I went to home depot today, and the thickest mdf they can get is 3/4". Does anyone sell 1" mdf?

Also what do you use to cut your boxes?

Jig Saw, Table Saw, Circular Saw?

What do you use to cut the sub circle?

Jig Saw?

What type of screws do you use.

Coarse Dry-wall screws?

Etc...

I tried to build my first box, and it came out pretty miserably. On sub is flush mounted, the other on isn't, lol stuff like that. And the box was port starved, woops.

3/4" is sufficient 90% of the time. For those rare timese hat it isn't, you can either double up 3/4" or 1/2" or brace the 3/4".

For cutting I use a table saw and sometimes a jigsaw.

For speaker cutouts I use a router with a Jasper circle jig and a spiral upcut bit.

For assembly I use wood glue and biscuits or dowels with clamps, or, if I'm in a hurry, wood glue and coarse thread deck screws predrilled and countersunk.

Also what do you use to cut your boxes? I use home depot to cut my wood

Jig Saw, Table Saw, Circular Saw?

What do you use to cut the sub circle? I use either my router with a circle cutting jig or a sawzall depending on baffle thickness

Jig Saw?

What type of screws do you use. drywall screws, coarse I suppose, whatever the drywallers have at work...

Coarse Dry-wall screws?

I use 3/4" MDF, usually what's left from building boxes for other people (so my boxes are almost always free for me). i like to brace the MDF with strips of itself glued on the inside

I let Lowes do the large cuts so it fits in the back of my blazer, then i handle the rest on my nifty portable craftsman table saw.

I cut my circles with a spiral upcut bit on a 2.5HP router attached to the Jasper circle jigs. you cannot find a better jig for the money that'll cut so precisely

I don't use screws. I use clamps (corner clamps are my friends) with Titebond III wood glue (stuff is freaking strong) and i drive in a few 1.25" 18 gauge brad nails with my brad nailer to each joint. i average about 30-40 nails total per box in the range of 2 cubic feet to 4 cubic feet. drywall screws were too much of a pain. had to predrill and then countersink all of the stupid screws when what actually holds the box together is the glue anyways. i dont think i'll ever switch back to screws now, brad nails are amazing

3/4" MDF for my boxes...........I have only used remaining mdf for bracing before so...........

Actual cutting is with either a circ. sw or jig saw for sides. circles are done by a router or a jig saw...........only use a template..........i have no circle jig LOL.

I use calk or liquid nails for sealent and wood screws ever 2" or so. They hold togetther pretty damn well for me.

I haven't learned how to glass yet so.............

And this is also why I only ask for supplies when I help/build boxes. Cause I'm not 100% proficcent in my stuff yet...........Will be soon tho.

J

3/4" mostly, but I did double up 1/2" for a 15" 3.0 @ 33hz box. Solid as anything I have built and ultra heavy with sub installed.

3/4" mostly, but I did double up 1/2" for a 15" 3.0 @ 33hz box. Solid as anything I have built and ultra heavy with sub installed.

Do you suggest doubling up for a 15" q on around 1200 watts 4.5 internal net (closer to 3.5 gross after port and sub displacement) tuned to 30hz.

3/4" mostly, but I did double up 1/2" for a 15" 3.0 @ 33hz box. Solid as anything I have built and ultra heavy with sub installed.

Do you suggest doubling up for a 15" q on around 1200 watts 4.5 internal net (closer to 3.5 gross after port and sub displacement) tuned to 30hz.

For a sub like that with that kind of power, I would usually double of the face of the box at least. With some internal supports, there might not be a need for a full box double layer.

I'm on the poor side of using equipment. I have home depot cut the large pieces, then i use a circular saw for the smaller stuff. I use a level as a straight edge to get straight cuts. Then i use a saber saw for holes, i dont have a router yet. I use tite bond or pro bond for glue.... better than liquid nails because they are made for wood and liquid nails is made for many things. Use wood screws, deckmate's are the way to go;) And you dont need to go crazy with screws, they are only there to hold the box together until the glue sets, which is what mainly holds the box together. For braces, i use dowell or for high powered installs, i got with threaded rod usually.

it's pretty much been covered, but i'll throw my two cents in.

