Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: SPINDLE

Peter is right that you shouldn't be too worried about the board, we are
given in school to use. The only restriction is no wall / face sanding, and
my school is to put it lightly 'up to spec' on health and safety rules.

However, routing is going to make some large amounts of dust and a dust
extractor is only $100 or so. It's better to be safe, and less dusty, than
sorry. I bet they thought asbestos was harmless when they put it into
people's walls. I remember learning something about plastics that contained
formaldehyde but I can't remember it now, I think it was thermoforming and
thermosetting, epoxies being setting I think. You can actually buy gas masks
specifically for filtering formaldehyde alone so it's obviously mildly
dangerous if there's too much about. MDF is the new it when it comes to just
about anything on a TV show with Art students involved. It's very easy to
make clean cuts in and sand smooth. I would be suprised if you don't route
any. You can tell it because it looks just like cardboard if you break it
apart in you hand, it even tastes like cardboard. It has no grain, which can
be useful.

If you plan to hook the router up so it turns on and off while it's
travelling to the next cut then you could put the extractor on the same
switch. There are loads of hoovers that'd work, they have nice long and thin
tubes as well. Don't worry about it, I found asbestos like stuff on my
boiler and my neighbour has an asbestos roof, all it takes is one phone call
and I'd bust her ass out of complainers ville.

Thanks,
John Heritage

> MDF is short for Medium Density Fiberboard, a wood based material
> fast replacing chipboard in many applications because of its smooth
> surface. It is made by blending wood fibers with a binder, usually a
> formaldehyde-based adhesive such as Urea Formaldehyde. The problem
> with UF is the need for a slight excess of formeldehyde in its
> formulation which leads to formaldehyde gas being released slowly
> from the board over a long period of time. Formaldehyde is classified
> as a probable carcinogen (don't know if the classification has
> changed by now). There is also talk about wood dust being
> carcinogenic. Before you get excessively anxious, it may interest you
> to know that natural wood can also emit a very small quantity of
> formaldehyde gas.