Joining sheets of MDF for kitchen

[Bodgit]

I'm in the process of installing a kitchen from MFI. I have an island consisting of 600mm deep units on the front and 300mm deep full height wall units to make the back, so in total the island is 900mm deep. The front side (the 600mm deep bit) consists of a built in freezer, a drawer unit and a built in fridge. The designer at MFI has supplied some 18mm thick end panels to box in the fridge and freezer and support the worktop at the two ends.

The end panels supplied are 600mm wide and made of MDF with a tongue & groove effect, so I need use two on each side, and cut them down to create 900mm wide panels. There only thing these panels can be screwed to is the 300mm deep wall units, so 600mm will be unsupported and should be able to support the worktop.

So now to the question. I can probably cut the end panels where the tongue & groove effect is so the cut should be less visible. I assume if I use a circular saw to do this it would look rubbish, so I should use a router & jig (I'd need to hire a 900mm long jig). But what should I join the panels with?

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks, Dave.

[Christian McArdle]

Being inexperienced in these things, I would probably do a biscuit join.

Christian.

[Cicero]

================================ If you're fairly confident with a handsaw one of these will be your cheapest option:

saws (sometimes described as 'shark saws') give an extremely clean cut even on melamine coated surfaces. A bit of practice is needed to get best results.

If you decide on the router option you don't need a jig as such - just a straight edge clamped to the piece you're cutting. In fact it would be easier to cut with your circular saw and clean the edge with a router and straight edge.

A biscuit jointer (as suggested by another poster) would be quite satisfactory, but I would suggest that you reinforce the MDF panels with wooden battens if there is sufficient room.

MDF dust is unpleasant - consider the many warnings offered here about inhaling.

Cic.

[Dave]

Do the edges of the panels look OK? If so, you could have a panel overlapping the butt join. This would stiffen it and hide the join. I did this with wood-effect panels on the backs of some island units and it looks good.

Don't forget to protect the MDF from water - I don't think I'd be happy having MDF panels going all the way down to the floor. Could you reproduce the plinth effect on the ends of the islands? Adding a narrow vertical front panel (50mm?) to the side of the fg/fz would allow you space to stiffen the end, make a small plinth and also help the airflow. Difficult to explain in words!

Dave

[Guy King]

The message from "Bodgit" contains these words:

Biscuits. Or, if you haven't got a biscuit joiner handy, run a circular saw down each edge and insert a loose tongue.

Or, if you can't see the reverse of the panel just glue a slab of MDF across the back of it.