OK as some of you might have known been building some wardrobe doors from MDF. They are all built and painted with panels and look very nice. So I am now hanging them but I must have measured wrong somehow and need to shave about 0.5-1mm off so that both doors close.

Whats the best way to do this, was looking at one of those stanley surform. Its like a rasp thing but in the style of a planner. Will this work on MDF or will it tear it all apart.

Sanding is not really an option as it will take forever and I don't have any form of saw that would do the job either.

Cliff

try an electric plane? wont rip the mdf

but thats quite expensive ?

will a surform work ok?, its basically a rough file but with a plane handle on it. So it files rather than flat planes

Cliff

dont use sure form unless you want rough wobbly edges to your doors .
Youve come this far so whay not finish it properly either take them down to youre local timber yard or diy store whare they will probably plane tham down for a few quid or hire an electric plane for probably around 15 quid for the weekend

ok how easy is an electric planer to use ?

seen one in B&Q for £20

CLiff

pretty much the same as an ordinary plane but a bit heavier and alot quicker
have a trial run on some off cuts

Cliff,

Very easy. If you just mark the MDF with a line for the amount you want to take off and keep planning until you come up against the line.

Even better, if you have some left over MDF do some test planes on its edge before you tackle the doors themselves. This will give you a better idea of how much wood you will remove.

Cheers

Ian

OK bought one from B&Q for £20 its adjustable from 0.5 to 2mm. The way its setup should ensure it only takes the amount of wood you set it to. I am gonna do it with the door hung as I think it will be easier. Will have a few practice goes first on an old bit of wood. Though from what the guys at B&Q said its a piece of cake to use one. It also comes with a parallel guide, perfect for running up the side of the door. I think the only thing to worry about is the speed at which you run across the wood at, too fast and it doesn't cut properly and too slow and it can end up burning the wood.

fingers crossed this beast will do the trick

cheers for the info and the advice, If you hadn't suggested a planner i would have used a surform and probably ruined the doors

Cliff

Make sure you wear a mask - IIRC MDF is banned in the states - the dust is a carcenogen ( like everything else these days :rolleyes: )

[Edited by mj - 8/26/2003 1:34:35 PM]

if I were you I would take the door off to do it. I have one of the electric planers and it is a brilliant tool but they make a hell of a mess. Also, I presume you are planing the sides of the doors - will you be able to do the very top and bottom of the doors in situ? The blade is normally a couple of inches fron the end of the bed so you may find you end up hitting the floor/ceiling and cant do either end.
Oh, and make sure you dont put it down before it has completely stopped!

Steve

yeah i know i got a mask The dust is horrible stuff.

Though will a planner actually give MDF dust i thought it would be more shavings with a little dust.

Also the planner has a dust extraction port so you can connect it to a vaccum cleaner hose. So i will do that as I may need to get my gf to steady the door while i run the planner up the side.

I also will be replacing all the interior doors soon so I imagine the planner will be a useful investment

Cliff

yeah good point about taking it off you are right the blade sits about 5cm from the end so i probably won't be able to do it in situe.

The main reason for doing it on the door is I am using these damm brass screws on the hinges and the heads burr so easily and only take about 1NM of torque, useless but they are required to match the hinges.

Door off it is then, will only take me 5mins to take it off.

It'll produce copious amounts of dust and fine particles. I'd consider goggles as well as a mask unless you've got a dust bag on the planer.

Whatever else happens stay well away from the blades!

Vindaloo.

i got a mask and goggles and its got a dust extraction port too for a vaccum attatchment

CLiff

I am gonna do it with the door hung as I think it will be easier.

NOOOOOOOOOO it wont loadsa trouble and mess that way.
either clamp it in a work bench if its small enough or wedge it between a work bench and some joiners wedges.

Sorry just spotted similiar advice in another post
repeat after me you MUST read ALL the posts before replying DOH!!!

[Edited by mattstant - 8/26/2003 6:38:01 PM]

Ok well I tried 1 practice and after 2secs of practice that was enough, took the door off and took it outside on the lawn as you guys are right it makes hell of a mess.

The only thing i found was coz the MDF is 18mm thick this is quite thin compare to the width of the planner. So this meant keeping it flat was a little difficult especially when planning some off the top of the door as I had to rest it up against the wheely bin. Not ideal but I live in a 1 bed flat and don't have a garage full of tools and workbenches. Anyway I seemed to get better the more i did and got it pretty flat. Also burnt the MDF a little obviously went too slow. But thats not a problem as it will be repainted.

Anyway for £20 its been a life saver. now just need to repaint the bits i have planned and the bits i have knocked etc and it will be looking like a top job. And the materials cost me about £90 which isnt bad.

cheers for all the advice


Cliff

you could have just taken the doors back to B&Q and paid 50p for each cut by their big cutting machine.. too late now I guess?

well a timber saw won't be able to shave a mm off as the saw will be too thick. Also I want to take abit off and then retry and possibly shave abit more off.

CLiff