MDF panels
It was sunny from the morning today, and finally, the rainy season has ended in our area. While the constant rain and high humidity made it hard to work, the long, hot summer that will likely continue until the end of September is also quite tough.
Inside the workshop, especially the area with woodworking machines, it gets very hot because I can’t use an air conditioner there - wood dust and fine particles are always floating around. So I usually cool down a small room inside the workshop with an air conditioner and do my work there.
Today, I continued working on several 3-sun 18-steps puzzle boxes that I had already assembled. I’m making about 50 of them in total. Among those, I’ve started with the ones that are for a particular store and for my own stock. The rest will feature a checkered Yosegi design, but I’m still in the process of making the Yosegi sheets, so I’ll begin assembling those once the sheets are ready.
The ones I’m assembling now, as shown in the photo, include the traditional Yosegi type and a version with zebrawood sheets. Both types are applied onto 2.5mm thick MDF boards. I didn’t use MDF at all in the past, but recently I’ve started using it just for the top and bottom panels.
MDF has some disadvantages, which is why I avoided it before. But it’s becoming harder to get the same kind of plywood (like Shina plywood) I used to use regularly, and even when available, the price has become quite high. So I decided to use MDF as a substitute.
If I had to mention one advantage of MDF 😅, it would be that it’s easy to work with. Since it's made by compressing fine wood powder with glue, it doesn’t crack or splinter like solid wood sometimes does, and the cut edges come out very clean.
However, there are many downsides. First, it’s heavy. Because the inside is densely packed, it weighs more than regular wood, which contains “vessels” — small holes that help carry water and also keep the wood light. MDF is also very weak against moisture. If it gets wet, it swells and never returns to its original shape. That area becomes completely unusable.
Another issue is its dark color. When I apply traditional Yosegi sheets, the dark base color shows through and makes the pattern look dull. In contrast, Shina plywood has a light color, so Yosegi patterns look much brighter and more beautiful when applied to it.
Because of all these issues, I only use MDF in small amounts. But for thicker sheets like zebrawood, it actually works quite well since the base color doesn’t show through. Traditional Yosegi sheets, on the other hand, are only about 0.2mm thick, so the base color can easily affect their appearance.
To solve this, there’s a method called "Urauchi" (backing), where a very thin piece of paper is glued to the back of the Yosegi sheet before applying it to a panel. This brings out the colors nicely and allows for a cleaner finish. However, not many people use this technique today because it’s very time-consuming and requires skill to glue the paper properly.
Back in my apprentice days, I did a lot of this urauchi work, so I’m quite confident with it. Even after I became independent, I also did urauchi work on request, alongside making puzzle boxes. But the backed sheets can only be used on the top and bottom panels — the paper can be seen from the side, so they can’t be used for side panels.
Anyway, I hope you have a great weekend!😄
Inside the workshop, especially the area with woodworking machines, it gets very hot because I can’t use an air conditioner there - wood dust and fine particles are always floating around. So I usually cool down a small room inside the workshop with an air conditioner and do my work there.
Today, I continued working on several 3-sun 18-steps puzzle boxes that I had already assembled. I’m making about 50 of them in total. Among those, I’ve started with the ones that are for a particular store and for my own stock. The rest will feature a checkered Yosegi design, but I’m still in the process of making the Yosegi sheets, so I’ll begin assembling those once the sheets are ready.
The ones I’m assembling now, as shown in the photo, include the traditional Yosegi type and a version with zebrawood sheets. Both types are applied onto 2.5mm thick MDF boards. I didn’t use MDF at all in the past, but recently I’ve started using it just for the top and bottom panels.
MDF has some disadvantages, which is why I avoided it before. But it’s becoming harder to get the same kind of plywood (like Shina plywood) I used to use regularly, and even when available, the price has become quite high. So I decided to use MDF as a substitute.
If I had to mention one advantage of MDF 😅, it would be that it’s easy to work with. Since it's made by compressing fine wood powder with glue, it doesn’t crack or splinter like solid wood sometimes does, and the cut edges come out very clean.
However, there are many downsides. First, it’s heavy. Because the inside is densely packed, it weighs more than regular wood, which contains “vessels” — small holes that help carry water and also keep the wood light. MDF is also very weak against moisture. If it gets wet, it swells and never returns to its original shape. That area becomes completely unusable.
Another issue is its dark color. When I apply traditional Yosegi sheets, the dark base color shows through and makes the pattern look dull. In contrast, Shina plywood has a light color, so Yosegi patterns look much brighter and more beautiful when applied to it.
Because of all these issues, I only use MDF in small amounts. But for thicker sheets like zebrawood, it actually works quite well since the base color doesn’t show through. Traditional Yosegi sheets, on the other hand, are only about 0.2mm thick, so the base color can easily affect their appearance.
To solve this, there’s a method called "Urauchi" (backing), where a very thin piece of paper is glued to the back of the Yosegi sheet before applying it to a panel. This brings out the colors nicely and allows for a cleaner finish. However, not many people use this technique today because it’s very time-consuming and requires skill to glue the paper properly.
Back in my apprentice days, I did a lot of this urauchi work, so I’m quite confident with it. Even after I became independent, I also did urauchi work on request, alongside making puzzle boxes. But the backed sheets can only be used on the top and bottom panels — the paper can be seen from the side, so they can’t be used for side panels.
Anyway, I hope you have a great weekend!😄
