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Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 12, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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That's pretty much what I assumed. Most of the flatpack and flatpack adjacent furniture I've had has been chipboard with a laminate or veneer surface, but I'm pretty sure our kitchen cupboard doors are MDF underneath the protective thermofoil finish because like you say they're from a place that prioritises volume and efficiency over craftsmanship. The galaxy brain is building that bulk business and the brainlet is shrugging and saying "it's a cupboard door, what else matters" while us midwits seethe about how phony it is.

I've been warming to plywood on the basis of cost x simplicity x skill level but unless I found a niche use for MDF like complex shaping (I remember using it to build terrain for WH40k when I was a kid) then I just can't bring myself to willingly choose it. It's so soft and heavy, and the moment it gets a drop of water on it it turns into cardboard. That's before having to worry about the clouds of hazardous dust. But yeah, maybe if I was building cupboard doors that would get painted anyway or a sacrificial top for a workbench it might be the sound choice. OSB I just think of as subfloor or a very quick and dirty wall material.