Is Osb A Good Choice For A Surface Plate Cover?

Ulma Doctor

Ulma Doctor

Infinitely Curious
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I'm tinkerin' with the idea of constructing covers for my granite surface plates.
i'm using my shop aprons for now, but i should better protect them.
constructing the box doesn't seem challenging.
i have a large hunk of OSB board and smaller 1xs' for the lighter framing
any reasons not to use OSB, i'd love to hear them
thanks in advance

I'm aware that you do not want to breathe the dust or get it into mucous membranes,
safety will be addressed i assure.:)
 
Ulma,
You take care when using that type of board, all these man made boards are not good news to be near your nose throat or lungs, I may be talking rubbish but I believe in Germany the health and safety regarding breathable dust from this stuff is far ahead of the U.K. really stringent dust prevention equipment is mandatory.
Over here we have M.D.F. board , I was offered a goodly amount of it from a firm (Surplus nice big offcuts) I turned them down, I am pretty terse about any of that stuff, Many years back, an establishment where i worked had two woodworkers, who worked in a department in which the dust suppression was dire, They were machining a lot of M.D.F. board They both seccumbed to throat and lung cancer, May have been a co-incidence, But I wonder ? Dust masks are a must!
 
Ulma, I made mine out of 1/2" plywood. Don't see why the OSB wouldn't work well. I don't know about the health hazards associated with it, but it has been used for years.
 
thank you Dan and Bob.

i should reconsider my thinking
the MDF would be a better choice!!!!
i was just in a creative mood and saw some osb doing nothing,
but it's not worth hurting my or my son's health over.
i'll be sure to get good breathing separators for us
 
Any health risks would come during the fabrication of the cover. OSB has been used for many years in home sheathing, subflooring, etc. I would use the protective masks during cutting and sanding as a safety precaution. There are binders in addition to the wood dust that will be floating around. For a box this size, it will be minimal. A few dozen saw cuts at most. Once assembled, a couple of coats of polyurethane finish should provide a moisture resistant barrier. In my experience, OSB tends to self destruct when exposed to moisture. However, OSB should serve your purpose.

Bob
 
What I know as MDF is essentially a coarse sawdust held together with binders. MDF has no grain as such and can easily be broken with a sharp blow. Nails or screws near an edge can easily be broken out. OSB has fairly large flat wood chips pressed and held together with binders. The character of OSB is similar to plywood and has a fair amount of structural strength. MDF has a smoother surface than OSB and less problematic for finishing.
 
Use the OSB over the MDF. I had a custom woodworking shop for 20 years, I can attest that MDF is nasty stuff, full of formaldehyde. OSB has some too but not nearly as much as MDF, OSB is much stronger too.
MDF is forbidden in my home or shop.
 
I think thatOSB would be perfect for a cover. Run the one by around the edge and drop it on your surface plate. The binders or glue is the stuff that causes problems, but only in prolonged use. Off gassing occurs within 30 days for the most part, but does continue for the life of the product just in negligible amounts. You may consider some felt dots on the side that touches the plate, that way if there is any stray chips etc the pads would keep the wood from scratching the surface plate.
 
Safety glasses are a must when cutting OSB. The chips fly like crazy. Face shield wouldn't hurt either.
 
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