Predator Pool Table?

Personally, I would prefer solid wood. The first time a mechanic drops one on a corner, it will get damaged.

With low grade materials, yes. There are different grades of PB, and of laminate. I used to be a PM/engineer for a commercial casework company. Done right with good materials, PB panels will sustain less damage than real wood.
 
With low grade materials, yes. There are different grades of PB, and of laminate. I used to be a PM/engineer for a commercial casework company. Done right with good materials, PB panels will sustain less damage than real wood.
some EXTREMELY hi-end loudspeaker co's use hi-grade MDF for enclosures. technically i guess its particle board but not the kind that you normally think of.
 
some EXTREMELY hi-end loudspeaker co's use hi-grade MDF for enclosures. technically i guess its particle board but not the kind that you normally think of.

My pool table light is made of mdf. Mdf had excellent sound isolation properties. I made my speaker stands from mdf and filled them with sand specifically because it is a great material for the job.

There aren't many bad materials, many bad uses and implementations of materials.
 
I would say pool table aprons fall under that category. Didn't Gandy do MDF aprons?

I don't know about Gandy.

I would have no problem with a commercial table built with high density particleboard and cabinet grade laminate.

Are you thinking only of particleboard with very thin melamine laminate? That stuff is not durable and should be used only inside of cabinets and drawers.
 
I don't know about Gandy.

I would have no problem with a commercial table built with high density particleboard and cabinet grade laminate.

Are you thinking only of particleboard with very thin melamine laminate? That stuff is not durable and should be used only inside of cabinets and drawers.
Gandy used particle board for their rail skirts, with a paper finish, not the melamine finish..

I can assure you, that due to the weight of MDF, the rail skirts on the Predator 9fts are not made of MDF. And there's no cabinet grade laminate used on the finished look of them either, its paper, heat bonded finish, lighter weight, and much easier to conform to the skirt profile, and won't de-laminate due to constantly exposing the tables to different temperatures and humidity levels.
 
If you're ever around a Gabrielle table, look at the rail skirts and leg pedestals. They made with MDF, and have a spray acrylic finish on them. Take a real close look at that finish, and you'll see the spider web cracking everywhere in the finish, from humidity changes causing the MDF to expand and contract.
 
If you're ever around a Gabrielle table, look at the rail skirts and leg pedestals. They made with MDF, and have a spray acrylic finish on them. Take a real close look at that finish, and you'll see the spider web cracking everywhere in the finish, from humidity changes causing the MDF to expand and contract.

My research shows that mdf has expansion properties very similar to real wood, which is why it is so often used as a substrate for real wood veneer.

I expect the crackling is from something else related to the coating or process.

The fact is that steel had a much higher thermal expansion rate than mdf's thermal and humidity expansion. They keep coatings on steel for decades in the weather.
 
My research shows that mdf has expansion properties very similar to real wood, which is why it is so often used as a substrate for real wood veneer.

I expect the crackling is from something else related to the coating or process.

The fact is that steel had a much higher thermal expansion rate than mdf's thermal and humidity expansion. They keep coatings on steel for decades in the weather.
Effects of moisture on MDF
All wood and MDF products expand and contract in situations of high humidity or interaction with damp surfaces. In conditions where wood shrinkage is . 05 percent, the MDF shrinkage will be . 25 percent.
 
With its porous surface and flaky edges, MDF may not seem like a good candidate for a successful paint job. It's true that paint applied directly to MDF can cause the surface to become swollen and distorted. Edges siphon up paint, no matter how much paint you apply.Oct 7, 2021
 
With its porous surface and flaky edges, MDF may not seem like a good candidate for a successful paint job. It's true that paint applied directly to MDF can cause the surface to become swollen and distorted. Edges siphon up paint, no matter how much paint you apply.Oct 7, 2021

I just did it. Use a high-build urethane primer and you'll have no problem. I have five year old speaker stands that have been through 10-90% humidity that look like painted steel. I rattle-canned those.
 
With its porous surface and flaky edges, MDF may not seem like a good candidate for a successful paint job. It's true that paint applied directly to MDF can cause the surface to become swollen and distorted. Edges siphon up paint, no matter how much paint you apply.Oct 7, 2021

If you are going to quote The Spruce, quote the parts that refute your point, also.
 
I just did it. Use a high-build urethane primer and you'll have no problem. I have five year old speaker stands that have been through 10-90% humidity that look like painted steel. I rattle-canned those.
How thick is the MDF you built those speakers with?
 
I just did it. Use a high-build urethane primer and you'll have no problem. I have five year old speaker stands that have been through 10-90% humidity that look like painted steel. I rattle-canned those.
Good for you, have you personally seen a Gabriel pool table?
 
Furthermore, you're guessing as to what the rail skirts are made from on the Predator table, unless you've seen one up close and personal, have you? I have, and the skirts are not made out of MDF, but I'm not getting into this conversation, id rather just sit back and be entertained with everyone's guessing games😅🤣😂
 
Furthermore, you're guessing as to what the rail skirts are made from on the Predator table, unless you've seen one up close and personal, have you? I have, and the skirts are not made out of MDF, but I'm not getting into this conversation, id rather just sit back and be entertained with everyone's guessing games😅🤣😂

I am not. I'm just saying that particleboard and mdf are not inherently bad materials. I have made no claimed about what the predator table is made from.
 
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