Box Material- Anything not MDF/Birch?

[aculous]

Alright so typically I build sub enclosures out of 3/4 MDF and do a doublestack for the front baffle. Lately been doing a couple out of Birch plywood.

Question is has anyone worked with other materials that may work better? I have access to Jatoba wood which is ridiculously dense and is about $7 a board food and looks awesome once finished. Just wondering if people use anything else.

Reason I ask is with birch I know I am going to have to brace the hell out of the box, sealed or not. And I am not big on MDF.

Ideas?

( so jatoba is brazilian cherry, for reference http://tinytimbers.com/janka.htm )

[MrSkippyJ]

I don't know much about wood so I can't help you much. But it might help someone who does know about wood to know what about birch/MDF that you don't like. Or what you mean by better.

[aculous]

I don't know much about wood so I can't help you much. But it might help someone who does know about wood to know what about birch/MDF that you don't like. Or what you mean by better.

MDF: Cons = Dust, Weight, Easily dented or damaged, water retention if not 100% perfectly sealed

Birch: Cons = $$ (slightly more then MDF), More bracing needed, more fragile (can break apart), Not as dense as MDF

Also I am a little worried that a hardwood thats polished is going to look like a damn dinning room table in the back of my car which I am NOT going for. I looked at the berriylium BMW or whatever last night and about gave up on life....I can't fab in aluminum or plexi like that....or fiberglass....FML.

[Krakin]

You have to remember the acoustics of the wood.

[aculous]

You have to remember the acoustics of the wood.

Well I was thinking that using a extremely dense material would take care of the issue. Can you explain a bit?

I was under the impression that people use MDF because its easy to find and dense enough to not resonate when properly braced. Hardwoods like oak or something still resonate since in order for it to not move at all, you would have to brace the hell out of the box or add more material making it cheaper to run MDF for the simple fact that you would need half as much.

[never knows best]

2" thick aluminum plate....

but really, 1" MDF reinforced with fiberglass best bet in most applications-

[aculous]

2" thick aluminum plate....

but really, 1" MDF reinforced with fiberglass best bet in most applications-

Understood, if I do the box in MDF I am going to cover it in resin and do some fiberglass work on it. I am working on getting more accurate on finishing edges.

[Triticum Agricolam]

I would recommend not using solid hardwood for an enclosure. The biggest reason being that solid wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity/temperature. Building a box out of solid wood is a recipe for getting cracks and splits in your box as soon as the weather changes, not what you want.

If you are looking for something other than MDF and regular birch ply I would look at some of the other types of plywood. I've used stuff called Arauco ply. Its a plywood made from pine and has 7-plys (assuming 3/4" material). Its only a little more expensive than MDF, but its lighter, stiffer, void free, and easy to work with.

Other option would be baltic birch. Its different than regular birch in that it has 13-plys (again assuming 3/4" material). Its heavier than Arauco, but lighter than MDF, it is also void free and is very nice stuff to work with. The disadvantages of it is its kinda expensive, and you usually can only get it in 5'x5' sheets.

[KiKaZz74]

http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/building-materials/panel-products/specialty-panels/hardwood-plywood/3-4-x-4-x-8-baltic-birch-plywood/p-1479674-c-13334.htmhttp://www.menards.com/main/mobile/building-materials/panel-products/construction-panels/sanded-plywood/3-4-x-4-x-8-premium-acx-plywood/p-1508796-c-13332.htm

[KiKaZz74]

http://www.menards.com/main/mobile/building-materials/panel-products/specialty-panels/hardwood-plywood/3-4-x-4-x-8-baltic-birch-plywood/p-1479674-c-13334.htm