MDF 31 per sheet?!

[kivimagi]

What makes one brand of MDF better than another?

I purchase the stuff from the local Box stores, and its dusty, and smelly, but its cheap.

[bleeth]

Ryan: MDF comes in as many formulae as chocolate. The lower quality has trash in it (like metal bits) that can really screw up your bits as well as a huge percentage of stuff that can do your health in. Additionally the density of it can vary a lot from sheet to sheet. Better quality will be much more consistant and therefore more predictable in it's qualities. The most expensive (making a big assumption that one is shopping wisely and has choices in their geographic area) today will use product that is clean recycled or plantation grown product and non-formaldehyde based binders in it. Take note that the Formaldehyde free product has gluing challenges as most of the adhesives we are used to using are made to react well with formaldehyde based adhesives in the product on which they are based.
The clue for good content is a FSC rating which means it is manufactured from sustainable product. FF means no formaldehyde and is seperate from FSC. Totally non-rated MDF is made out of "who knows what, who knows how, and who knows where".
Personally I don't want meat with specs like that on my table and sheet goods like that in my shop!!!

At this point I would like to refer back to some comments I made previously on a vendor in the Southeast US:
Based on several general reports made to me by a few acquaintences regarding the cost of quality MDF that met environmentally friendly standards I stated that the pricing from Dixie Plywood was a rip-off compared to other suppliers I was dealing with. Since then I have gotten specific pricing from them based on my commercial shop on a large variety of FSC and FF board product. I am quite happy to say that their pricing was competitive with other wholesale suppliers in my area as long as I made the effort to establish myself as a legitimate commercial client. For those who found their pricing to be higher than expectations I suggest the following steps:
1. Set you company up as a regular commercial client.
2. Make sure their rep visits your shop to see that you really are an actual business and not a hobby shop and get a current price list from them.
3. Open a commercial account (You can do this on a COD or Credit basis)

[beacon14]

In our area Dixie plywood won't give you the time of day unless you are ready to buy three to five thousand dollars of product from them each MONTH.

[bcammack]

In this economy that sounds like a contra-survival attitude, David.

[beacon14]

I have not had any contact with them in a few years so maybe things are different now, that was back when they had more business than they could keep up with.

[andyb]

David,
Don't get me started on DixiePly. I dealt with them a few months ago and had the same problem you had. I was told to call DixiePly with some questions that I had about material for a job I was quoting. I call the sales office and started asking questions the gentleman asked me now many sheets I needed and when I said 10 his comment was they can only sale in units and told me I would have to call a reseller. When I told him the reseller told me to call them with my questions. He told me to call them back and he then ended the conversation.

One other problem I had with DixiePly was I bought what I was told was Trupan UL from Suwanee Lumber but when I went to pick it up it was SeirraPine UL. The invoice from Suwanee Lumber said SeirraPine but the paperwork from DixiePly said Trupan UL on it. I had to have it to finish a job and had to use it. The product turned out to be not so bad. I talked to the SeirraPine Rep at IWF about the comparison between Trupan UL and SeirraPine UL. Not much difference. Trupan still has a little better cut quality. The Rep turned out to be a Sales VP for their SeirraPine line. He said and I quote, "If you buy any UL MDF from DixiePly the call it Trupan UL. They will not make the change in their system to reflect the actual product you are purchasing." He said that they have received several complaints about it. Mostly people complaining that they are trying to pass their product off as Trupan UL. Which they are not. They have complained to DixiePly but they won't change their system.

Anyway, that is how I was turned on to SeirraPine UL which is what I use for my spoilboard.

The standard SeirraPine MDF is really nice also and the price is compariable to other MDF products.

If I can purchase something that doesn't come from DixiePly I will.

Andy B.

[myxpykalix]

One good thing about the downturn is that maybe it will weed out companies like this DixiePly who have such an arrogant attitude toward customers.

[drodda]

Unfortunately Jack the downturn seems to be weeding out the smaller companies who still care about getting new business. This leaves only the arrogant Dixie Ply's of the market left to deal with.

-D

[bill_moore]

Carl Go talk to the local cabinet shops to find out where they buy their sheet goods. Big box as to sort of quote Erik is junk (and expensive ).
Bill

[jhicks]

I had heard something a few months back that may help explain the MDF price situation. A large lumber yard supplier sales rep told me that as of 1/1/09 California had imposed new regulations on materials being used, sold, or coming into the state. I guess it included fomaldehyde content and he said it even restricted/prevented the chinese materials from being unloaded from ships into the LA port.
His comments may very well have been a bit of sales embellishment but if its true it could be part of the reasoning.