MDF Drawer Bottoms

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Hey, can anyone think of a reason NOT to use MDF as drawer bottoms in SHOP furniture? I can get 1/2"x 5'x8' sheets for $15. Other than that nasty dust I can't think of any.
 
My initial thought is that the drawer bottom would sag. But that would depend on the size of the drawer, the weight you plan to store in it, & how you construct the drawer.

Given the price, it might be worth using and installing an extra brace up the middle of the drawer to prevent sagging.
 
If you aren't putting anything very heavy in them, or the drawer is narrow, why not.
 
Negatives are weight and expected life. In small drawers I might do it if there were a compelling reason. If these are real-quick, slam-bang units that will be replaced down the line, why not? I have made carcasses out of 3/4" MDF for non-hung shop cabinets and they've served me for years of heavy use. They do have plywood bottoms. Ply is not that expensive if you are making something that you want to last. Just average the cost over the next 15 to 20 years that you will use them. That 1/2" MDF will come in handy later for templates. Just my .02.
 
I've used hardboard and pegboard before... The pegboard lets the dust fall through... :rolleyes:
LoL, that reminds me of a story.

I did a kitchen for close friend of mine. He requested that one of the bottom base cabinet drawers be a potato bin and wanted hole in the bottom to allow for air movement. I accommodated him.

It didn't work to well. come to find out he had in floor head and was slowly cooking his potatoes in the drawer.
 
Well here is the plan. Will use MDF for drawers no wider than 24" One sheet should get most of that size done. Box its self will be made from 3/4 ply that is left from making the carcasses. When that is done I will use the small pieces that I picked up earlier in the year.

Just need to get some restrictions lifted on the shoulder, so I can go. Chomping at the bit, ready.
 
I now find myself in a similar scenario. I'm going to have quite a bit of 3/4 MDF from when I scrap my UTS. Just trying to figure out a way not to let it go to waste.
 
Back in the early 70s I made whole drawers out of 3/4 MDF. It was what I could afford at the time. At about 20" wide and 8" high six of them fit into a case made of salvaged ply that just fit under an old workbench. (The bench had followed me home after my employer junked it.) When I was making them, my father told me they would be too heavy. He was right and packed full of tools they're really heavy. (Recent comments about shallow drawers are absolutely correct.) However, 35+ years later, they're still working.
 
I now find myself in a similar scenario. I'm going to have quite a bit of 3/4 MDF from when I scrap my UTS. Just trying to figure out a way not to let it go to waste.

Have no fear. I just burned up a few more pieces today as temporary guide blocks on a jig. There's always a good use for a small block or strip of 3/4" material it seems.
 
I've never used MDF for drawers or drawer bottoms, but I have used 3/4" for most of the lower cabinets in my shop. I use mostly 1/2" Sandeply for drawers, including sides and bottoms.

I haven't used 1/4" MDF for anything. How does its flexibility compare to lauan ply or birch ply?
 
When I say I'll have some spare, I think the UTS took three full sheets of 3/4. That's a bit too much to keep around for me. I may just make the drawers totally out of MDF to keep initial costs down and replace as needed/wanted. Haven't decided what the front of the drawers will be.
 
Common practice is 1/4" ply, Is that weak enough?

1/2" MDF is as strong as an Ox if properly secured in drawer joints. Surrounded in a good groove or dado... Y-Knot?
Sag? you keeping water in the drawer? MDF is stable,very stable... moisture is its bain... Finish will help, weight will workon the bottom but good edge support will help resist.

My reply is DO IT :thumb:
 
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