Cutting trunking and cable tray

[topquark]

Is MDF proven carcenogenic?, is this going to become the new "asbestos" in 10-20 years time, masks and special licenses to remove it?

I had thought it was something to do with the bonding agent (formaldehyde?) and size of dust particles. Not sure on what the latest "evidence" suggests though.

 

[vernam616]

We all be wearing a mask one day to touch it!

 

[thekingiam]

anyways back to the question, good hacksaw and knowledge how to use it.
I had a brilliant one from b & q of all places and roughly about a tenner, always cut straight and true (loved it) was working with brother and he borrowed it and i never saw it again! still hurts !
bought the exact same model and a pile of crap! i hate bringing it out of my tool box (it's cursed)this post just reminded me. i wonder if i could take it back? ive had a year or two but it can't cut straight!

 

[netblindpaul]

Try here for advice on MDF:

Frequently Asked Questions - MDF

 

[telectrix]

a brief scan of thatdocument seems to indicate that MDF is safe. so were the titanic and hindenberg.

 

[Darkwood]

We all have a learning curve so for a imformative response first check the hacksaw blade is correct the thicker and stronger the material the greater no' of teeth you need e.g.thick metal 32teeth and plastic wood etc 18teeth, a 24/28 hacksaw blade tends to be good all rounder, secondly it has to be held tight in the hacksaw as cheap hacksaws allow blade to flex and buckle then finally the item you cut has to be firmly held if it moves about most of your energy is lost in doing so. Unfortunately the basics nowadays are skipped over too fast and not really taught anymore they rely on work collegues to do this but that rarely happens if all the above is satisfied then the rest is just learning to cut straight which comes with time.
When a job has numerous cuts to make just hire a chop saw with metal cutting blade and angle adjustment as it dont cost much and saves hours of labour.

 

[netblindpaul]

a brief scan of thatdocument seems to indicate that MDF is safe. so were the titanic and hindenberg.

Quite tel!
All that does is leave more questions does it not?...

 

[johnboy6083]

I wonder about working with fiberglass. How long before that's found to be bad for your health?

 

[netblindpaul]

The issue with Asbestos is the physical properties of the fibres being barbed and with such an aerodynamic make up that they can be carried right into the Alveoli in the depths of the lung, once there they stick into the side walls of he alveoli and the body then attempts to remove them, which creates scar tissue which never stops growing, think oysters & pearls.
MDF, can contain hard wood dusts which are know asthmagens, and can also be carcinogens.
This depends on the quality control of the MDF.
UK, possibly EU & US produced MDF probably be OK.
Elsewhere in the world, possibly even the 3rd world, no chance of knowing, and they probably don't care.
Also the adhesive used used to be a problem, however, this has been changed, again in UK, EU & US materials, again the rest of the world who knows!

Fibreglass has by its physical properties a smooth fibre, thus the body can remove this as a foreign body much more easily than a barbed fibre such as asbestos.
However, we don't know what other stuff was put in the early fibreglass insulation.
Current product I believe will be safe.
Fibreglass is a man made material, Asbestosis natural.
The issues with glass fibre would come from bad manufacturing, the lucky thing is it is really cheaper to make it right, this the possibilities of poor quality are reduced.

 

[Adam W]

Some unnecessarily harsh replies here but I agree that it's worth mastering the hacksaw before you start looking for easier ways using power tools - you never know when you're going to be on a site where you don't have a suitable power supply for whatever power tool you've got, then the humble manual hacksaw will get you out of the mire.