Help with bamboo ply for speakers enclosure, cabinet

[gaborbela]

I would like to purchase a sheet of these type of bamboo for speakers enclosure at Toronto area.. 3/4 Inch Natural Horizontal Bamboo Plywood - Cali Bamboo - Cali Bamboo
If someone knows any good source please help me. I want to build a ported 3 way wit a par 10'' woofers
Thank you
Also if you have any experience with these ply for speakers enclosure, etc please share it with us.

Greetings

 

[planet10]

Of the 3 levels of Bamboo ply quality, horizontal is the least suitable for speaker boxes. The Vertical is better, and the Stranded varieties are superb. I'd highly recommend one of the last 2.

This stuff is getting less pricey but it is still expensive.

dave

 

[gaborbela]

Of the 3 levels of Bamboo ply quality, horizontal is the least suitable for speaker boxes. The Vertical is better, and the Stranded varieties are superb. I'd highly recommend one of the last 2.

This stuff is getting less pricey but it is still expensive.

dave

Thanks Dave!
Good to know, precious information..
Do you know any store or source at Toronto area.
To order from USA that would be horrible expensive.. These are the options from USA http://www.calibamboo.com/product-plywood-3ply-3-4-inch-horizontal-natural-8012001401.html
They have vertical or fossilized.

 

[planet10]

Chris is the one that gets our materials. He has a number of local wholesalers he can buy bamboo ply from. I'll see if i can get him to comment.

dave

 

[chrisb]

Locate a Representative - North America | Plyboo, Smith & Fong

Apparently any number of agents for this brand in your area. Of the half dozen or so major suppliers of sheet goods and solid lumber that we deal with, the only name that comes to mind with full nation-wide representation would be Upper Canada Forest Products.

Upper Canada Forest Products, Importer and Distributor of Hardwoods and Plywoods

There have been a lot of folks trying engineered laminate /bamboo flooring materials for speaker fabrication. While it's appealing from a point of view of cost, I've personally not tried it, and have my doubts for anything large than a small desk-top sized project.

 

[gaborbela]

Thank you chrisb
I will contact to them let see what they store , where they are located so on
I was thinking about these but 2PC only enough to the side panels and the top and bottom https://www.lowes.ca/countertops/q-solutions-company-cb-bamboo-island-top_g2372470.html
That is already 500 bucks plus tax on the end I end up $800 or so just for the enclosure mat.
Home Depot only sell 2x4 feet Russian Baltic birch I would need alt least 6Pc or so and one third would be waste. If I could get a 8X4 sheet but they don't have
The enclosure will be 48X16X13 inches
So annoying I have the drivers about 2 years and I do not find material to put together a decent enclosure. I hate MDF and Baltic birch not my favorite either but that is useful.
Thanks one more time

 

[zelgall]

If you can make the drive to Burlington, this place is fantastic:
Our Products | Exotic Woods

They have a good selection of top quality Baltic birch and a variety of nice veneers as well.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

I would like to purchase a sheet of these type of bamboo for speakers enclosure at Toronto area.. 3/4 Inch Natural Horizontal Bamboo Plywood - Cali Bamboo - Cali Bamboo
If someone knows any good source please help me. I want to build a ported 3 way wit a par 10'' woofers
Thank you
Also if you have any experience with these ply for speakers enclosure, etc please share it with us.

Greetings

It's brutally difficult to cut, but I've used bamboo flooring for speaker boxes. Stuff is bulletproof. Available at any home improvement store, and cheap. Paid about $40 for a case.

 

[chrisb]

garborbela:

zelgall's suggestion for BB or equivalent plywood looks pretty good

Per Patrick's remark - yup the flooring material is -well not exactly bulletproof - but certainly rugged. Note that not all engineering flooring materials are created equal, and many I've seen around here are thin enough to be fun to work with.

