Where can I get sonotube?

[AJ Bertelson]

Wnet to lowes and homedepot and all they stock is the quick tube cardboard stuff.

What stores usually carry this?

Are concrete suppliers the best?

[Sch3mat1c]

You mean...you didn't find the cardboard forms? What exactly are you expecting to see?

Tim

[AJ Bertelson]

wait, I did see the cardboard forms witch were the quicktubes. I though it was heavier duty then that though?

Seemed very flexible

EDIT- Someone once said the tubes were maid out of a wood type MDF

[Dustin Haug]

No sonotube is cardboard, not MDF or wood. It's pretty thin, but when you get end caps on it due to the inherent strength of a circle it doesn't flex under pressure like you'd think.

[Sch3mat1c]

It ought to be about a half inch thick.

Indeed, if you wanted extra strength, you could add reinforcements, like a square board with a tight-fitting hole in it for the tube (as on the ends).

<Brainstorming>
Hmm....maybe have a square at each end, then one or two in the middle (depending on length), then *round* supports (2 or 3) inbetween each square support... with the rings, it'd look kinda Jetson-ey...
</Brainstorming>

Tim

[ryoshu]

I've seen the same thing here in NJ. Lowes only has the thin cardboard tubes (< 1/8 inch thick) and only in 4 foot lengths. The pics I've seen show stuff that is at least 1/2 inch thick and long.

[Bose(o)]

How do you go about determining the size of your sonotube? I have read about a lot of guys "punching in the numbers...playing around until.." they got the response they wanted. My guess is that you'd calculate the volume, vent lengths (if vented) and design it like a regular box. I've got some 10" woofers from an old Technics box and would like to use them, was thinking a sound canon like the wave canon or, a sonotube which is shorter and smaller. But first, I have to get these sort of things figured out first.

[caraudiophile]

you can get the heavy duty sonotube on the internet. it might be costly though. I've seen 12" diameter sonotube that was 1/2" thick on the jobsite before. you can get away with the thin stuff though. Just fiberglass it. laying glass is easy and cheap as well as light weight and very strong as long as it is curved , being round you should be able to get a very strong tube.

[planet10]

Originally posted by caraudiophile
1/2&quot; thick

I've never seen 1/2" thick sonotube (i'd like too thou )... 1/4" even is pretty thick.

Cubicon sells mdf tubes (in quite a few shapes), but shipping can cost more than the tube itself. if you want something more substantial than sonotube (which is actually quite strong), you can reinforce it as mentioned or you can look at PVC pipe. When it gets into the big sizes it can get real pricey thou... if you only need a short bit you could check out surplus.

dave