[patricksalter]

So, I'm about to take the dive, and do my first speaker build.  However, I have some questions.  I have a talented wood worker that tells me he can work with, and has access to just about any type of wood I would like to use.  We already looked at some options (walnut, Cherry, Mahogany, and Cocobolo).  Immediately the CoCobolo looked like the best possible option given its density and the wonderful dark red color, however, given the cost of the wood, thats way out of the budget.

I was considering even doing an MDF and a veneer combination.  Is this a bad idea?  Any specific advice if I go that route?   

Any and all advice on this subject is greatly appreciated.  Im willing to consider all options. 

Patrick

[Danny Richie]

I would avoid using solid woods. For one, they are more resonant then MDF. Secondly they tend to move and shift around with changes in temperature and humidity.

I'd recommend MDF and veneer.

[Bill Baker]

Hi Patrick,
 What speaker are you looking to build? If it is one of the OB speakers (OB-5/OB-7) I would go with either MDF or Baltic Birch and then with whatever veneer you prefer.

 If it is a conventional style cabinet with internal bracing, you can use hardwood for the construction. If your cabinet maker is seasoned, he should be able to get his hands on some nice wood that has been around a while as you don't want to work with 'green' wood. It will warp.

 There is nothing wrong with using hardwood for speaker enclosures but you do want to limit your options to those that will not have a negative impact on the sound. No soft woods such as pine or poplar.

 You may also want to consider cost. Solid hardwoods will be much more expensive. If you want something exotic, go with veneer. Done right, it will still look exceptional.

[poseidonsvoice]

Patrick,

You are going to get a variety of opinions here. Here's mine:

If you are going to go with hardwood, I wouldn't do it for anything else but the front baffle. However, as you have noted, it can and will be expensive.

A less expensive and equally fine option is using an MDF/Birch plywood composite for the front and rear baffles, Birch for the braces and MDF for the sides, top and bottom. You can line the insides of the enclosure with Danny's 'No Rez' or for a cheaper option use a 1:2 mixture of Aileene's tacky soft glue and Drywall compound to line the inside of the enclosure about 0.25 inches thick while avoiding corners. It stiffens up any unbraced panel.

Veneer up the MDF if that is what you will use. It's cheaper and looks great.

Best,
Anand.

[termitesRus]

are there any articles either here or at another website that could point out more infor on this?? kinda of a "how to" on building speaker cabinets.

[poseidonsvoice]

Last I remember, George Short of North Creek Music sold a very nice cabinet handbook for $5.

Anand.

[BrianH]

Another thought...

Consider solid wood laminated onto either mdf or plywood. Then you would get the benefits of both without the problems of veneers.  Woods do not have to be expensive to be quite beautiful.  You might want to look up Granadillo if you like Cocobolo.  Don't forget that you can resaw as well.


Brian

[Christof]

Another thought...

Consider solid wood laminated onto either mdf or plywood. Then you would get the benefits of both without the problems of veneers.  Woods do not have to be expensive to be quite beautiful.  You might want to look up Granadillo if you like Cocobolo.  Don't forget that you can resaw as well.


Brian

Exactly!  If your woodworker friend has the ability to resaw you could buy a really great piece of figured wood and make 1/16-1/8" veneer from it and your cabinets would look like solid wood without the movement, not to mention the cost of material will go down quite a bit. 

I personally like to build with solid wood but that means going to great lengths to minimize or account for seasonal movement.  I see nothing wrong with a properly constructed 3/4" solid wood enclosure made into a CLD type sandwich with a layer of lossy adhesive such as green glue and a layer of 1/2" mdf or ply....I know there are people here who disagree but hey....whatever works.

[planet10]

Building with solid is a real challenge... even those that really know what they are doing end up with cracked cabinets to to shifts in humidity. I always use plywood (either Baltic Birch or Bamboo). MDF never except for some very minor roles (port spacers, decorative bases, etc). My cabinet designs are made to take advantage of the plywood thou. MDF requires a different approach being less stiff and not as well damped.

Here is a long, noisy thread that goes into some detail
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/construction-tips/98834-discussion-what-materials-build-speakers-out.html
(start by reading the this post, it will put alot of the noise in context)

dave