 

[gaborbela]

It's brutally difficult to cut, but I've used bamboo flooring for speaker boxes. Stuff is bulletproof. Available at any home improvement store, and cheap. Paid about $40 for a case.

I built a pair enclosure using OAK hardwood parquet outside, definitely not off the table that option. A lot of work to clamp it one by one. Last time I got the finished type and I needed to re sanded and stained it. I would love to get natural if I use hardwood parquet these time. Home depot, Rona, Lowes etc. only sale finished product.
Bamboo material must be sandwiched (multiple layer)otherwise it will crack. I used cutting board for small monitors front panel and did cracked after couple weeks.


That store at Burlington they got even 1" 8x4 feet BB sheet to. Only problem I do not drive, after I got disabled I can not drive. I will contact with them, let see if ever they ever come to Toronto
I can ask some of my friends if we can pick it up but they will say use any cheap ply.......

The last option that mentioned counter top from Lowes but that is very pricy.

Thank you guys for the help or advise

 

[DcibeL]

I would like to purchase a sheet of these type of bamboo for speakers enclosure at Toronto area.. 3/4 Inch Natural Horizontal Bamboo Plywood - Cali Bamboo - Cali Bamboo
If someone knows any good source please help me. I want to build a ported 3 way wit a par 10'' woofers
Thank you
Also if you have any experience with these ply for speakers enclosure, etc please share it with us.

Greetings

I purchased a countertop board from Lowes that is similar construction to what you've linked to, however it is a 1.5" board. 6ftx2ftx1.5" was $175 IIRC. The problem I had with it in the core layers had some significant gaps that had to be filled.

 

[planet10]

Natural Horizontal Bamboo Plywood - Cali Bamboo

They use the name fossilized for their stranded variety.

dave

 

[gaborbela]

I purchased a countertop board from Lowes that is similar construction to what you've linked to, however it is a 1.5" board. 6ftx2ftx1.5" was $175 IIRC. The problem I had with it in the core layers had some significant gaps that had to be filled.

They have two different type, one for counter top the other for island I did check out the one and that was nice, at least the side I could see

 

[len_scanlan]

I built a pair of bookshelf speakers a few years ago from bamboo ply and found it needed a SHARP (new) carbide tipped blade and controlled feed rate on the saw to cut without problems. Too fast and it splinters, too slow and the edges burn.

My best results came from placing a length of masking tape under the cut to prevent splintering.

 

[Pano]

Ditto on the burn. I've done that. I really like the bamboo ply tho. Seems to be a very good speaker cabinet material.

 

[DcibeL]

I didn't have any splintering problems, not cutting anyway but I did have chipout when drilling holes in it. Similar to plywood the boards do contain a lot of glue so they gummed up the blade, which started to burn. Cleaned the crud off the blade and good to go!

 

[gaborbela]

Today I spent some time at Home Depot and Lowes looking for materials for my enclosures.
All just got more complicated
At Lowes I checked the two bamboo material the counter top and the island, one of the counter top (out of the plastic wrap)both end had a crack about 6-7 inches true all the 3 layers the island material better quality but who knows if it crack that to after will open the plastic wrap (dries out) and I cut it into size or be glued together
How I mentioned I tried a few years a go a large cutting board for bookshelf enclosure front end and before I stained one side already cracked. Today when I saw the 1 1/2" counter top bot end had the mentioned 6-7" crack that material a big NO to me.
Lows has some oak (not sure if 100% oak or just the veneer) plywood for kitchen cabinet but they are so crocked and bent it just useless for enclosure.
I check the bamboo parquet, they are decent, strong material but the bottom side not smooth at all, would rather pick oak over bamboo.
Home depot has the usually 2X4' 3/4" thick and 1/2" thick Baltic Birch but those are to small size wise and half would be wasted... The best option if I can get at least a full size 4x8' Baltic Birch.
If there will be a need on that I can use oak parquet.

