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In general, how does bamboo perform as a speaker enclosure in comparison to MDF? Thanks!
if I don't wear a respirator and I've had some skin irritation when I don't get the dust off me promptly
Another option would be to get good Russian Baltic Birch. Cost is less than half of Bamboo. I have used both and only have chosen to use bamboo when working with a statement piece.
Thanks for the insights Rick; a ringing cabinet can't be good. Do you recall the type of bamboo ply you used? I used 3/4" Sonic Barrier from Parts Express to line my MTM cabinets, so would it prevent the bamboo from ringing? So if there was no concern regarding working with MDF which would you prefer, MDF or bamboo for the Ottavo's cabinet?
Like plywood it's fairly stiff but has less internal damping so it tends to ring a little.
Another option would be to get good Russian Baltic Birch. Cost is less than half of Bamboo.
My local lumber company quoted $340 for a 4x8 3/4" sheet of Teragren bamboo ply and they had to ship it in. Each face of the sheet is 3/16" horizontal bamboo and the balance of the panel thickness was made of pieces on edge. Nice stuff but $300 over a sheet of MDF is a pretty big premium. A hazmat suit would be cheaper. They also confirmed bamboo requires very sharp blades that will need to be sharpened frequently. So maybe the title of this thread should have been "Bamboo Ply vs. MDF vs. Baltic/Russian Birch Ply". Baltic birch ply is readily available (I'll have to look for the specific kind Rick noted) and is a joy to work with but I just didn't think it was acceptable for speaker cabinets. Learn something every day! Cost is as noted, about $50 for 5x5x3/4, and it would probably take three sheets for the Ottavos so it puts the lumber at less than 1/4 the cost of bamboo. And these will get veneered regardless of the cabinet material. So do the cabinets get braced any different between MDF and Baltic Birch?Lastly, very nice looking speakers guys!
Each face of the sheet is 3/16" horizontal bamboo
So maybe the title of this thread should have been "Bamboo Ply vs. MDF vs. Baltic/Russian Birch Ply"... Cost is as noted, about $50 for 5x5x3/4
I misunderstood; the Cascade VB-2HD is a thin damping sheet applied to the interior of the cabinet and not a brand of baltic birch. So its purpose is to deaden the cabinet while the Sonic Barrier is to address back waves from the drivers? I only put the Sonic Barrier on all the interior surfaces of my MTMs except the baffle but does the Cascade VB-2HD also go on the baffle?
I suspect that price differential will usually be larger than that and that differential will vary depending on where you are. We pay about $50 per sheet of 5x5 BB and about $300 for a 4x6 of stranded bamboo. Bamboo does not need veneer, but requires more care with joinery to get the best cosmetics and requires very sharp, quality tooling to work.An example: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/planet-10-hifi/214897-minionken-fonken-gallery-pictures-only.html#post3067755dave