MDF doors warping.

[chuckey]

Another problem with MDF is screwing into the "end grain". I think woodscrews are a no-no, because of their tapered shank, I use chipboard screws with a generous pilot hole to full depth.
OK Penners I like the thin paneling that victorians used too. but without making a career out of it, just where can one buy 3/8" thick quarter sawn annd planed planking in 6" widths?
Frank

 

[Manks]

Penners

I intend to follow your guidance, except I may not add the third hinge. My gut feeling is that if I balance the paint coverage, and perhaps do the trestle thing, the doors will behave.

* Do make sure the paint is really dry, otherwise the weights could stick

You don't think that having weights appended to my doors would be a good look?

Manks

 

[biffvernon]

Everything has to have at least one puropose in life :wink:

If you search for a puropose in Google you get 10500 results.
(You probably didn't need to know that.)

 

[Nemesis]

It's just the panels - the bulk of it will be wood.

Penners - it's not loss of marbles is it?

Just checking...

The very thin wood which panels used to be made from, as I said and so has Frank, seems to be hard to come by these days.

If anyone has a source of supply it would be useful to know.

 

[Nemesis]

If you search for a puropose in Google you get 10500 results

Yes - I have noticed that however bizarre my typos, google will find me any number of sites...

Working directly for Eurostar we also created the “Google Wall”. Passengers can type in a Google search on a terminal at ground level, and the results are displayed on a massive screen above you.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=719&storycode=3101526&featurecode=12115&c=1


:shock:

 

[Schoolmarm]

I am proud to admit I begged Ev to come on here 8)


And from what I have read on this thread am very glad I did. Brill kitchen link, a reminder that mdf is poison and lots of other gems.

 

[Nemesis]

Gosh thank you ... the cheques are in the post... :wink:

 

[DaveBrigg]

If it's any consolation, the doors in our house are all wood, from the land that mdf forgot, and the one that fits properly downstairs only does so because I got tired of planing and took a power saw to it. Some fit at the top, some at the bottom, and some not at all. I assume that back in the old days, central heating costs were lower.

 

[biffvernon]

The very thin wood which panels used to be made from, as I said and so has Frank, seems to be hard to come by these days.

If anyone has a source of supply it would be useful to know.

One starts with a thicker piece (aka a tree) and cut into into thin slices. Go to a saw mill (they have saws) rather than a DIY shed (they concentrate on checkouts).

Back in the good ol' days the Scandinavians had water powered sawmills with multiple blades and converted their timber for export. A 'deal' was a piece 11 foot long, 11 inches wide and 1 inch thick. A 'slim deal' was half the thickness. Such stock sizes arriving in Britain in the mid-17th century in enormous quantities allowed the widespread adoption of the box sash windows that required thinner sections than the more traditional oak casements.

I don't think the habit of putting little doors on the front of televisions was widespread in those days so they didn't have the same urges towards mdf.

 

[Lime]

If I see an old door thrown into a skip I take it for the panels.
I've repaired several doors that way.

 

[piper]

Alternatively, find a local friendly craftsperson who has a good quality bandsaw (and the skill to use it goes without saying) - and there are many such small-scale furniture makers or joiners around and either ask him/her to saw some thin boards, or commission him/her to make just some doors. Shouldn't cost much. There must also be some keen amateur woodworker around with a planer/thicknesser who could make thin boards (plus a lot of shavings) out of the thicker stuff you can buy, in exchange for a couple of pints or a bottle of something.

 

[piper]

However, in your place, I'd probably have used mdf too - because I'd have thought it would be stable, and not warp like solid wood :?

 

[Nemesis]

My friendly local craftsperson uses very thin ply for panels which will be painted. He uses timber for the rest. He's quite keen on Douglas Fir as it doesn't warp so readily he feels. However, friendly local craftspeople who do a decent job are not too thick on the ground.

I don't know any keen amateur woodworkers with planers, can't say there's anyone in our village, but as I now have all the panels I need (one new set of shutters to match existing, one new door to replace missing) no matter for us, but clearly Frank has found similar lack of ready availablity of seasoned thin panelling.

As I said - there's not really a ready source of supply. I haven't found many skips with panelled doors in rural Northumberland in the past decade or two either. Folks tend not to chuck them out. Even getting moulding to match existing is becoming difficult. I know as the firm in Hexham which used to do it no longer can. The firm they suggested in Newcastle would only do it in vast amounts and even then thought it wouldn't be an exact match. The ins and outs of why I didn't delve into too deeply but there were strange mutterings about Health and Safety!

Even the local hardware shop in Haltwhistle is closing - lack of custom. So all the screws, locks, handles, and many other useful things you could buy unpackaged will no longer be available. DIY sheds have taken over. MDF and MFI rule the world.

 

[Nemesis]

Oh - in case anyone wins the lottery and fancies running a traditional hardware shop in a grade II Listed:


http://www.primelocation.com/commercial-property/details/id/RUSAC20/

What isn't clear in that pic is the Carnival Clock, the machinery of which takes up some space in the room behind. It's already been refused permission for removal once and hopefully will again...


http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/574905


IoE Number: 240748
Location: PREMISES OF GREGGS, BILLY BELL AND WATER WILLSON, MAIN STREET (north side)
HALTWHISTLE, TYNEDALE, NORTHUMBERLAND
Photographer: Mr. W. J. Hocking
Date Photographed: 25 May 2003
Date listed: 27 July 1987
Date of last amendment: 27 July 1987
Grade II


HALTWHISTLE MAIN STREET NY 7064 (North side) 20/14 Premises of Gregg's, Billy Bell and Walter Willson GV II Terrace with 3 shops on ground floor and flats/storage above. Mid C19. Squared stone, green slate roof and rebuilt brick chimney stack. 3 storeys, 6 bays. Flush quoins. Early C20 tiled and glazed shop front (Billy Bell - Fishmonger) flanked by late C20 glazed shop fronts. Boarded door, in early C20 frontage, leads to cross-passage into rear yard. 16-pane sashes, replaced casements and 2 blocked windows above in raised surrounds. Fire Insurance mark (Newcastle Insurance Company) centrally placed on first floor. Low-pitched roof has coped gables and right end stack. Included for group value. C20 wing on right rear is not of special interest.




