1/2 mdf

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

building a box for my bosses single cab truck. very little room. doing shallow mount 12's, running off of his existing sony xplod 1200 watt max amp. he won't buy a new one, so disregard the fact that sony is junk. i know. i'm figuring about 400 rms, maybe 500 if luck serves. it is a very small space and he wants to not ride the steering wheel, so the seat needs to stay back. after measuring, i discovered that i will have to use 1/2 inch mdf, and that will still put the subs magnet too close to the back wall for my taste. i'm gonna use 1/2 inch no matter what the cost. he wants it, i'll do it. i argued and tried to talk him into 6 1/2 inch subwoofers, but he won't budge. if i brace the crap out of it with some dowel rods, what can i expect in terms of sound? he's not an audiophile by any means. listens to mostly country, which is why i tried to talk him into some smaller subs. i know that using 1/2 inch would be fine with 6 1/2 inch subs, but he insists on 12 inch shallow mounts. i've never used 1/2 inch on any mobile sub box. bookshelf speakers, yes. opinions?

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[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

for a low power, low xmax build 1/2" would work fine...I wouldn't even brace it if the box is only going to be ~14x14x6

 

[Atimm693 10+ year member]

x2, if the panels are small I wouldn't worry about it.

Just be careful to not split the wood if you use screws.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

yea as others have said for small enclosures with low power 1/2" will suffice, specially in a truck enclosure where the panels don't have very much distance between supporting edges and such. Only the front or back would get the most flex and the front will be half sub and the back will be right up against the back wall.

On thing I would highly recommend doing when working with 1/2" mdf is just skip screws all together and use a brad nailer. Soooo much easier, it can get quite tricky even with a solid predrill and perfect alignment on the screw to not cause at the least a bubble in the mdf near the edge.

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

x2 on the brad nailer...

 

[DidUHearThat? 10+ year member]

Double layering the face would help.

 

[azimuth 5,000+ posts]

yea as others have said for small enclosures with low power 1/2" will suffice, specially in a truck enclosure where the panels don't have very much distance between supporting edges and such. Only the front or back would get the most flex and the front will be half sub and the back will be right up against the back wall.
On thing I would highly recommend doing when working with 1/2" mdf is just skip screws all together and use a brad nailer. Soooo much easier, it can get quite tricky even with a solid predrill and perfect alignment on the screw to not cause at the least a bubble in the mdf near the edge.

i thought it would be ok. i've built 150 rms home speakers from 1/2 inch and they work fine. as far as screws and nails, i never use either. clamps have worked well and i don't have to fill holes if it's being painted as opposed to carpet. this wouldn't even be an issue if i'd just learn to do fiberglass. it's about high time i learn something new anyway.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

i thought it would be ok. i've built 150 rms home speakers from 1/2 inch and they work fine. as far as screws and nails, i never use either. clamps have worked well and i don't have to fill holes if it's being painted as opposed to carpet. this wouldn't even be an issue if i'd just learn to do fiberglass. it's about high time i learn something new anyway.

Fiberglass sounds like a good idea. Take it from someone who just recently started it, its darn easy lol. Don't let it scare ya. Even using the cheap junk from Home Depot it isn't all that hard. The hardest part is the preparation and setup, but laying the mat and resin isn't so bad.