Hi guys

I`m working on my form block layouts, ive seen from youtube and forums guys using 1 inch mdf to make their rib forms.

But Home Depot and Lowes in Canada only stock 3/4 so i bought that. I did ask a sales person if they could order it but they said if its not on the shelf then its not available.

am i good to go with that or is 1 inch the way to go, if so any ideas on whos carrying it?

thanks

Michel in Toronto

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use 3/4" you will gain no advantage with 1" MDF works ok, but it will break down on the edges that you are working with eventually. I don't believe that you gain any more support with the extra 1/4" thickness as once the edges and corners begin to deteriorate it will have fractured all the way thru. I used MDF for my larger form and cutting blocks, but for smaller pieces I used plywood. holds up better and much nicer to work with. My next plane I plan on using plywood for the majority of the blocks. Dan.

I`m going to switch over to using plywood for the rest of the forms, any type you think is best. Finished on one side? stay with the same thickness 3/4 for the plywood also?

cant remember where I heard it, putting crazy glue on the mdf edges to keep the wood from falling apart. I think ill try it on the forms Ive already made.

Can you just double layer the 3/4" to make the form blocks?   Disclaimer - not a scratch builder, not a tin knocker ;O

The way I build mine is one set of form blocks is 2 pieces of 3/4" material. your aluminum is sandwitched between the 2 pieces and then formed to the left or right depending on which way you want the flange to go. If you glued 2 pieces together you would end up with 1 1/2" of material on either side which is way overkill for the number of parts we are going to form. In my opinion you will gain nothing of value by using anything over 3/4" material plus it will add expense, time and complexity to the project. I personally enjoy the building process, and I waste time and money  building/buying extra tools and tooling, but the ultimate goal is to have a flying airplane so I try and keep some things as simple as possible. some form blocks are only required to build 1 piece such as rudder tip. It is a small piece with sharp radius and releif. Takes a fair amount of forming. 2 small pieces of plywood are all that is necessary to form it and will work for 1 or 2 times use. MDF in my experience will not hold up to this particular forming operation. choose the proper material once, build it strong enough but as simple as possible and move on to the next operation. This is not a criticism of anyone elses way of doing things, just a reminder to not overthink things a keep it as simple as possible to continue moving forward, Dan.

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