flat belt pulley pattern

[Rickabilly]

OK, over here (UK) and in Australia at least, MDF glues OK if you either roughen the surface just a little, even breaking the shine with scotch brite is enough, or wet it down with water an hour or so before gluing with PVA or other water wash-up wood glue, but masonite is a lost cause on the shiny side and just messy on the rough side, although it will stick on the rough side. Masonite was a trade name in Australia, so probably related to the US cousin but a different formulation given the very different colour, maybe as a result of a different feed stock. My last Australian workshop was just a mile or so from the Masonite factory in Heather brae NSW, and you could really smell it when they were cooking up a batch.

Thanks for clearing that up Tom, now I will sleep well
Regards
Rick

PS to me half the fun of this Internet chatting thing is to learn about the subtle differences in product names, specs and traditions worldwide.