wood

[gillman]

Can anybody tell me why most houses in the U.S. are made from ply and not something that would be easier to work with.

[CJEP]

I would assume price, but do not know. What material are you thinking of that would be easier?

[uppitycats]

Well, ply is wood...

For some of us without access or ability to use major power tools, the materials that Greenleaf uses are pretty "user friendly". I don't need power tools to cut it, even if I have to manufacture a part from a scrap, for instance. Don't need drills or saws, don't need lots of that sort of thing.

The White Orchid is made of some sort of foam board, which sounds easy except my husband was commenting about needing a particular glue. And I don't know how you'd color it (it does come in colors but I think youd have to custom order it then).

I think each material has it's pluses and minuses; just depends on your skill and interest, I guess.

[havanaholly]

Actually, Peter, MOST US dollhouses ae now made from MDF (medium density fiberboard) because, I understand, it's cheaper for them to make it into kits to sell for the same price as the previous (ply)wood house kits. IMHO the 1/8" plywood is a lot easier to work with than either thicker plywood or MDF (I've worked with both), both with power tools and hand tools.

[minilinda2001]

I absolutely love the Greenleaf houses I have built, but agree the ply leaves much to be desired. Is MDF stable and possible to use in 1/8" ???

The White Orchid intrigued me so much because it seemed to be able to capture details that sometimes need to be smoothed out because of splinters, etc.

What do we want? Character in design, ability to "bash", wire, carve with a craft knife, paste.... what else??? Anyone??????

[chesterfieldzoo]

MDF tends to shatter. It is bits of sawdust glued and compressed. It is very heavy. But since it is made of 'scrap' it is cheaper than plywood which is thin sheets of solid wood glued together in layers.

You don't want to get mdf wet. It will fall apart. I guess it would be the same as particle board which most formica countertops have.

Mdf is also hard to press nails in. You have to use a hammer or a lot of pressure.

What could possibly be better than ply? (except the white orchid material which is fabulous, but does have its drawbacks)

[Steve_in_PA]

I guess it all comes down to personal preference. I have always done best with 1/8" plywood, but I'm sure there are many out there that swear by mdf or other materials. I always say to do what works best for you !!

[Blondie]

I like the ply. I think it's pretty easy to work with and looks good. I have some cheap furniture in my "real" home that is mdf and it bows and breaks and chips. Ugh.

What kind of material do they commonly use where you live, gillman?

[eveningstargazer]

I prefer ply. Just my opinion.

[gillman]

My first house is made with M.D.F..

Most of the house I have seen are from M.D.F. also but one of the businesses that we get a lot of gear from has changed hands and the new people are importing houses and other stuff from England.

All of these imports are from PLY .

There also is a big trend here in Australia now for kits to be already assembled and painted .

I feel that would take a lot of enjoyment out of the projects.

May I take this opertunity to wish everybody a Safe & Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

[doogster]

The only company I know of that builds most (if not all) of it's houses from MDF is Dollshouse Emporium in England. RGT offer a few, but most of theirs are 3/8 plywood, and Greenleaf are all plywood. MDF houldn't break too easily, it's not wood pulp in glue, it's wood pulp in resin, kinda like fiberglass is glass fibre in resin. MDF is kinda the choppergun glass of the wood products world and plywood is the hand laid glass, the glue that hold the perpendicular sheets of wood together in ply provides a lot of the strength.

I guess one benefit to MDF is that it can be milled. This lets them create a very complex design with glass smooth edges. An advantage when dealing with thicker material. Now I've recently seen some 1/24th scale apartments made from 1/8th" MDF, I wouldn't go near them with a 10 foot pole, and they were expensive.

[havanaholly]

The only company I know of that builds most (if not all) of it's houses from MDF is Dollshouse Emporium in England.

Dura-Craft was in the process of re-releasing all their kits in MDF (as well as new designs) when they went belly-up, so there would have been two companies.

I built the Grand Ballroom roombox kit, which is MDF, as well as thicker plywood, and I far, far prefer the 1/8" plywood to work with.

There also is a big trend here in Australia now for kits to be already assembled and painted .

I feel that would take a lot of enjoyment out of the projects.

How boring! You'd have all the work of sanding/ stripping the things and disassembling in order to bash them. I suppose it's nice for people who need something to slap together Christmas Eve.