Had a really interesting project a few years ago which involved making modular shelving that could lock together without screws or glue. At the time I made this i didn't even realize MDF came in thicknesses other than 1/4 to 1". For this project we ordered solid 2" thick ultralight MDF. The stuff is so machinable and has a really unique material quality all its own. The tops and bottoms were laminated with a formica. The angled grooves were then simply cut on the table saw right through the laminate. The laminate actually helped to reinforce the MDF edges preventing chipping when inserting the vertical supports. The whole piece stacked up about 6 ft high. The interlocking joints, fitting just snug enough created a really stable, but very quirky little bookshelf! One day i may play with this concept again trying out a solid wood material. The only problem I see is that solid wood can swell and shrink with humidity levels making the joints fit too tight or too loose. There could be endless versions of this design with different laminates or wood veneers on MDF instead. More vertical supports could also support longer shelving.

Occasionally, I will outsource (locally) some part of a job that I can't spend the time to set up and produce myself. This bookcase with drawer storage was one of those jobs. It had to be built in just a few days on a tight budget. We made the cabinet boxes but I decided to have the doors and drawer faces made at a friends shop on a CNC machine. The CNC (Computer Numerical Control) allows you to design something first on the computer and then cut that exact design into almost any material. The materials used here, for the doors and drawer faces, is high quality MDF called Ranger Board. MDF (medium density fiberboard) is very stable, much more so than a door produced with solid wood which may warp or twist over time. The frames are cut from a 4x8 ft sheet of material which means there are no glue joints to glue up...or worry about coming apart over time. The MDF is also an excellent surface for paint. The finish was sprayed with an HVLP spray gun and gave us an ultra smooth, brush mark free surface. The photo above shows the unit still in the shop prior to being shipped for install.