Thread: Help with rounding out edges on MDF!

No apologize needed.

UM, well I dont know how professional or the regular ones work, lol. I think on most of the console, im going to use foam pieces to build it into a shape. I think the only part that has to be smoothed is the back with the screen, amd maybe a bit of the front.

Regular have a blade permanently attached to body.
Profesional have removable blades.

For rounding edges you will need this tool shape:

Dont know if you've found your answer yet but i do alot of fiberglass work for car audio projects and i needed a cheaper smaller tool then a big clunky router and i found this (its local here in daytona) but is available on there website.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44914

its a trim router but its basically a rotozip on steroids but i took the plastic base off and cut a larger opening to allow a standard router bit fit it works like a charm for me rounding edges of speakerboxes/ports and other projects.




i used it to round the edges of my port and amp rack pieces on my project

Originally Posted by edge2k

Dont know if you've found your answer yet but i do alot of fiberglass work for car audio projects and i needed a cheaper smaller tool then a big clunky router and i found this (its local here in daytona) but is available on there website.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44914

its a trim router but its basically a rotozip on steroids but i took the plastic base off and cut a larger opening to allow a standard router bit fit it works like a charm for me rounding edges of speakerboxes/ports and other projects.




i used it to round the edges of my port and amp rack pieces on my project

Ahhhhh, I see how it works... since you are a fiberglass person. How should I go about this. Should I do it all in vinyl wrapping or in fiberglass. One area has to be fiberglassed most definately, which is the front with the holder and stuff.

Well, fiberglassing or covering in vinyl really depends on what your willing to tackle and how handy you are with vinyl, personally for me to cover something that shape with so many square edges would be really hard to keep a piece of vinyl or any material smoothed, as far as ease if your fairly good with fiberglass you can lay some down and make inserts like for around your cupholders and wrap those pieces in vinyl or suede or something fancy that matches your interior. But if you were going to paint it mdf is pretty much ready to paint being so smooth, you would just need to put a few coats of high build primer on first and sand it with 320 or so and go from there.

hope it helps.


*afterthought*

Just a tip that helps me a ton, when your laying down vinyl preferably use an upholstery grade glue (weldwood i think is what i use, but i spray it with a hvlp spray gun) but let the glue tack first, then before you start laying it heat it up with a heat gun untill it gets very soft and plyable and once you have it in place (section at a time) wipe it with an rag thats in really cold water and it will contract and hold that place.

Originally Posted by edge2k

Well, fiberglassing or covering in vinyl really depends on what your willing to tackle and how handy you are with vinyl, personally for me to cover something that shape with so many square edges would be really hard to keep a piece of vinyl or any material smoothed, as far as ease if your fairly good with fiberglass you can lay some down and make inserts like for around your cupholders and wrap those pieces in vinyl or suede or something fancy that matches your interior. But if you were going to paint it mdf is pretty much ready to paint being so smooth, you would just need to put a few coats of high build primer on first and sand it with 320 or so and go from there.

hope it helps.


*afterthought*

Just a tip that helps me a ton, when your laying down vinyl preferably use an upholstery grade glue (weldwood i think is what i use, but i spray it with a hvlp spray gun) but let the glue tack first, then before you start laying it heat it up with a heat gun untill it gets very soft and plyable and once you have it in place (section at a time) wipe it with an rag thats in really cold water and it will contract and hold that place.

Yea, I had a previous console wrapped in vinyl, but certain areas looked odd so I made this one. I wonder how hard it would be to do in fiberglass.

Well if theres any specific questions you have about glassing the console or dressing it up feel free to ask or message me. I have a few tricks and do ok with it, heres a few pics that iv done making inserts and accent pieces, maybe you could give something like that a try.
this has plexiglass, brushed aluminum and laminate inserts

this has 2 side pieces covered in suede that are pressure fit in and can be interchanged if you were to ever want to

Why didn't I ever see this!!!!!!!!!!!!! That looks awesome. Well I have decided on the fiber glassing, but I have run into a issue. The 2 sides of the console are fairly thick, so when I put the console into the car, the gap is so tiny and almost non existent between the seats and the console. I do know that i will need space in order for the fiberglass to have room. I have thinner MDF sheets. Should I replace the sides of the console with those thinner sheets. I am worried that I will loose stability and sturdiness. Will the fiberglass provide added stability?

PS: Maybe I can make the sides out of metal, that will be super strong.