I'm making a pair of open-baffles out of hardwood plywood. It's really nice stuff - very strong, and it's got what amounts to a nice birch veneer. 25$ for a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" thick material - only $5 more than cheap plywood.
I've heard that plywood can split in speaker cabinets, though; that's why so many people instead use MDF. Could I get away with using this? What if I only used it for the front baffle and bakck of the speaker, with the sides, top, and bottom made of MDF?
I've heard that plywood can split in speaker cabinets, though; that's why so many people instead use MDF. Could I get away with using this? What if I only used it for the front baffle and bakck of the speaker, with the sides, top, and bottom made of MDF?
Curmudgeon said:
I'm building some horns, which were originally made with actual hardwood.
http://www.audio-resolution.com/zhorn/fr125s.html
Due to their design, they have a massive amount of internal bracing - the inside of the speaker is only 3" thick!
Enclosures
I think plywood is a superior material for cabinet construction, however I think the move to MDF is more of a convenience as MDF is more forgiving for "sloppy" construction.
I personally use 1" MDF, I will not use anything less thick, perhaps shoebox size enclosures I could use 3/4" and feel OK about it.
Perhaps those who have used plywood invariably use too coarse a saw to cut it with & wrongly come to the conclusion that it is an inferior material. I would feel a good quality seven or nine ply plywood would be superior given great care is used in the sizing, cutting of said plywood.
____________________________________Rick..........
I think plywood is a superior material for cabinet construction, however I think the move to MDF is more of a convenience as MDF is more forgiving for "sloppy" construction.
I personally use 1" MDF, I will not use anything less thick, perhaps shoebox size enclosures I could use 3/4" and feel OK about it.
Perhaps those who have used plywood invariably use too coarse a saw to cut it with & wrongly come to the conclusion that it is an inferior material. I would feel a good quality seven or nine ply plywood would be superior given great care is used in the sizing, cutting of said plywood.
____________________________________Rick..........
$25 is far too cheap for usable ply, unless it is some incredible sale. The cheapest decent stuff I've found is $60 a sheet (baltic birch from Menards, the face veneer isn't great and it's a little warped.) Keep in mind that any internal voids might buzz, rattle or otherwise make noise. You'll know when you cut it if you've got voids or not. The edges are often better looking that the center, and some places fill the voids on the edges. Look closely. I have built cabinets out of the $35 a sheet stuff from Home Depot; I wouldn't do it again. You might get away with it on open baffles, and if it doesn't work you're not out much anyway.
Paul
Paul
MDF is denser, cheaper, flatter and just about perfect for veneering. Plywood is more expensive and you must deal with the bent sheets, since it is rare to find a place that knows how to store them properly. Most important, not all plywood qualifies for making speakers. You must use furniture grade plywood which is guaranteed to be void free. At $25 a sheet I am almost certain that you did not get the furniture grade type, as it costs twice as much. It comes in sheets of 5’ x 5’ or 4’ x 8’, and you will often find it as Baltic birch plywood. It is easy to spot it because it has markings in Cyrillic (it really does come from the Baltic Sea region).
For open-baffles however, even the cheap plywood is good enough. I doubt that you will have any structural problem with it, provided you keep the speakers indoors.
For open-baffles however, even the cheap plywood is good enough. I doubt that you will have any structural problem with it, provided you keep the speakers indoors.
I use MDF as I indicated above because it's self-damping. Do the knock-knock test; if it asks "who's there?" move on. The right answer is "nobody home, 'cause I'm daid".
As with anything though, awareness of the pitfalls, and avoidance thereof, means both can be successful. My choice of MDF is based strictly on the sonic characteristics; but structurally it ain't the best. There have been some interesting comments in other threads about cabinet material. I've never seriously tried constrained damping, but some casual trials seemed very promising.
As with anything though, awareness of the pitfalls, and avoidance thereof, means both can be successful. My choice of MDF is based strictly on the sonic characteristics; but structurally it ain't the best. There have been some interesting comments in other threads about cabinet material. I've never seriously tried constrained damping, but some casual trials seemed very promising.
pjanda1 said:
The stuff I have looks to be birch - I, too, think they made a price mistake.
The trick is to lift up half the stack and take out the one from the middle - it will be squashed flat.
And a "knock" test shows that these are pretty darn solid - it's definitely hardwood-based plywood. ("Cabinet Grade").
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