Choosing wood for speaker enclosure

[createcoms]

Im going to build a speaker enclosure, and I need some advice on the wood.

Whats the wood of choice thats affordable but good quality (looking for a good compromise on cost vs. quality)?

How thick should the wood be ?

Nails or screws (does it matter?)?


Any other tips are also appreciated.

thnx

-cc

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

The best wood isn't quite wood! A speaker cabinet needs to be as non-resonant as possible. Generally, that means either dense plywood (birch ply is good) or MDF fiberboard. 3/4" thickness is standard. 1" if you're a perfectionist (and aren't worried about a hernia!). Internal bracing is often a good idea too. Actual wood will resonate and add sonic coloration to the sound in unpredictable and usually undesirable ways.

For appearance, a hardwood veneer is usually applied. Or you can use thinner MDF/ply substrate with a thicker hardwood overlay; for instance, half-inch MDF glued with quarter inch hardwood facing. You can also use laminates or paint to good effect. Skillfully applied lacquers or automotive finishes can look great!

Some DIYers and high-end mfrs use Corian. Overly heavy, overly expensive and generally overkill, IMO, but if you have the budget and fabrication skills and like that look...

 

[nm2285]

MDF all the way...

Nails and screws won't be necessary if your cuts are reasonably straight. You can use clamps to hold the pieces together while the glue between them dries. If you don't have clamps, you can always use screws to hold them together, but either way, the glue is your primary securing tool.

I used polyurethane glue because, unlike woodglue, it expands to fill in cracks. Caulk is a good measureto make sure the cabinet is sealed, but the polyurethane should make it unnecessary.

 

[Westrock2000]

One of the "practical" problems with using real wood is the fact that it can expand and warp (flex) due to changes in humidity, heat, age, etc...so it can be a nusance. Thats about the only real problem not counting "type x wood sounds better then type y".

I like Liquid Nails for the glue, because its fairly cheap for a large container and its pretty freaking strong. Plus it has a low enough intial vicosity that it won't run, and can kind of hold things in place, but can still be moved around for about 20-30 minutes. Plus a caulk gun is convienent.

MDF is nice because its easy to work with. It has no grain, so you can cut any direction in it, plus it cheap. Its now about $20 per 4'x8'x0.75" sheet at Home Depot/Loewes (was $15 for the longest time, but the Hurricances I guess affect that). Plus MDF is just basically made from sawdust/glue slurry it doesn't have any void or cracks in it like particle board and plywood can. Just remember that sawdust part...cause it will be everywhere

 

[av_phile]

Plain wood is not preferred when making speaker cabinets. MDF is. But I know of at least one excellent brand of speakers that do use high quality wood. Like those of Italian-made Sonus Faber. They use SECTIONS of wood glued together to form a panel. That somehow lessens if not eliminates resonances within the audible range. I am sure this will be quite tedious if not impossible for the DIY builder, should you prefer real wood.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Aren't Meadowlark Audio's speakers solid wood, too? There are a few who used solid wood, but the general concencus is that MDF is the best. Marine plywood is supposed to work well, too (except that no plywood can be routed or sanded as readily as MDF).

The cab can of course be veneered with any wood you like.

 

[Mudcat]

I think the guest that just posted should remove the first four letters from their moniker.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

And He Should Seek Help For His Capitalization Fixation!

 

[Az B]

C'mon, give the guy a break... obviously someone hid his medication.

I like the name though, it answers several questions...

 

[Kel]

HDF or birch ply. Never use nails, glue and screw.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

There's another material I've thought would serve well but it's not easily available to DIYers. When I was in the sign/display business (alas, before I got into DIY audio) we sometimes used a rigid, high density foamed PVC sheet stock for signs. One trade name for it is Sintra. Weighs about the same or a bit less than MDF, comes in several thicknesses and even colors. Cut and routed edges are porous and need to be well sealed and sanded for a uniform paint finish. We used to wipe the cut edges with MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone solvent -- nasty stuff) to melt the small pores closed so they required less sealing with sandable primer or Bondo.

It's acoustically dead, easy to cut and machine, and joins with PVC cement -- same stuff as for PVC pipe. Gotta use paint suitable for PVC too. Never tried veneering it but don't see why you couldn't.

 

[Mr.T]

I thought this articles could help someone DIY speaker maker.
http://www.dancetech.com/aa_dt_new/pa/construction.cfm
http://www.dancetech.com/aa_dt_new/pa/PA.cfm