Reference specs, per-sheet math, and router starting points for 3/4″ MDF — the flat, cheap, paintable sheet for signs, jigs, and cabinet parts. Punch in your sheet price below for an instant per-part quote.
MDF is the easiest sheet to route: no grain, no veneer to tear, and a thickness that is actually 0.750″. It takes a heavier chipload than wood, so it can run faster.
The catch is the dust. MDF makes fine dust instead of chips, and wood dust is a known carcinogen. Run dust collection at the spindle and wear a respirator.
The same math the calculator above runs — worked out longhand, so you can sanity-check it against your own numbers.
On a router the kerf is the bit itself, 0.25″ against a laser’s 0.008″, and every part needs tabs or hold-down clearance, so plan for 18–20% scrap rather than a laser’s 10–13% (Laguna puts well-nested shops at 82–92% sheet use).
This is the material line only. KraftyQuote’s router rows add the machine time with depth passes counted: 0.750″ at a 1/4″ step-down is three passes.
Published starting points, not settings to run blind. Hobby machines aren’t as stiff as the industrial machines tool makers chart for, so start at the hobby row and work up. Stepover for pocketing about 0.11″. Feed = RPM × flutes × chipload. An upcut bit is fine in MDF: there is no veneer to tear. If you are making powder rather than chips, feed faster or slow the spindle.
Not safely. MDF cuts to fine dust, and IARC classifies wood dust as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). Collect at the spindle, vacuum with a HEPA filter, and wear a P1 or better respirator.
Yes, 0.750" with a tight tolerance, unlike plywood. Big-box sheets are often oversized at 49" x 97", so measure before you set up the sheet.
It has no grain and no glue lines, so it takes a heavier chipload: tool makers list about 0.006" for MDF against about 0.003" for plywood with the same 1/4" bit.
No. An upcut bit clears chips best and there is no face veneer to lift. Compression bits earn their price on plywood and melamine.
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