So, I've heard that you don't need an MDF board for the Prusa 2, and somebody mentioned somewhere about it being a possible lung hazard, but all of the assembly instructions everywhere talk about having the board under the heatbed. Is it actually necessary, and if not, how do I put it together without it?

It is needed since it provides a frame work to level everything out from what I can see. There are better ways to do it, but you need either a welder or mill for that to work.

The reason why a MDF board would be a hazard to your lungs is because of the types of resin they use to hold everything together. When heated it would start off gassing.

If you are really worried there are places where you can either order one that is glass, metal or acrylic, or even just regular wood.

If you are handing with a band saw and a file. You can make your own it is really easy. If not order it and save your fingers.

You can use almost anything for the sheet that goes under the heated bed. I usually use aluminum, as it's easy to cut and work with. You can order custom cuts for pretty cheap from here: [www.onlinemetals.com] That link goes to some inexpensive 0.063" aluminum plate which would work well for this application.

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