If you want to assemble furniture with your own hands using MDF boards as the basis, you need to know about several important points before starting any works. MDF processing consists of four main stages – cutting, sawing, boring and edging.
To choose the right board for processing, one should know about the special marking adopted by manufacturers. Kastamonu uses the following types of designations: ST, F (FM) and 2B (2BM). Boards marked with the ST mark are not used for milling, so they are marked "not for milling" at the end. For deep processing, use boards marked F (FM) or 2B (2BM).
When cutting boards, accurate calculations are extremely important, since they will allow using materials efficiently and reducing the number of unnecessary residues. Cutting can be done manually or with the help of specialized computer programs. In this case, a so-called "cutting map" - a detailed drawing indicating the shape and dimensions, as well as the number and layout of necessary parts is created. Only specialized programs are used for these operations during the factory production.
The main points that should be considered when cutting:
- dimensions of residues;
- direction of decorative drawings on surfaces that will later lie in the same plane – it must be the same;
- part numbering;
- margins allocated for the width of the cut.
After creating the cutting map, it is high time to start sawing. The sawing can be straight (to create rectangular blanks) and curved (to create shaped parts). Specialized machines with electronic control are used for this purpose at production sites. To carry out these works at home, it is best to use a jigsaw or a circular saw with small teeth. In this case, one should make sure that the edge of the saw is perpendicular to the plane.
To protect the board from chips and cracks, you need to glue a masking tape or sticky tape to the place of future cutting.
After sawing, there are two further processing stages: boring and edging. Boring is the process of creating cutouts and holes that will serve to connect parts using fasteners. Special drilling and boring machines are used for this purpose at production sites, while drills or hand-held milling machines are used at home.
The edging means finishing the ends of resulting parts to protect them and create a design. Melamine, as well as a variety of plastic and profile edges are used for edging.
It is important to remember that when performing mechanical processing of boards (sawing, milling, etc.), such defect as roughness of the sawn surface may appear in the affected areas. To avoid this, it is necessary to prepare and sharpen, or replace cutting tools, observing technical regulations.
