Has anyone every built a sub box using plywood? I know MDF is the material of choice, but it is a pain in the butt to work with. I live in an apartment and i don't have access to heavy duty cutters. I have a buddy who's used 3/4" plywood and he's been very happy with it. This is my first project like this, so i'm wondering what some of you all might think.

thanks!

 

Use particle board...you will be glad you did! Plywood sounds like crap, dont use it....

 

You only really have 2 options in my opinion. LDF or MDF, I've used both and I prefer the MDF, but LDF is fine too, it just chips easily and won't hold a screw in the same place twice. It has decent resonance qualities for larger subs, but with the 10s I have now, I'd only go 3/4" MDF all the way, well, that and the fiberglass I have to to use in my spare well

 

Sorry, but particle board and ldf are NOT suitable for subwoofer boxes. SOME plywood is suitable tho, provided that it is Baltic Birch, or regular Birch, and is 5 or 7 ply (preferably 7).

MDF is a pain to work with, and I refuse to use it any more. It splits out when you drill into the end of it, so I will no longer use it. So far, I've had great luck from the Birch, but plan on finding some Baltic Birch to try soon.

Eric

 

What other types of plywood are acceptable? which ones are absolutely unacceptable? is 7-ply 3/4" thick?
thanks!

 

I'm not for sure what all is NOT suitable, but Birch, Baltic Birch, void-free ply, and marine grade ply are all suitable. As for what those last 2 are made of, I am not sure, as I found the Birch, and stuck with it...I hated MDF.

3/4" comes in 5 or 7 ply. The more ply it has, the stronger it will be.

Eric

 

MDF may be hard to work with, but it's what the pros use.... Every shop I've ever been in uses strictly mdf and fiberglass. I certainly don't want a plywood box. LDF is fine too, I've had boxes made with it. The resonance is actually quite nice. Go for the plywood if you want, but I'll stick with what's proven to work....

 

Last I checked, the pros use MDF because it costs about 1/2 as much as ply. I used to think that MDF was the only way to go, until Dan Wiggins of Adire Audio suggested to me that I use the Birch. I figured I'd try it, and after using the Birch, I'll never go back. I can put a screw straight into the end of the wood (after drilling a pilot hole), and it never splits out, unlike MDF.

Eric

 

Actually, most high end home audio speakers, (Dynaudio, Hale, Wilson, etc) all use either MDF, or in many cases HDF. Mainly becuase of its resonance properties, and NOT because of the cost. If worked with properly, with small pilot holes drilled, polyurathane glue, and beveled cuts, you should have no problems with the screw holes spliting out......

 

But their is a superior choice to MDF. It's called baltic birch. 3/4 inch material should have 12-14 ply's. MArine grade is only suitable if void free, as with all plywoods. Baltic birch is void free, significantly lighter than MDF, and about twice as stiff. So in the auto it is far superior to MDF. But for most car audio subs MDF is fine. I would only use the Baltic if you have something high end and want no compromises. Another advantage is less need for braceing, therefore even less materials in the enclosure. 1/2 inch BB should be fine for most car subs. The only reason no compromise companies don't use BB is that large spans are so stiff without braceing that there can be audible resonance. But the resonance can easilly be removed with very slight braceing. MDF rather than resonateing simply allows the sound wave to pass through.

 

MDF will split even if u drll a pilot, just built my box. It split at every corner, glued and ciliconed the s#$t out of it. If i had to do it all over I would use something else.

 

You either used the wrong screws or the wrong drill bit. In either case no wood would hold up to it's potential. MDF has beed used by thousands or more to make many very good boxes. I wouldn't use anything else for speakers less than a few hundred watts.