what is the go to box material now

[Jimg]

looking to use for one 10 inch sub
outside box dimensions will probably be at max 20 inches wide 15 inches tall 6 inches depth



Box will be glued
box will be predrilled and use wood screws also


really 2 questions


1 I have limited depth space behind the seat of a tundra crewmax
can I use 1/2 inch with proper bracing?

using 1/2 inch material really opens up the options on the subwoofers I can put behind there

if we use 1/2 inch material I can use a double baffle on the front. Air space is really not the issue. Just the mounting depth.

2 what material would you use

MDF yes, no
Sanded Pine plywood yes or no
Birch ? is birch worth the extra cost yes or no

With the box size being small is there really no difference in the material strength or quality so just go with lower cost material?

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[Kickstand Premium Member]

When space is your problem fiberglass is your friend

 

[Jimg]

Fiberglass yes
but more work than I really want to put into it

with proper bracing will 1/2 inch be good enough for a 10 inch sub rated around 500 watts

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

With the box size being small is there really no difference in the material strength or quality so just go with lower cost material?

If you double baffle the 1/2", you will end up with 1.5". So might as well use 3/4" all around. Slim/shallow subs are on the lower power side so 5/8" mdf will work great.

 

[SlugButter]

I wouldn’t do 1/2 inch for 500 watts. I’ve used it a lot for home audio setups at lower wattage, but once you get over 200 watts, with the high xmax car audio subs tend to have on top of it, you will have box flex. No doubt in my mind about it. You could combat this with window pane bracing or all-thread with nuts and washers, but the bracing will likely have enough displacement to make your design as large as using 3/4 inch wood would anyway.

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

If you were to build it out of 1/2" I would fiberglass the whole inside of it.
If not then use 3/4".

I prefer sanded pine. Have used it for years. Real Baltic birch is great but not worth it to me. Home depot birch is not birch. Its pine with a super thin birch veneer the thickness of a hair for looks.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Figure out how to make this fit with 3/4' ply or MDF. I have yet to see any hard data showing that any boutique plywood will outperform the "cabinet grade" at your local big box store.

 

[SlugButter]

Pop is right. I just used Home Depot birch for some cabinets, and not only is it sanded pine with a thin veneer, the veneer on the Home Depot birch isn’t glued very good and chips off on the edges very easily. You have to use a saw blade for finish cutting only. Use the wrong saw blade, and you have raggedy looking chipped edges. I like to paint or stain my boxes instead of carpeting, and using a router on the corners is also a problem with this stuff. Just go with the sanded pine..

 

[AnthonyO 10+ year member]

With the price of wood now days, the go to is cardboard.

 

[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

With the price of wood now days, the go to is cardboard.

Make sure it is corrugated. It is internally braced.

 

[Jimg]

thanks for the help