What wood?

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

Im getting ready to start on my ht and im wondering what wood do most of you guys use? I want to stain it to go with the rest of my furniture....Would MDF be ok?

Click to read more...

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

if you use mdf you'll probably have to do some good amount of sanding, few coats of primer, and the the stain.

 

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

as far a quality = yes, but looks imo = no.

 

[ballstothewall 10+ year member]

You DON'T stain MDF, you can stain veneer though.

What is your furniture that you want to match? If its oak, I'd suggest going with Oak Ply, etc, etc.

 

[thylantyr 10+ year member]

Common recipes;

MDF + veneer, then stain the veneer and top coat {poly, lacquer, etc}

MDF + primer + paint

Oak, birch, maple 7 ply plywood found at the home center. Expensive as the

quality is higher than construction grade plywood, but it has the thin veneer

of either oak, birch, maple on both sides. This veneer is course, unlike the thin

veneer you buy. Course can be good. I prefer the course grain of oak plywood

over oak veneer. You can fix the plywood edges by applying iron on veneer strips

and use a razor blade for a clean look. Stain the wood, then top coat.

You can substitute MDF for particle board if you have great woodworking stills

as you have to understand how to deal with the weaker material.

Exotic:

You can use furniture making techniques on speaker boxes using solid wood, but

it's expensive and it's a more advanced topic with issues.

You can cut a tree and carve it, make a cylinder shaped enclosure and carve

the innards to make air space. lol

You can do fiberglass boxes.

 

[ballstothewall 10+ year member]

I'm really a fan of using hardwood, ie solid oak or walunut. Takes a hella lot more time but looks gooood.

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

no idea what my furniture is...im thinking maybe just doing bare mdf at first...see how that goes. unless the birch isnt that expesive..What are the cost of some of these things?

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Why not build mdf enclosures , then use the 1/4" veneer over top the mdf ? There is a variety of different veneer available . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[thylantyr 10+ year member]

no idea what my furniture is...im thinking maybe just doing bare mdf at first...see how that goes. unless the birch isnt that expesive..What are the cost of some of these things?

3/4" x 4' x 8' sheets;

13 ply baltic, marine plywoods = I've seen up to $300, lol

7 ply oak, birch, maple plywood = ~ $45 - $50 per sheet, lumber yard = may have better quality over home center.

mdf = ~$25 - $35

particle board = ~$20

prices vary from geography, home center vs. lumber yard, etc.

If you choose any plywood, always cherry pick the sheets for low warpage,

and good finish on both sides. Home centers tend to store the wood poorly

and it's warped. Lumber yards may have better storage, less warpage, but cost

more. Lumber yards may have 'A' and 'B' grade where 'A' cost alot more. Do a visual

inspection if you see both types. I usually snag 'B' grade, it's more than good.

then use the 1/4" veneer over top the mdf ?

Veneer is super thin. You can use 1/4" oak plywood to skin the MDF or particle

board box, but the cost of MDF + 1/4" oak could cost as much as just getting

3/4" oak in the first place and less hassle on construction - no skinning required.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

MDF primed, sanded, and then covered with professional grade bedliner such as Line-X can look pretty sharp, IMO...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

High boxes MDF or Birch... But to make it pretty either way you are going to have to do some finishing work...

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

High boxes MDF or Birch... But to make it pretty either way you are going to have to do some finishing work...

I'm new to this so like what to make it look really good?

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Depends on what route your going . I would say 45 the edges so you have no exposed end grain would be a good start //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ballstothewall 10+ year member]

Depends on what route your going . I would say 45 the edges so you have no exposed end grain would be a good start //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

If hes asking the what type of wood question, I'm don't think he has the skill to properly 45 all edges to get rid of end grain (without having lots of putty). But then I could easily be wrong.

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

I dont have enough skill but i know someone who does....And i dont think it should be that hard now that i know what your talking about. I will look into that veneer.