Wood Thickness

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

Any real gains from going 1inch vs. .75 inch MDF? I'm using 1 inch now but I want to cut down on weight. Would .75 really make a huge difference in sound?

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[psych0ticnemes1 5,000+ posts]

No. There's no reason to use 1". 3/4" with a double baffle and proper bracing is plenty.

 

[bbeljefe]

It really depends on the size of the cabinet. But even a large cabinet can be braced well if built out of 3/4" material. But, if you're using 3/4", be sure and laminate the baffle with two sheets. Even with one inch material, I'd want to laminate the baffle with ½" so it would be 1½" thick.

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

Probably around 3.0 gross. I will try .75 next time to save on some weight.

On an unrelated note, should I try birch or some other type of wood?

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Birch will greatly reduce weight and allow you to increase thickness/layers and still reduce weight.

 

[clickclickw00t 10+ year member]

Birch will greatly reduce weight and allow you to increase thickness/layers and still reduce weight.

I also heard that birch sounds a lot better. I think my next box will definitely be birch. Is birch any weaker than regular MDF? Would it handle a HDC312 on 1600RMS?

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

There's no reason to do 1" if properly braced. If it's just that HDC3 then ya you will be fine with .75". I think I've only ever done 1" like twice in the past 3 years designing for people.