3/4" is adequate in 99% of all enclosures. and if you brace, no double baffle will ever be needed, unless your one of the anal ones, lol. nothing wrong with the double baffle, if overbuilding is your idea of standard practise. but if going for tenths on a meter, a double baffle could hurt the score. only testing will verify this.

titebond II or III is the bomb. only glue i will ever use. 1 5/8" wood (drywall) coarse thread screws go along way in maintaining box integrity, if big power and big pressures are expected. 1 1/2" 16gauge brads will work fine in most daily drivers. while wood glue is indeed the primary strength, if your chasing tenths, and are going to throw man size amounts of power at it, glue/ screws is a must. the biscuit way is uber strong as well, but a bit more time consuming, not to mention needing the biscuit tool to make the cuts.

tablesaw is a box builder's best friend. as is a router/jasper jig combo. not to mention a router with a roundover bit for the realy nice professional finish. but a circular saw/straightedge with a good jig saw can be used to make any enclosure.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

yeah, that is true. i love throwing a 1/4" roundover on all my box edges. makes it easier to carpet or it just looks so much more professional when painted/vinyled or whatever. if you had a jasper jig and a router, it's always a nice touch to inset the woofer too.

I agree with pretty much everyone else. 3/4 mdf should be fine, and if your using a 15 or 18 I guess it would help to do a double baffle for the side with the subs. As for the cutting, I used home depot for my first and last time. Luckily I was smart enough to give the 18 year old cutting my wood measurements with half an inch longer for each dimension, and later had to fix all the cuts myself.

And for the circle, I just use a regular jig saw to cut a whole roughly the size of the circle, and then sand the rest of the whole to the appropriate size.

I need to get a table saw.

J

I like the use 3/4" cabinet grade birch if the project doesn't have a really tight budget. Saves ALOT of weight.

I like the use 3/4" cabinet grade birch if the project doesn't have a really tight budget. Saves ALOT of weight.

I wouldn't say a lot, but there is a definite savings. one full sheet of BB is 75-78lbs, where as MDF is 90. I just got a bunch of different weights on things this past weekend. Looking to get some poplar myself which is 52lbs for a full sheet. Bad thing is, it's $76 a sheet.

There are some things I always do:

use 3/4" mdf +

double baffle

bracing

roundover the edges

flush mount the driver

double seal the joints

glue, brad, & clamp

sounds like what i'm doing this time, except i'm going the extra mile of bed-lining covering my box which will definitely seal any leaks

Saws

Table Saw

Radial Arm Saw

Jigsaw

Circular

Clamps

Bar Clamps

Right Angle Clamps

Routers, etc

Skil 1825, plunge/fixed base router

RotoZip

I like to do miters for the edges, gives a nice look. Only seams, and not open edges. I would only do butt joints if I were going to be using carpet/vinyl, etc.

I did my first sub cut outs using a spiral up cut bit last week. AMAZING Had never heard of them until last week, best $20 I've spent lately.

I did my first sub cut outs using a spiral up cut bit last week. AMAZING Had never heard of them until last week, best $20 I've spent lately.

We have a new convert! Welcome to the tribe of the proper tool for the job!

Lucky that you found one for $20 too.

I like the use 3/4" cabinet grade birch if the project doesn't have a really tight budget. Saves ALOT of weight.

I wouldn't say a lot, but there is a definite savings. one full sheet of BB is 75-78lbs, where as MDF is 90. I just got a bunch of different weights on things this past weekend. Looking to get some poplar myself which is 52lbs for a full sheet. Bad thing is, it's $76 a sheet.

I have boxes of mdf and boxes of 3/4 marine grade voidfree baltic birch. It may weigh less per sheet than MDF...but it's because it comes in 5x5sheets instead of 4x8.

I think the birch doesn't sound as good. And certainly doesn't justify the expense. But it is pretty, and takes stain well.

Edited March 25, 200718 yr by dopey

Careful with those roto-zips. They work great until the bit wears out, then it slows to a crawl cutting holes, I've broken bits, had them slow to 1" every 3 seconds or slower, even caught enclosures on fire trying to stretch that last bit out to finish the job. While the circle cutting tool on it is convenient, the bits wear out so quickly that I don't find it practical.

Maybe I'm using the wrong bits in the first place. *shrugs*

I tried to rotozip my way thru a double baffled .75" mdf wall once. ONCE! Its great for drywall....mdf...not so much.

Use a jigsaw...or a router.

jigsaw.

I tried to rotozip my way thru a double baffled .75" mdf wall once. ONCE! Its great for drywall....mdf...not so much.

Use a jigsaw...or a router.

jigsaw.

i tried the same thing, after about 30min to get half a hole done i went to my uncle and borrowed his jigsaw. now i own a jigsaw and a router(havent used it yet, also wish i would have known to get the spiral upcut bit)