Do be careful using laminate flooring, the coatings are very hard and abrasive and I have even seen the odd sparks comming off my SCMS when cutting in dim light. Same goes for melamine faced board "conti board" I often trim this with indexable carbide router cutters and you can see a marked increase in the wear at the areas where the surface comes along the cutter it also takes teh edge of TCT saw blades quite quickly.

A good quality MDF preferably the green MR MDF has no surface coatings is as dense as the core used for flooring can be used but it is still quite abrasive to HSS tooling. I do use it as packing but try to use smaller bits so the work overhands the edge.

I used mdf as an impromptu faceplate before I owned the real thing. Turned it to the chuck diameter on a threaded rod spigot (mask worn and vac rigged up to such the shavings/dust straight of the tool) then to be mounted it was held it in the outside jaws. Used it to drill and bore holes in little boiler end caps. Worked out ok. Would use again for little/lightweight pieces.

Edited By Steven Greenhough on 30/05/2015 14:28:58

I use quite a lot of the laminate flooring, 'cause I have a lot left over. Good for packing in the drill viceand levelling in 4 jaw etc. Surprisingly accurate on thickness, last I checked was 8mm by mike with no difference over 150mm. I use a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade and have no probs.

I use it for placing under work when drilling, and I'v used it for mocking up parts for my Stirling Engines before attacking the design in metal.

Ian S C