Ultimate DIY cabinet materials?

[markp]

I disagree markp I my experiance it's always better to go sandwich dampening instead of one or multible layers of the same material. If you try an extreme (admittedly) approch like mine you'll know where the extra work and money went ...

I've been using that method for about 20 years actually. I've done no less than 5 variants on the theme. The easiest being sonotube of 14"dia with a sonotube of 12"dia inside with sand inbetween. That made a great sub tube. The most extreme being a multi layer of .75"mdf/.062"lead sheet/ .125" sorbothane sheet/.062"lead sheet/.75"mdfthat was scored deeply in a random pattern. This box also had a sand chamber on the bottom 4" of the cabinet. Believe it or not the results for a sub with the 3/4" corian were or a par with the best. It was well braced with the corian as cross members( corian acts as a single unit when the proper corian glue is used). The drawback was the cost and it was very heavy after all was said and done. It did look great though!

 

[andrikos]

Hi, Andrikos -

I built a set as push-pull a while back for my music only system to get the even harmonic neutralization, but the set I'm preparing to build now for my HT system will be push-push to simplify construction a bit and maximize cabinet volume per space used.

My personal preference for the best sound quality is for stereo subwoofers under or near each associated channel (I know some dismiss this, saying the lowest few octaves are 'nondirectional', but I'm thinking overall wavefronts from each channel), but for my HT setup, I'll build two subwoofer cabinets more to keep the endtable style cabinets from getting too large, since I plan to use 16 (8 per cabinet - 2 on each of 4 vertical faces) 12" long throw (31mm p-p) woofers all told for the HT subwoofer system.

Thanks thoriated, makes sense!!

Holy CRAP!!!!! Did you just say 16 12" 31mm peak throw woofers?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Are you planning to get 150dB at 10Hz!?!?!?!?!?
Which woofers are you talking about? And why so many?
I bet you're planning sealed (me too) but 16??????
Good luck!

 

[newpaton2]

Aluminum-rubber-concrete

Hello, I have been playing with different constrained layer techniques. I found the info on this thread very interesting. My speaker has an outer shell of anodized aluminum (1mm) and a middle layer of 2mm rubber paint used for roofing with fibers and sand added, and a final inner shell of 1.5cm thick concrete (tried both with and without perlite). My main problem is controling the back wave since the speaker is rock solid. Somewhere it was mentioned that an internal layer be rather flexible and that the outer layer be very rigid and an inner layer used to convert shear stresses into heat. So what type of inner flexible layer is suggested? I am willing to try most anything since the speaker is small and won´t require much material. How flexible? The driver used is a full range, 100hz to 20khz.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Studio Au]

@newpaton2 did you take any pics of your speaker?

 

[Studio Au]

Intersting article

Tuning cabinet vibrations in a real world speaker Fink Audio-Consulting

 

[gaborbela]

How about these type of bamboo material.
https://www.lowes.ca/countertops/q-solutions-company-6-ft-bamboo-countertop_g2372469.html
I wold really like to find all oak wood birch or similar but very hard to find 3/4" thick or so, almost impossible at Toronto area..
My friend in Europe used it with excellent result..
Greetings

 

[Fitero]

I've been thinking along those lines too gaborbela. I am a cheap bugger, so am looking at using these on my next project, as I need only 1" walls;

48" Bamboo Horiz. Natural Tread - | Lumber Liquidators

 

[gaborbela]

Hi
I need something 18" wide for the 2x10" woofer.. I had no time to really check these out but must be at leas 3 layer or so otherwise it crack or fall into pieces..
I already used small kitchen stuff (bamboo) for monitor face place until I finished the enclosure it cracked.
Just a warning.
That is why I ask before I invest $$$ in these.. I saw people used it successfully.
Greetings

 

[evanc]

Clear-Cut: Lumber Liquidators Pleads Guilty to Importing Illegal Wood Products|Jesse Prentice-Dunn
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...-laminate-formaldehyde-suit-article-1.2134097

I wouldn't buy from them....

 

[Fitero]

I had read that too evanc, and only listed them to show my idea. I don't like LL myself. They flood my mailbox with propaganda crap.

I would like to try and biscuit join and epoxy a pair of these together and test how strong the resultant panel is. I too need between 15" and 22" wide panels.

Maybe I should just give it up and stick with baltic birch.

