Material and finish questions

[st_eloi]

Hello,

I am planning to build a pair of mFonkers but I am unsure as to which material and finish to use.

At work we have lots of really nice oak, ideally I would like to use solid boards finished with oil. With the size of the enclosure, and the knowledge of the wood guys (I'm a metal worker), I think I can avoid undue stress and cracking etc.

The other option is to use BB ply. We have a really good paint shop at work, as we build furniture, so I could have any finish I want. Is there anything you guys have wanted to try but have lacked the knowledge or equipment / paints to try?

I guess what I am asking is; if you had the chance to use pretty much any material or finish to a high standard, what would you go for?

I'm sure I am probably underestimating the resources available to you, but if not, what would you go for?

Cheers,

David

[Richard Ellis]

Personally, I would like to have had available at one time or another....an inch and a half of void free plywood (14 ply?)....birch...I do believe it would make a superior 'panel' to construct a loudspeaker.
Note , I don't care about the weight of a loudspeaker.
________________________________________Rick...... .....

[jupiterjune]

I like to build an inner box (glued and screwed) out of 3/4" MDF.

Then I glue and screw the outer panels to the inner box. I prefer a high quality plywood for the outer panels -- no veneering, which is a pain.

For the front baffle I like to use real wood, with a piece of 3/4" MDF glued and screwed to the back of it.

The solid wood front panel means no veneering of rounded corners.

JJ

[tilroh]

I'd finish the solid wood with 30 coats of marine varnish followed by a coat or two of satin.

[Andersonix]

I think it might look nice to finish a curved speaker and the front wall in the same natural grass wallpaper (or carpet the speaker the same as the floor, but this would have an unfortunate similarity to cat scratch furniture). There are also fake metal wallpapers that might suit the right decor.

Also gestating on ideas for molding or casting an Orion in concrete or synthetic stone or marble.

[mwmkravchenko]

I've built quite a few boxes over the years. The ones that stood out from the rest consisted of a oval tube used for concrete pillars enclosed in a box with the resulting voids filled with sand. The baffle would be at least 1 1/2" thick using BB. Built like ã battle ship with no real sound of their own.

Mark