liteweight mdf alternative

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

For a really big enclosure fiberglass is probably the worst option. By the time you make it thick enough to be rigid enough it will weigh more than any other option. Really big enclosure: MDF double baffled braced like a SOB. Will be heavy as shit but it will be nonresonant as shit, too.

 

[sku 10+ year member]

For a really big enclosure fiberglass is probably the worst option. By the time you make it thick enough to be rigid enough it will weigh more than any other option. Really big enclosure: MDF double baffled braced like a SOB. Will be heavy as shit but it will be nonresonant as shit, too.

Just curious, what's your cut-off for really huge?

I've built 5 cube boxes with 1/2" mdf before (yes people don't recommend it but then I wonder if they've actually tried it)...

 

[bjfish11 5,000+ posts]

THANKS GUYS, what kind of price difference is there between the these two vs. mdf? If sound quality was the only priority, would fiberglass still be a consideration for very large by huge by silly sized enclosure?

From what I have seen. Trupan (~$30) is about exactly twice the price of MDF. Birch is a few dollars more yet.

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

Though fiberglass may weigh a shit ton more, in some applications it is the only option, like in very complex shapes and areas where MDF just cant be used to utilize available space.

 

[speedracerx 10+ year member]

Wow! I have always assumed, and without a second thought, that a properly built fiberglass enclosure would always weigh considerably less than a comparably built mdf enclosure. I have stocked up on a lot of fiberglass supplies but judging by the weight of the components (resin, various materials, bondo, etc.), what I have wont go far. I cant imagine what a hundred pound glass box would end up costing. Well I can but at only half the assumed size.... my ignorance will make me have to rethink a lot of future planned projects.

As far as the "how big" question... I planned on making a fake rear seat that enclosed my two 12 in Brahmas for everyday sq and some kind of removable glass enclosure with two or three 15 in Mojos behind it for occasional spl and open trunk outdoor play. That would come out to a 3 and a 12 cu ft enclosure.