This is a reference video on Plywood VS MDF for speaker enclosures.....In a hurry, go to 25:00 minutes in and at 28:00 he says MDF is half as stiff as standard construction grade plywood.....Who knew! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEh01PX-q9I
MDF is terrible to work with. BB is a Joy to work with. Planet10 has convinced me that BB is a great choice, and I decided that there's no need to look at anything else.. With good bracing box radiation is not a big issue. Not very audible!
The bad news. Just purchased 2 sheets of 1/2 BB at $98ca per sheet!
The bad news. Just purchased 2 sheets of 1/2 BB at $98ca per sheet!
Yeah the price of a lot of building materials has gone bananas! I too have a Baltic birch build in my future.
Solid? or more stabile?...or more rigid?.....Depending on the wood, it might be more "solid" certainly an OAK board will be more solid than a Pine board....But plywood, because the plies run in opposite directions is way more stabile......And solid wood might be more rigid against the grain, but with the grain it is very weak. We've all seen karate folks break boards.....usually with the grain. ....I still believe a multi layer, no voids, properly glued plywood is the best....And Baltic Birch is about as close as you are going to get to perfect plywood.
It appears i have already made an appearance.
Solid wood can be made into a nice enclosure but the builder needs to know what they are doing.
Here, both Bernie and Scott have built a number of very nice solid wood enclosures. These in Yew.
The biggest issue, i understand, is humidity changing significantly.
But safeest is quality plywood, if you want to step up, stranded/fossilized bamboo plywood.
dave
Solid wood can be made into a nice enclosure but the builder needs to know what they are doing.
Here, both Bernie and Scott have built a number of very nice solid wood enclosures. These in Yew.
The biggest issue, i understand, is humidity changing significantly.
But safeest is quality plywood, if you want to step up, stranded/fossilized bamboo plywood.
dave
Marine ply is generally considered a quality plywood, but we have never used it. I suspect quality BB or MurphyPly to be on par. None up to that bamboo ply.
https://www.plyboo.com/products/plyboostrand-bamboo-plywood-and-veneer/
dave
https://www.plyboo.com/products/plyboostrand-bamboo-plywood-and-veneer/
dave
If you can get it, marine ply is best.
Digressing, but on the subject of plywood. Where possible avoid using a jigsaw on anything that is for outdoors. The vibration can separate the laminations, unseen, but enough for the ingress of rainwater over time.
Digressing, but on the subject of plywood. Where possible avoid using a jigsaw on anything that is for outdoors. The vibration can separate the laminations, unseen, but enough for the ingress of rainwater over time.
I've used lots of marine ply as back in the 80s I was building small boats. Unless it has gotten better, the surface quality was never as good as Baltic Birch. Marine ply was not a finished good, but used mostly in structure and usually covered with fiberglass or some other covering. Baltic Birch does not have waterproof glue, but much nicer surface finish and sometimes , more, thinner layers.
Any plywood. Even the 5 ply dirt cheap MDF in the PE curved boxes is an example. Not as good as decent ply, but better than just MDF.
One of my mentors, decades ago was making his own plywood out of very thin HDF.
dave
One of my mentors, decades ago was making his own plywood out of very thin HDF.
dave
BB plywood is made of hard/dense birch plies the whole way through. Because the plies are thin there is lots of glue in there as well, adding to the density and stiffness. There is also "Apple-Ply" which is same thing with hard maple and made in the US, I believe. These materials are better not just because they are hard and stiff, but because they have no voids and hold screws very well, even in the "end grain." I read that you can even tap holes in BB and use a machine screw.
Marine ply is, as far as I know, simply regular construction plywood with no voids and waterproof glue. It's usually made with lighter softer wood, like Meranti or fir. I've seen it with many thin plies or fewer thicker ones.
"Hardwood" plywood consists of a paper-thin hardwood veneer glued over much softer and thicker plies. It's a cosmetic product.
Any of these are better than MDF. But there is also a product called MDO, medium density overlay, which is veneers of MDF glued over solid wood plies. Might be a good compromise if the surface finish is a priority.
Marine ply is, as far as I know, simply regular construction plywood with no voids and waterproof glue. It's usually made with lighter softer wood, like Meranti or fir. I've seen it with many thin plies or fewer thicker ones.
"Hardwood" plywood consists of a paper-thin hardwood veneer glued over much softer and thicker plies. It's a cosmetic product.
Any of these are better than MDF. But there is also a product called MDO, medium density overlay, which is veneers of MDF glued over solid wood plies. Might be a good compromise if the surface finish is a priority.
I have found that the type and quantity of glue used in BB plywood tends to wear even top-grade carbide blades and router bits fairly quickly.
I only wish I could get nice plyboard, construction grade is about all you can get around here 😢
Im sure its available in the biggest major cities but for us regional folk here in Australia its near impossible to obtain
Im sure its available in the biggest major cities but for us regional folk here in Australia its near impossible to obtain
Plyco is a good Oz supplier and shipping is reasonable. Have bought several over the years and great quality which saws etc well.
https://plyco.com.au/collections/quadro/products/quadro-birch?variant=32013122044017
https://plyco.com.au/collections/quadro/products/quadro-birch?variant=32013122044017
There is a plywood grade called shuttering grade, used for forms when pouring concrete, it has to withstand the curing before being removed.
I know somebody who uses a lot of plywood, he sourced it from Russia, but now lead times are long, price is pay up front, and delivery is erratic. He shifted to Eastern European.
And as Adason says, foam board...
There is also something called wood polymer composite, dried saw dust and plastic bound together, used a lot for fences and decking.
Should work, provided you get it, and hopefully some people have already tried it. It is outdoor grade, acoustic properties unknown.
I know somebody who uses a lot of plywood, he sourced it from Russia, but now lead times are long, price is pay up front, and delivery is erratic. He shifted to Eastern European.
And as Adason says, foam board...
There is also something called wood polymer composite, dried saw dust and plastic bound together, used a lot for fences and decking.
Should work, provided you get it, and hopefully some people have already tried it. It is outdoor grade, acoustic properties unknown.
Um yeah at well over $400 per 18mm sheet after freight 😳
And then you got too hope on a wing and prayer its not half destroyed when it turns up DAMHIKT