Hello to everyone
I was reading the topics conserning should you use mdf or wood to build spealer box.
I´m writing this not to fight that battle again but to find out people who build their speaker boxes from real wood against all the odds.
I realy would appreciate homepages with construction photos, hints and so on.
Ofcourse you can give your advise on the forum also.
Thanks for your time
I was reading the topics conserning should you use mdf or wood to build spealer box.
I´m writing this not to fight that battle again but to find out people who build their speaker boxes from real wood against all the odds.
I realy would appreciate homepages with construction photos, hints and so on.
Ofcourse you can give your advise on the forum also.
Thanks for your time
esuko,
MDF is easy to work with, it is consistent and resistant to moisture, whereas real wood may swell and warp over time creating cracks.
I have had success using plywood.
IMO, a thin MDF enclosure doesn't sound good, when plywood vibrates it doesn't sound as bad. Of course, if you are planning to build a solid enclosure, MDF is good to work with.
MDF is easy to work with, it is consistent and resistant to moisture, whereas real wood may swell and warp over time creating cracks.
I have had success using plywood.
IMO, a thin MDF enclosure doesn't sound good, when plywood vibrates it doesn't sound as bad. Of course, if you are planning to build a solid enclosure, MDF is good to work with.
You can use solid wood to build speakers, I have done it, but it's not straightforward.
Firstly you must use properly seasoned stock. If any panels are larger than about 150mm then you must let them season in your house for a year or so, not in the garage, but somewhere with similar humidity as where they will be placed. I have a stock of sycamore under the bed in the spare room. If well seasoned, I have only had problems with splitting on panels more than about 250mm wide, so look at that as a limit for any panel width. You won't be building anything big with this method, but a small to medium pair of two ways is certainly feasable.
I have had good results with oak, maple, red cedar and sycamore, other pine is mostly useless as it moves too much.
Once seasoned, make sure all the wood is flat and true, discard any that isn't. You can use it for other projects, but if you try to plane or trim too much, then you just release other tensions in the wood that will then cause it to move again, sooner rather than later. Joints must be well made and tight, any gaps that you could get away with using man made materials will not work with real wood.
Cabs need to be braced at least as well as if using normal panel materials, but if you can get more bracing in, then all the better.
Good luck with your project, and I hope this helps.
Firstly you must use properly seasoned stock. If any panels are larger than about 150mm then you must let them season in your house for a year or so, not in the garage, but somewhere with similar humidity as where they will be placed. I have a stock of sycamore under the bed in the spare room. If well seasoned, I have only had problems with splitting on panels more than about 250mm wide, so look at that as a limit for any panel width. You won't be building anything big with this method, but a small to medium pair of two ways is certainly feasable.
I have had good results with oak, maple, red cedar and sycamore, other pine is mostly useless as it moves too much.
Once seasoned, make sure all the wood is flat and true, discard any that isn't. You can use it for other projects, but if you try to plane or trim too much, then you just release other tensions in the wood that will then cause it to move again, sooner rather than later. Joints must be well made and tight, any gaps that you could get away with using man made materials will not work with real wood.
Cabs need to be braced at least as well as if using normal panel materials, but if you can get more bracing in, then all the better.
Good luck with your project, and I hope this helps.
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