Material needed for a box

[kombat96 10+ year member]

Im getting set to build a sealed box for my 12"Q. this will be my 1st time...lol so i would like to do it rite or rite as possible. could you that have built boxes/enclosures help me....what materials are good choices to use. ie glue, screw, speaker terminals, & when done sealing it or varnish i dont want to carpeting i'll sand the hell out of it to show off the nice grain. give me some options please point me in my journey. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/*******.gif.a649d21efc0d1fd4890a6428166586c1.gif

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[kombat96 10+ year member]

also a compound to seal the inside if you use 1

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The best material to build it out of from a cost vs. performance standpoint is MDF. Assuming that you have the tools you need the only materials that you need are a sheet of MDF and wood glue (Titebond, Probond, etc...). If your cuts are straight, you won't need any additional sealer beyound the glue. I usually glue and clamp the panels and then run a bead of glue down the inside of the joint to seal it.

MDF doesn't have a "grain" though. People have stained it in the past and IMO it's looked horrible.

 

[WantedIsHere]

looks like he wants to go with a natural wood finish.... i would stick to mdf if you havent made many boxes and worked with lots of ply wood. Birch is hard to work with and the edges chip really easy on the cuts against the grain...

 

[kombat96 10+ year member]

The best material to build it out of from a cost vs. performance standpoint is MDF. Assuming that you have the tools you need the only materials that you need are a sheet of MDF and wood glue (Titebond, Probond, etc...). If your cuts are straight, you won't need any additional sealer beyound the glue. I usually glue and clamp the panels and then run a bead of glue down the inside of the joint to seal it.
MDF doesn't have a "grain" though. People have stained it in the past and IMO it's looked horrible.

im tool set, any i deas as to how to make the box look cleaner as as stain or painting, like i said i dont want to carpet it.

 

[WantedIsHere]

we kinda need to know the look your going for.... natural wood grain correct ? if just flat then mdf would be great... never the less some good wood glue and a tube of some GE #2 calking to match desired finish would be wise... as well as wood putty to fill holes and gaps. Then you need to decide if you want to use a finish nailer and brad the box together or if youwant to use screws. If you use screws counter sink them and fill with a dowell... i did this and it looks quite nice. Ill have pics up when i finish my box. I'm doing a partial cover and partial natural finish...

 

[kombat96 10+ year member]

we kinda need to know the look your going for.... natural wood grain correct ? if just flat then mdf would be great... never the less some good wood glue and a tube of some GE #2 calking to match desired finish would be wise... as well as wood putty to fill holes and gaps. Then you need to decide if you want to use a finish nailer and brad the box together or if youwant to use screws. If you use screws counter sink them and fill with a dowell... i did this and it looks quite nice. Ill have pics up when i finish my box. I'm doing a partial cover and partial natural finish...

I dont want to carpet it. so i thought maybe a stain or paint possibly, if anyone could suggest some other options maybe throw me a pic or 2 ideas also of what they have done. want something unique (sp) different. no carpet no fiber, just a cosmetic thing

 

[lilmaniac2 5,000+ posts]

birch is much easier to work with than MDF, as long as you have the right blade on the saw //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[tigerf117 10+ year member]

Balsa wood would definitely be unique..... hmmm, unique would be about the only good thing you could say. Im really sorry, but this is a total noob question, MDF? particle board is the same thing?

 

[aaronmiiller 10+ year member]

If your looking for a nice finish on mdf, try using flat black primer, use multiple coats and then use regular black spray paint over that with multiple coats, looks good to me. Someone else might have a better suggestion though as far as what paint to use?

 

[kombat96 10+ year member]

Balsa wood would definitely be unique..... hmmm, unique would be about the only good thing you could say. Im really sorry, but this is a total noob question, MDF? particle board is the same thing?

never said i was an expert. ill be using mdf, what i am looking for is a different way to finish it..ie stain paint etc.. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[tigerf117 10+ year member]

Oh no, that definitely came out wrong. I wasn't saying you were asking a total noob question, I apologize. I had some weird sentence structure, and I was kind of thread jacking. What I was asking is if mdf is the same as particle board? If not, what is MDF?

:edit: sorry for thread jacking - I love parrots.

 

[WantedIsHere]

mdf is not the same as particle board. it is made of finer saw dust and different chemicals. It is more dense therefore making it better for building speaker boxes. It is also more expensive... to answer the last question MDF is medium density fiberboard

 

[WantedIsHere]

Chad, care to share what type of blade works wonders on birch with a cross grain cut ? i have tried about 4 blades all chip it... i would love to find one that doesnt...

 

[Blunt 10+ year member]

use a nice expensive cross cut blade don't skimp on the tools you'll regret it.