 

[gaborbela]

I did used before Baltic birch and hardwood parquet outside. I think the Baltic Birch itself to soft at least to me..
To much work how I made it never again, top of that I got only ready made parquet (stained finished) I needed to send it done..
I found these table top but I have a need for one more combine with Baltic birch it would look nice .. Really hard material..
I think the bamboo countertop not bad (I'm willing to pay the price) only problem it should be at least 5-10" longer to feet my need . The two 10" woofer and the BR holes on the front need a lot of room.
The two woofer will be used in a separate chamber... To bad we can not find 100% oak wood 3/4" or 1" birch or at least plywood..
A sheet would be enough. I can not order it from Europe..
Also taught 2 half inch Baltic birch between aluminium sheet sandwiched.. For the side panels only
To much work and cost.
I do love these brawn material sandwiched with Baltic birch (hard to find and to pricy)
I can't build (I will not start) speakers until I do not get the right material(s)..

Greetings

 

[evanc]

Xcora Bamboo Panels + Veneer - Teragren
PlybooStrand Bamboo Plywood and Veneer | Plyboo

There may be others but I have used products from these two companies. Local cabinet shops or lumber yard should be able to get it for you. Drawback is it's not cheap.
Evan

 

[Fitero]

I like the phenolic resin laminated board gaborbela. That stuff stinks when cutting it eh?

While looking for prices on bamboo plywood, I found the Xcora site you listed Evan. Some gorgeous stuff there. I especially like the chocolate colored panels.

When I lived in spain, I had a hard time finding anything other than chipboard.
Any real wood is expensive there.
Above my budget I'm afraid. My next project will be done with baltic birch then veneered I think.

 

[Face]

I would take Baltic Birch over solid Birch or Maple any day, its much more stable. Generally, the harder the wood, the less stable it is. I've used Mahogany and Sappele for open baffle speaker frames and enclosure front baffles, but provisions need to be made to allow the wood to expand and contract (floating baffle, etc...).

 

[gaborbela]

I would take Baltic Birch over solid Birch or Maple any day, its much more stable. Generally, the harder the wood, the less stable it is. I've used Mahogany and Sappele for open baffle speaker frames and enclosure front baffles, but provisions need to be made to allow the wood to expand and contract (floating baffle, etc...).

Based on my experience I have to disagree with you.
To me Baltic too soft, I would prefer something harder material using some damping material on it.
For small enclosure or colon type Baltic is OK but for larger enclosure I would love to use some harder material. Unfortunately we have not much option, not to many material we can chose for speakers.
For example if we could buy all oak Baltic like 3/4 or 1" thick that would be better, I would prefer over the Baltic.
In Europe you can get oak but not here in N America.
That is my opinion, what I would pick if....

 

[evanc]

Plywoods that I am familiar with almost always have a softwood as the core layers with a very thin skin veneer of the species you see. The exception is the baltic birch and appleply that use all birch. Also the baltic birch and apple ply are void free and made of many more layers then regular plywood. I cut a lot of plywood and it is very common to see voids in the substrate.

 

[gaborbela]

Plywoods that I am familiar with almost always have a softwood as the core layers with a very thin skin veneer of the species you see. The exception is the baltic birch and appleply that use all birch. Also the baltic birch and apple ply are void free and made of many more layers then regular plywood. I cut a lot of plywood and it is very common to see voids in the substrate.

N. American ply is way to sot, not for speakers at all. Even MDF would be better than ply.
My friend at Hungary he used to use all oak similar to Baltic birch much harder material. (Taylor Acoustic)
Here you can't found nothing like that. The main reason I focused on bamboo, but those must be multiple layer well bonded otherwise will fall into parts or crack.. I tried before cheap Chinese kitchen stuff as face plate for studio monitor size, before I finished the enclosure it cracked.
I would love to try thick acrylic 1/2" or 3/4" sandwiched with Baltic but hard to find and very expensive.
Reason I posted here to see if someone used bamboo (good quality) or other better material than Baltic birch.
That brown material I used my other project great but hard to find, expensive, hard to cut and they sold by weight.
I got that piece at the electronic surplus store (now the store closed), they use to sale $7-8/Lb.
Greetings

 

[Mindsource]

Don't know how accurate this is but interesting if it is.

damping factor values : damping factors

 

[Fitero]

Yeah gaborbela, that is called phenolic here. A resin impregnated substrate used a lot in electronics.
I built my first pair of speaker baffles (Fried C3L) with it, as I was in Turkey at the time, and all the wood places had was some pretty horrible OSB. I did have access to electronics stuff though.
You can sometimes find good sized pieces of it in electronics salvage stores.

 

[gaborbela]

Yeah gaborbela, that is called phenolic here. A resin impregnated substrate used a lot in electronics.
I built my first pair of speaker baffles (Fried C3L) with it, as I was in Turkey at the time, and all the wood places had was some pretty horrible OSB. I did have access to electronics stuff though.
You can sometimes find good sized pieces of it in electronics salvage stores.

I know hard to work with but I do like it. I used it as a front panel sandwiched with Baltic birch. Excellent.
I wish I have a sheet of that.. phenolic 8X4 or 6x4 feet
Greetings