Im looking for solid wood, or at least finger jointed wood, for my new speakers. Having read the BBC papers in the past, Ive used birch ply in my last project. Im trying to get away from the traditional sheet materials (ive got a small 2 way using granite also in the pipeline). So far ive arrived at 2 choices, birch and beech. Does anyone have any better suggestions?
haha thanks Charles, I am from the same 'school' believe me. Kitchen block was my initial thought, probably in the 38 or 40mm thickness, so i dont think the 8 litre cabs will be too 'live'. However there remains the option to glue 40mm square timber myself in a lego like fashion. Alot of mitre block work though.
The problem with solid wood has got nothing to do with 'sound' or 'timbre' or 'deadness' but with movement. It doesn't matter if you finger joint it, dovetail it, sliding dovetail it, biscuit it .... it still moves. That's why in a furniture carcass, with wide sides, any internal partitions, dividers, drawer supports etc. are designed to slide (sliding dovetail, fastened at the front, floating at rear etc.). Wood moves across the grain, not with. You might get away with all solid sides, top, and bottom, given that all grain is oriented the same way (ie up the sides), but then your front & rear baffles will be trying to expand while your top and bottom baffles won't - stress and conflict.
These are the simple reasons why plywood was such a huge innovation: the multiple, opposing direction layers, bonded under pressure, don't move.
Don't take my word for it, check any good furniture construction book - check Taunton Press.
These are the simple reasons why plywood was such a huge innovation: the multiple, opposing direction layers, bonded under pressure, don't move.
Don't take my word for it, check any good furniture construction book - check Taunton Press.
I know that my view isn't a popular one, and my reasoning isn't in line with most people's, but here's another point of view:
I used to build cabinets out of MDF & ply years ago, but I switched to solid wood for the sheer enjoyment of working with solid wood.
So far I've detected no wood movement in the speakers I built five years ago and use at home. I expect there may be some movement in five to ten years time, and if that's the case I'll build another set of cabinets and enjoy working with solid wood again.
AJ
I used to build cabinets out of MDF & ply years ago, but I switched to solid wood for the sheer enjoyment of working with solid wood.
So far I've detected no wood movement in the speakers I built five years ago and use at home. I expect there may be some movement in five to ten years time, and if that's the case I'll build another set of cabinets and enjoy working with solid wood again.
AJ
There are quite a few companies that make cabinets out of solid wood. Daedalus Audio's Lou Hinkley for example loves to use solid wood. In the old days (early 70s) in India many local cabinet makers used soild wood. My dad used to have speakers that had cabients made of solid teak and mahagony. I remember them sounding lovely.
I quite agree. But, if you have smallish panels, (no more than, say, 250mm across the grain), and use well seasoned wood in a stable climate, then you can get away with it.
I made these speakers for a pair of Mark Audio Alpair 7.3's
They are 'solid engineered' Walnut.
They are infact made from engineered floorboards...it comes as 5mm thick solid wood, bonded to 12mm plywood. I then glued this to 6mm mdf to ensure it had a solid base to work from, and power sanded the top finish off making them perfectly flat.
I bought these off-cuts for £20, and have a speaker that has the external walls made of solid wood, a plywood central core and the deadening inside of mdf.
I think for me it is the perfect speaker building material....so far
They are 'solid engineered' Walnut.
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They are infact made from engineered floorboards...it comes as 5mm thick solid wood, bonded to 12mm plywood. I then glued this to 6mm mdf to ensure it had a solid base to work from, and power sanded the top finish off making them perfectly flat.
I bought these off-cuts for £20, and have a speaker that has the external walls made of solid wood, a plywood central core and the deadening inside of mdf.
I think for me it is the perfect speaker building material....so far
haha at last some that wont hex me for contemplating solid wood construction! I have a few woodworking books, and shrinkage is something that anyone in possession of a lathe or fretsaw should know, i have neither but was still aware of it.
Well seasoned, close grained wood is the least problematic, hence my initial choice of birch and beech. Apple may look nicer.
Any suggestions that fit those criteria are welcome, however stating what should be obvious to anyone handling real wood, is not necessary. If i was that naive id be building in pine or oak...
Well seasoned, close grained wood is the least problematic, hence my initial choice of birch and beech. Apple may look nicer.
Any suggestions that fit those criteria are welcome, however stating what should be obvious to anyone handling real wood, is not necessary. If i was that naive id be building in pine or oak...
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...For furniture work would must be down to 9/10% moisture so it can take the conditions of being put into someones house in winter with central heating.
If you were to purchase some wood, cut it roughly to size, stack it up with air gaps behind your sofa or in the room it is to be used to let it acclimatise for a few months, there would be very little movement.
For a little more money to ensure less movement, make sure you buy quarter sawn timber.
American timber is often a lot dryer than english, and you get less wastage, but I think any solid hardwood, would work fine, just depends what colour and grain you want in your house.
Whats wrong with Oak?
If you were to purchase some wood, cut it roughly to size, stack it up with air gaps behind your sofa or in the room it is to be used to let it acclimatise for a few months, there would be very little movement.
For a little more money to ensure less movement, make sure you buy quarter sawn timber.
American timber is often a lot dryer than english, and you get less wastage, but I think any solid hardwood, would work fine, just depends what colour and grain you want in your house.
Whats wrong with Oak?
There is nothing wrong with Oak, besides that i dont like it and i think im correct in saying it has an open coarse grain which could be more prone to splitting.
I agree also, quartersawn with a period of acclimatisation will make double sure. I had to do the same with birch ply!
Also for what its worth, i plan to build and glue. Leave for several weeks, then varnish or seal both the inside and outside surfaces to further protect against movement.
So far ive considered birch and beech (tough and workable) and cherry and apple or mahogany (for appearance).
Purpleheart would be nice but i doubt ill find it in a form i can easily work with.
I agree also, quartersawn with a period of acclimatisation will make double sure. I had to do the same with birch ply!
Also for what its worth, i plan to build and glue. Leave for several weeks, then varnish or seal both the inside and outside surfaces to further protect against movement.
So far ive considered birch and beech (tough and workable) and cherry and apple or mahogany (for appearance).
Purpleheart would be nice but i doubt ill find it in a form i can easily work with.
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I resaw my own 1/4" veneer from solid and glue it on casework made from ply and mdf...Good Luck with solid wood. Seal it inside and out.
Of the woods you mention above, apple has the greatest change in dimension with moisture...beech is not far behind..That characteristic is not good for your purpose.
Of the woods you mention above, apple has the greatest change in dimension with moisture...beech is not far behind..That characteristic is not good for your purpose.
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It is a matter of moisture content swing between seasons and wood selection / milling. Some woods are more stable then others and the within a species the type of milling matters as well. Quartersawn will move th least and be the most stable with flat sawn having the opposite effect.
There is a chart out there on the web from the forestry service I believe that shows various species and their seasonal movement as a function of moisture content and panel width...check it out.
There is a chart out there on the web from the forestry service I believe that shows various species and their seasonal movement as a function of moisture content and panel width...check it out.
Why not do like prairieboy suggested and use solid for sides top and bottom with the grain running around the cabinet, and use plywood for the front and rear baffle. You could paint the plywood satin black.....it's a nice look and no grain conflict. There are a pair of micro towers I made this way in the cabinet section of my web site.
Evan
Evan
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