How may various fasteners be used with MDF?
While a woodworking joint (see above) is preferred over a fastener, some typical fasteners may be used as follows. Note however that this increases the risk of spliting and seperation of the material. • staples – Do not staple within 3/4 inch of any corner. Coated staples hold better than smooth staples. Use a finer wire staple if splitting is a problem. Drive at right angle to the surface to avoid bending. • nails – The same rules apply to nails as they apply to staples. Use ring-shank nails to avoid fiber raising around the nail head; do not use smooth nails. • screws – Drill pilot holes between 85 % and 90 % of the root diameter of the screw used and at least as deep as the screw. Untapered sheet metal screws with constant size shank are good; wood screws are not recommended. Pilot hole sizes and minimum edge distances for common screw sizes are : Screw Size Pilot hole (inch) edge distance (inch) #6 3/32 1/2 #8 7/64 5/8 #10 1/8 1 Do not overtighten screws and force screw heads into
