sell to me.  I am not willing to purchase a large enough quantity.  Mosher looks promising.  I have picked up good quality, made in Canada, hardwood plywood from Sixt Lumber, about 30 minutes south of Buffalo.  However, that was not for shop furniture, nor at shop furniture pricing.

I learned long ago if you don't ask you don't get.  As long as you ask respectfully you have nothing to lose and often make a connection as most places have stuff they want to move and are happy to find someone that will help them get it gone.  

HD has a cart in the back of the lumber section prices reduced by 70% often see ply with damage to a corner in the mix.  I buy fixer uppers often need to do lots to the places to get them where I like them cutting costs on materials is my go to move.  That doesn't mean buying junk as that always seems to cost more down the line.  I save where I can.

[treywilde]

Craigslist is a great source of ply

[Cooler]

Structurally the backroom cabinets I made for my picture framing business (open cabinets/work surfaces) have been in service for 20+ years and are still sound. 

I did mention earlier that the particle board swelled from the humidity so that the removable masonite dividers are not currently removable.  Rethinking that, perhaps the masonite swelled.  In any case, I'm sure if I moved the cabinets to a dryer environment the dividers will become removable once again.

I used 3/4" for tops, sides and masonite for the backs.  The downside was when I closed the framing business it was a ton of weight to carry to the basement of my house.  So that might be a consideration.

I used butt joints and glue and drywall screws.  It was the very first woodworking project I ever did and I was working on a table saw for the first time in my life.  

I only did this because the vendors were quoting 12 to 16 weeks for the cabinets and $8,000.00.  I had the $8,000.00 but I didn't have the 16 weeks.  I would be paying rent ($2,500 per month) for probably over 4 months.  I decided to build.  

So despite my poor skills and questionable joinery, the cabinets are still sturdy after all this time.  Particle board will do the job.  I would do it over again in plywood though--I only saved about $300.00 total, and plywood will be lighter and stronger and will not absorb moisture like particle board or MDF.  I would still use masonite, but I think I would apply some finish to it this time.

[KC7CN]

Having a small shop, I am eliminating a few of the steel legs in my shop in favor of cabinets with some storage capabilities.  For example the Ridgid Planer shipped with a steel base, but a cabinet base will work better for me.

Particle Board is <$18 for a 4x8 sheet, and will give me the functionality I need.  A decent quality plywood is ~$60, with MDF somewhere in the middle.

My pea-brain tells me that painted particle board is good enough for the shop.

What say you?

Particle board, also known as low-density fiberboard (LDF) and chipboard, can most certainly be used for a tool stand!  Also know it's available in different densities - some so hard you can't drive a nail into it!  if properly finished, it will last many years!  The challenge is to lean how to design and assemble the cabinet.  Use dado joints, with glue.  If you must use a threaded screw, use one suitable for particle board.  Having said this, I prefer using a better material, such as Baltic birch plywood, but it is expensive, and sometimes hard to find!  My current project is a planer stand.  Made from construction grade lumber - a box joinnt design inspired by Matthias Wandel.  Birch plywood side panels with Baltic birch drawers.

Here's a photo of my 30-40 year old particle board sander.  It started out life as simply a cabinet, but as you can see in the photo, casters were added later.  One thing I'm sure of is that I was building on a budget!  I feel it is important to begin with a quality oil base primer!  Although I used oil based paint back in the day, I would use water base now! 

Click to enlarge...



Dad's 50's Craftsman belt sander.