Laminating mdf door panels

[fshanno]

I want to laminate door panels with an exotic.  Maybe zebra wood or something.  I'd like to go with good old Formica on the back side.  I was thinking of 1/4" MDF for the core.  The rails and stiles will be beech.

Will this work?  Should I go with a thicker core or something else for the core?  I realize you have to balance the lamination but do you have to use the same type of material on both sides and the same adhesive?

What about the edges of the MDF?

 

[bonesbr549]

The key is balance due to both sides something.  Use the proper glue for the material and substrait.  I don't know about formica on the back and regular veneer on the front.  Are you using that for extra strenght to the panel?  

You don't mention the method you desire i.e. cold press glue and a vaccum press, heat bond hammer veneer.   I just recently did some panels for a wine cabinet i'm making and worked with Joe over at www.joewoodworker.com.   He has plans to make your own press either with a pump or a venturi with an air compressor.  He know is stuff.  I bought some unreal waterfall bubinga to do my panels and did the back with cherry backer veneer with a mdf core wrapped in cherry.  They came out perfect and he was a great help in understanding the whole process.   He has a huge section on the how-to and the why's on the topic and will answer anything.   I purchased the starter kit that included the essentials to get started  i.e. glue tape glue veneer saw and roller etc. and he did not steer me wrong.  My panels have come out fantastic.   BTW, the MFT3 with the TS55 is perfect for triming the panels to size not a single fuzz on the cuts of the veneer.   Like I said go check out is site and kick him an e-mail.  He even has copper veneer and adheasive for that.    He ships fast as well.  

 

[Jesse Cloud]

1/4 MDF really wants to cup when you veneer it.  I've used it successfully in a number of projects, though never with formica.

The reason for veneering both sides at once is that if one side is wet and one dry, the wet one will swell and cause cupping, warping, whatever.  If both sides are wet, you have a pretty good chance that they will swell and dry at the same rate and stay flat.

I would be more comfortable with a regular veneer instead of formica, which might not let the moisture out as fast as a thin wood veneer would...

I would keep a caul and some serious weight on the glueups until they are good and dry.

I don't think you would have a problem in a door frame that wraps around the panel.

Good luck, whatever you decide.