[Open Image] [Hosted by PhotoGalaxy.com]

© Mr. W. J. Hocking

 

[Flyfisher]

Even the local hardware shop in Haltwhistle is closing - lack of custom. So all the screws, locks, handles, and many other useful things you could buy unpackaged will no longer be available. DIY sheds have taken over. MDF and MFI rule the world.

I recently found a gem of a place to get spares for my latest period property acquisition - a 1971 Massey Ferguson 135 tractor. I'm sure you can imagine the sort of place; two old barns stuffed full of shelving containing every known spare for ancient tractors, all run by a single proprietor rapidly approaching his 70's who alone knows precisely where to find the exact hydraulic fitting you need. But the business is doomed because the kids have long-gone into a more worthy occupation like trading coffee futures or somesuch for 6-figure salaries and 7-figure bonuses. That's progress I suppose.

 

[Nemesis]

The farmer who lives at the bottom of our track still uses his.

This farm isn't too far but I don't think that spares for the tractor figure hugely:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/168319


http://www.britnett-carver.co.uk/heavyhorseworld/prods/46.html


We're a bit behindhand with the world round here.

From Amazon:

A century ago, power on farms was provided by five million heavy horses. They were the pride of rural Britain and the men who worked with them were the elite among farm workers. But today heavy horses are almost a thing of the past. They might be seen in all their glory at agricultural shows decked in glistening harnesses and paraded around the main ring but generally they are a distant memory. Except for in one place: Sillywrea Farm in Northumberland - the last farm in Britain to be worked by horses. The Last Horsemen is the inspiring story of John Dodd and his family who have lived on Sillywrea for more than 150 years and for all that time, horses have been the source of power. Telling the inspirational story of a year in the life of John Dodd, his family and the farm, this book compellingly evokes the beauty of the countryside. Lambs playing in the sunshine are a highlight of Spring time. July and August are the busiest months of the year at Sillywrea - it's hay making time - while the Harvest and woodland work forms the focus for the farm during the Autumn and Winter brings hoar frost to the fields and ploughing lea. With a farming industry that seems to lurch from crisis to crisis, learning from people who have chosen an alternative way of life becomes ever more important. Wholly evocative, The Last Horsemen is a truly inspirational opportunity to view first hand, scenes rarely played out in Britain's countryside in the twenty-first century.

Here's Mr Dodd with his horsepower:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/371916



[Open Image] [Hosted by PhotoGalaxy.com]


Pic c Mike Quinn (reproduced under the Creative Commons Licence)

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

 

[Pford75]

Slightly off at a tangent, but I hope those who see MDF as a blight on the planet also understand what an impact Google is having as well.

As someone working in the industry, I see lots of examples of Google building their own infrastructure (and server farms) where perfectly suitable existing infrastructure exists....but they want _complete_ control of the whole thing....even if this means massive duplication of processing power.

Despite many protestations to the contrary "Google's solar power plans", "Google sees power as key issue"...the fact remains that they are responsible for as much CO2 as many planes or cars....yet people persist in using them

 

[Flyfisher]

Despite many protestations to the contrary "Google's solar power plans", "Google sees power as key issue"...the fact remains that they are responsible for as much CO2 as many planes or cars....yet people persist in using them

I have no doubt that Google (the company) uses a huge amount of energy, but shouldn't this power consumption be considered on a 'per user' basis though?

I'm equally sure 'the internet' consumes a vast amount of power, but I doubt it's all that much per user.

 

[biffvernon]

It's the internet that allows folk to communicate information about period properties without having to travel to meet each other and Google's acknowledgement of the global climate change and its attempt to be part of the solution is to be welcomed.

Google already has a major solar pv installation at its headquarters, is building more and plans to have 50MW of renewable generating capacity by 2012. If every global corporation took this attitude we wouldn't be where we are.

Google[/url]"]Coal is the primary power source for many around the world, supplying 40% of the world's electricity. The greenhouse gases it produces are one of our greatest environmental challenges. Making electricity produced from renewable energy cheaper than coal would be a key part of reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions.

That is probably the most significant statement I have seen from any corporation.

 

[Nemesis]

I see MDF as raising certain safety concerns of which I feel people should be made aware before handling the material.

I also see Egger as a blight on Northumberland.

When I worked in Hexham the smell was all-pervading and a study concluded that there was a greater occurrence of asthma in young people living there than in other places. Of course it may simply be co-incidence.

The expanded factory is a major eyesore (it isn't tucked away on an industrial estate way out of sight) in an area which increasingly relies hugely on tourism for prosperity. The lure of jobs seem to blind people to other problems.

Sadly, the coming of a mega Tesco (claims of jobs...) is closing the newish large Co-op in Hexham down. No custom for both. In its place will be a Marks and Spencer, not just food but furnishings, which I have no doubt, like Tesco, will all help more local businesses to close down. Yet more charity shops will spring up. Good for the charities, but not good to attract people into the town or employ them.

Tesco has a large section devoted to the type of hardware which the shop I detailed above sells. Another very nice shop in Haltwhistle which sold food has closed recently too.

I think it's called progress though and we must not stand in the way of it I am told.