 

[chrisb]

Re: 3/4" bamboo plywood similar to that posted in your earlier link to Cali - I've built a few enclosures over the years with similar product by Plyboo. Terrgren and others, and have yet to have any structural failures.

Yes, it's harder than even BB plywood, and high quality super sharp saw blades and router bits are essential to "easy" / smooth machining.

Of the hundreds of speaker cabinets I've built over the past 15yrs, I've hardly ever used thicker than a single layer of 3/4" 18mm BB plywood well braced. One was for a custom replacement enclosure for B&W 15" woofer. That ended up being 2 layers thick all size sides, and interlocking bracing.

Frankly, I think 1" plywood would be overkill, but that's just my personal aesthetic - well, also cause I like to be able to lift an move a speaker box without the aid of a fridge dolly. the B&W sub box must have weighed 80lbs empty.

 

[DcibeL]

Today I spent some time at Home Depot and Lowes looking for materials for my enclosures.
All just got more complicated
At Lowes I checked the two bamboo material the counter top and the island, one of the counter top (out of the plastic wrap)both end had a crack about 6-7 inches true all the 3 layers the island material better quality but who knows if it crack that to after will open the plastic wrap (dries out) and I cut it into size or be glued together
How I mentioned I tried a few years a go a large cutting board for bookshelf enclosure front end and before I stained one side already cracked. Today when I saw the 1 1/2" counter top bot end had the mentioned 6-7" crack that material a big NO to me.
Lows has some oak (not sure if 100% oak or just the veneer) plywood for kitchen cabinet but they are so crocked and bent it just useless for enclosure.
I check the bamboo parquet, they are decent, strong material but the bottom side not smooth at all, would rather pick oak over bamboo.
Home depot has the usually 2X4' 3/4" thick and 1/2" thick Baltic Birch but those are to small size wise and half would be wasted... The best option if I can get at least a full size 4x8' Baltic Birch.
If there will be a need on that I can use oak parquet.

If that photo you posted is the product you found at Lowes, that's definitely not the countertop board I bought. What I have is vertically laid bamboo not horizontal, and construction just like the image in your first post, though the product in your first post is still a horizontal bamboo structure for the top layer. I'm attaching a photo of the product after I filled some gaps.

Just FYI standard baltic birch is 5ft x 5ft sheet, though sometimes you can get 4x8 sheets however I worry because that size would have been made specifically for the American market. If there is Windsor Plywood in Toronto I recommend you check them out.

 

[gaborbela]

If that photo you posted is the product you found at Lowes, that's definitely not the countertop board I bought. What I have is vertically laid bamboo not horizontal, and construction just like the image in your first post, though the product in your first post is still a horizontal bamboo structure for the top layer. I'm attaching a photo of the product after I filled some gaps.

Just FYI standard baltic birch is 5ft x 5ft sheet, though sometimes you can get 4x8 sheets however I worry because that size would have been made specifically for the American market. If there is Windsor Plywood in Toronto I recommend you check them out.

That picture I posted that is the pair of the cutting board I used it at my bookshelf speakers and cracked after few days.
I never used these at all and even these cracked several places.
The lighter color also bamboo.
The grain of the wood has different direction to hold the hole piece together and even like that is a mess.
When I purchased those they were wrapped into foil just like the counter top at Lowes.
The problem after the unwrap it dry out and do crack. I saw it yesterday, one piece was unwrapped on the top (may be someone returned it) and both side was damaged.
Yes you right your piece is from the counter top. You see the grain of the bamboo goes the same direction and that can crack easily.
The island look more solid, very likely just the side of the panel inside same as yours.
Actually I am surprised yours still is intact.
Sorry but when I invest into something and work on it (invest some time) and out of my fault turns bad after I'm very cautions.
I forget to take my camera to Lowes yesterday to make some pictures.
Again the best solution will be if I can get a full sheet Baltic birch. To buy the small pieces 2x4' is a huge waste of money.