reducing the thickness of particle board question

[footprintsinconc]

i have 1.5" thick particle board that is 12" wide by 2ft. i need to make that into 1" thick.

i was thinking of putting a bunch of narrow cuts that were going to be like 1 7/16" deep, then knock those off using a hammer. then to get the final thickness, i was going to pass it through my thickness planer.

is this the correct approach? is it ok to run the particle board through the thickness planer?

thanks,

[JoeyGee]

If it were me, I would get a 3/4" piece and laminate a 1/4" sheet of hardboard/mdf on it. It would be less work.

[Uncle Cracker]

Particle board is rough on planer blades, but since this is a small piece, I don't think you'll have a problem. I'd use my bandsaw to rough out the first 7/16", but not everyone has that kind of resaw capability, so you can groove one side at about 3/16" spacing, either on the TS or an RAS if you have one. Some might be tempted to use a dado set, but there's no sense in doing that for a piece this small, as that particle board is rough on dado blades, too.

[LCHIEN]

I'd be real hesitant about putting particle board through my planer.
You don't say what you are trying to do but maybe you can just rabbet the edges to the correct thickness?

[SARGE..g-47]

Agreed on rough on blades.. very rough. I'm with Joey on this one.. take a piece of 3/4" MDF and a piece to 1/4" MDF and either glue them or epoxy them. You got 1" dead on and no blade issue.

If you don't have any 1/4" on hand Omar.. drop by my shop tomorrow and I'll pull some out of the rack. We can just send you back to Arizona with the 1" already done. No charge, what a deal!

[footprintsinconc]

so my worry has been confirmed, that the particle board is bad for the blade.

thanks sarge for the offer! i just didnt want to go the store and buy a small piece when i had lots of other stuff that i could use. so i have to figure something else.

just for information sake, i have the following question:

• particle board: is it bad for the table saw blade aswell?
• mdf board: is it bad for the thickness planer blades?
• plywood: is it also bad for the thickness planer blades? for my last project, i got 3/4" plywood. they didnt have 1/4". i needed the 1/4" for the doors (small pieces), so i split the 3/4" into half and ran it through the thickness planer until i got down to 1/4". was that harsh on my planer blades?

thanks!

[LinuxRandal]

so my worry has been confirmed, that the particle board is bad for the blade.

thanks sarge for the offer! i just didnt want to go the store and buy a small piece when i had lots of other stuff that i could use. so i have to figure something else.

just for information sake, i have the following question:

• particle board: is it bad for the table saw blade aswell?
• mdf board: is it bad for the thickness planer blades?
• plywood: is it also bad for the thickness planer blades? for my last project, i got 3/4" plywood. they didnt have 1/4". i needed the 1/4" for the doors (small pieces), so i split the 3/4" into half and ran it through the thickness planer until i got down to 1/4". was that harsh on my planer blades?

thanks!

Particle board and MDF are bad for the planer blades, at least in part due to the glues used (like planing plastic).
I would think plywood would also (but I will let the experts chime in), however, I would think a BIGGER issue with plywood, would be stability? (right, wrong, etc?) 1/4" plywood isn't the same veneer thickness as 3/4", so you stand more chance of warpage, if my thinking is correct (too early in the morning, I shouldn't probably be posting but getting ready to leave for a funeral).

[jackellis]

I'll run just about any type of wood or engineered wood product through my table saw. I only run solid stock through the planer and jointer.

I'd rather adjust the design or find an alternative than have to change planer and jointer blades.

[Bruce Cohen]

Omar,

NEVER run particle board, MDF, OFC or plywood thru a thickness planer, not only craps up the blades but you get a really lousy end product, DAMHIK.

If you're cutting any kind of engineered sheet goods (Plywood excepted) a carbide blade or router bit is a must, the stuff is murder on cutting edges.

I'm partial to MDF, you get a cleaner cut, it can be routed on the edges and it takes a nice sharp profile and the stated thickness is just what it says, 1/2" is just that, unlike plywood.

The down side; the stuff weighs a ton, the dust is very fine like flour and I wouldn't consider cutting without a respirator.

I get it (about the only wood product I'll buy from Home Depot), they carry it in 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" thicknesses and you can get quarter sheets, a lot easier to get home.

So to answer your original question, I'd buy 1/2" MDF and glue two pieces together, Instant 1" thick stock.

Bruce

[LCHIEN]

so my worry has been confirmed, that the particle board is bad for the blade.

thanks sarge for the offer! i just didnt want to go the store and buy a small piece when i had lots of other stuff that i could use. so i have to figure something else.

just for information sake, i have the following question:

• particle board: is it bad for the table saw blade aswell?
• mdf board: is it bad for the thickness planer blades?
• plywood: is it also bad for the thickness planer blades? for my last project, i got 3/4" plywood. they didnt have 1/4". i needed the 1/4" for the doors (small pieces), so i split the 3/4" into half and ran it through the thickness planer until i got down to 1/4". was that harsh on my planer blades?

thanks!

All those engineered woods have lots of glues so they are tougher on cutting edges.
Specifically, though, because the kerf is small (and in the case of plywood, perpendicular to the glue grain) cutting with a table saw is OK in my book, although somewhat harder on the blade than plain lumber, its not real bad.
Because planers and jointers take off lots of material, its really hard on them, particularly in the case of plywood, you can shave off an entire layer that is mostly all glue. I planed it once, it was horrible both in appearance and sounds it made when the glue hit the blades. planing/jointing plywood is just plain stupid (DAMHIKT).
Still wouldn't plane/joint MDF or particle board or OSB, either, but I'd do that before I'd do plywood.

[Wood_workur]

I'd rather buy a piece of 1" particle board and some scrap laminate to bring it up to the full 1"


both would be cheap at a local cabinet shop. I've gotten about $200 worth of maple, walnut, and mahogany cut offs from them because its cheaper to throw them away than to pay someone to run them through a planer, joiner, and straight line rip saw.

[Carlos]

planing/jointing plywood is just plain stupid

There is nothing stupid about jointing plywood (good plywood, not contruction grade). It will give you a perfect edge just like jointing any hardwood. If you're building something with visible miter joints it's the only way to get a perfect seam, in my experience.

Omar, you're welcome to bring the particle board over and run it through my drum sander if you choose to go with using what you already have. It won't hurt the sander, and I've got some 120 on there right now that is damaged and will have to be replaced soon anyway.

[LCHIEN]

There is nothing stupid about jointing plywood (good plywood, not contruction grade). It will give you a perfect edge just like jointing any hardwood. If you're building something with visible miter joints it's the only way to get a perfect seam, in my experience.

Omar, you're welcome to bring the particle board over and run it through my drum sander if you choose to go with using what you already have. It won't hurt the sander, and I've got some 120 on there right now that is damaged and will have to be replaced soon anyway.

OK, I really meant face planing plywood on a jointer is stupid.
I could see jointing the edge.