cabinet material

[rock12]

I have a lot of hardwood around what are the pro's and con's of hardwood to plywood?

[Cal Weldon]

Don't for get to use search. Hard wood often splits if not dried in a controlled environment for 50 years. More stress than average furniture.

density of cabinet material
Cabinet w/Hardwood front baffle
Hardwood plywood for speakers?

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by Cal Weldon

Don't for get to use search. Hard wood often splits if not dried in a controlled environment for 50 years. More stress than average furniture.

density of cabinet material
Cabinet w/Hardwood front baffle
Hardwood plywood for speakers?

Without getting into the polemics again (what, politics on an enthusiasts' forum? ), let's not forget that there are some fine examples of solid hardwood furniture / musical instruments several times our own ages that are surviving just fine, (I'd say a 9 ft concert grand piano is subject to at least as much stress as most domestic loudspeaker systems), while a 2 yr old PB/ MDF / or plywood cabinet can experience a variety of failure modes (i.e. integrity / finish etc.)

[Mikelo]

True, but what about the issue that a violin or piano is meant to resonate while
a speaker shouldn't?

I'm thinking about a solid 1.5 inch/38mm maple baffle.

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by Mikelo

True, but what about the issue that a violin or piano is meant to resonate while
a speaker shouldn't?

I'm thinking about a solid 1.5 inch/38mm maple baffle.

try 29 -32mm

[spopepro]

Originally Posted by chrisb

<snip> let's not forget that there are some fine examples of solid hardwood furniture / musical instruments several times our own ages that are surviving just fine, ...

I suspect Cal's point is still at work here. My musical instrument, made out of a solid block of big leaf figured maple, was treated by the manufacturer for 15 years after they purchased the cut and dried stock. It needed to be oiled occasionally in the first 10 years and less frequently as time goes on. Yes, it will last forever. I nearly purchased a 1929 instrument before settling on my horn, made in 1992. However, careful treatment before and after working is probably needed for anything you expect to be air tight.

[THORNSPAWN]

These are solid hardwood, kiln dried Victorian Ash, no special treatment, they have been sitting next to a window for over a year with no problems yet. All panels are 32mm thick though with all joins mitered and expanding polyurethane glue.
Using anything thinner would be asking for trouble.

[AuroraB]

The main problem with hardwood cab's are cross grain joints, as solid wood expands/ contracts different along the grain vs across. This might cause problems and splitting. Solid wood WILL contract and expand with varying humidity, - how much is a matter of size and wood types, among other things. Cabinet and furniture makers have long since devised methods to avoid the problem. For a small cab, this should be a minor problem , if any at all, but for a larger, say 100l +/- , grain orientation is a matter for serious concideration. I've asked myself this question for many years, as it would solve many problems related to finishing, provided one has a little more than basic woodworking skills. One solution to the problem could be to screw front and rear panels, so give some compensation for movement. Vibrations can be controlled by bracing and damping

BTW- nice speakers, Thorn, - proves exactly my point for finishing.....

( The problem in my corner of the world, is that all the small scale wood suppliers, small workshops etc are all gone, and the only resource available locally, is construction grade pine.....even veneers are almost impossible to get in DIY quantities.... Sigh. )