Birch vs 3/4 MDF SPL box

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

Yep.
Grab one of these and you're all set //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

G0562Z 3HP Double Canister Dust Collector.

I don't make that many boxes to spend that kind of money for something. I'd rather buy a shop vac and tell my wife to hold it LOL

 

[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

It's the same birch board that home depot carries but at $80 a board. Lumber yard out of town has the same stuff for $32

Yeah, it is a birch veneer.....means the outer layer is birch, the inside isn't. HD will not carry 4x8 sheets of BB, hence why your "lumber yard" has it for $32 a sheet.

 

[xSPLoder 10+ year member]

Ive used this same birch board for other things and it came out fine, I just don't know how well it will take the beating from my subs

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

I say stick with MDF and brace it well. In the end, how much of a difference are we really talking?

 

[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

I say stick with MDF and brace it well. In the end, how much of a difference are we really talking?

30+ lbs per sheet of weight savings.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

30+ lbs per sheet of weight savings.

Good point, but I meant related to SPL. I don't think he minds the extra weight in this case.

 

[Boomsday 10+ year member]

I say stick with MDF and brace it well. In the end, how much of a difference are we really talking?

weight it is a huge difference I didn't believe it at first but after I started using birch I will never go back to mdf. a single mdf box for my gfs 12 weighed almost as much as my birch box for 2 15s

 

[Julian 10+ year member]

Birch Pros (13 ply birch not the ****** kind)

Light weight, easier on tools, can be stained nicely, and less dust.

Cons

Can be 2-3x the cost of MDF, if you do not know how to cut it properly the veneer can come off

MDF Pros

Cheap, easy to sand, did I mention cheap?, very dense.

Cons

HEAVY!, The formaldehyde laden dust is horrible for you, Hard on tools, can split easily

If you want the best of both worlds Trupan Light or MDF Lite will be the best between the two in terms of lightness and density.

 

[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

I wish I could find that stuff around here.

 

[JayDubb757 10+ year member]

I didn't read all of the posts, but here's my 2 cents.

Use Baltic Birch if you can afford it--real BB comes in 5'x5' sheets.

I don't recommend any other Birch ply, unless it's void free.

I've been working at a cabinet shop for 10+ years, we buy a lot of that $30 Birch---for box building, it sucks!! most of it is imported from China.

It has voids all in it , it's susceptible to de-laminating, and it's usually bowed.

Not all 13-ply is good--this Chinese shit has 13-plys. Our B grade and A grade plywoods usually have 5-plys and they're around $90 a sheet.

Used a lot of Trupan MDF as well, IMO it sucks as well---haven't built a box out of it, but built plenty of doors and cabinets out of it, and I don't like working with it.

We buy Ranger board brand MDF, and I have no problems with it.

A cabinet shop should be able to order any type of wood you want.

 

[audio-pro714 10+ year member]

Don't use cheap grade birch, use atleast a 9 ply birch. The cheaper birch can and most likely will have voids in it or poor laminating something you definetly don't want.

 

[cyn 10+ year member]

I've bought MDF from Lowes and Home Depot that had voids in it lol and soft spots... same with some other wood... We have a Shop here that Sales Japanese Maple 9ply i believe @ 45$ My 4cube gross box weighs less than my 2.1cube gross mdf box by about 15-20lbs easy... I tend to stay away from Lowes and Home Depot after the Last Maple ply I got from them had a 1/4 inch gap through the whole middle of the plywood

 

[05fronty 5,000+ posts]

i think my next box i will use Mahogany

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Danny and Craig bout sums up what is superior... I dnt think weight is an issue in a concrete floor and door car....