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SUPPORT FORUMS FOR DECWARE SPEAKER PLANS >> Wicked One Support Forum >> Using birch
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Message started by ClassA on 03/03/11 at 08:49:06

Title: Using birch
Post by ClassA on 03/03/11 at 08:49:06

Hey all,

I was always taught to build enclosures with 11-13 ply birch and have been for a wile now. All I see is MDF in here so I was wondering if its because its so dense or just because its cheap? I plan on building a WO out of birch, so does anyone have any reasons why I shouldn't?

Thanks

Title: Re: Using birch
Post by HT-EXT on 03/03/11 at 19:30:44

I use MDF because it is cheap( ??? $30/48" x 96") and availably. It is easy to work with and if you mess up it won't hurt your feelings like a scrap piece of birch. If I had someone who want birch and was willing to pay I would be more than glad to try but I am sure I would measure four or five times then cut.

If you have the skills and the money I would definitely build it out of birch. Just my two cents.

HT-EXT

Title: Re: Using birch
Post by ClassA on 03/03/11 at 21:13:05

lol yeah I'm pretty anal when building enclosures so I measure a few times before cutting. Thanks for your input.

Title: Re: Using birch
Post by ZYGI on 03/03/11 at 21:25:34

ClassA,

At the time we I started building the WO's WO32's and the like, Baltic Birch was about the same price as MDF per square foot. So price wasn't the issue.

I did build a WO out of Baltic birch, and hated it. When I told Steve about it, and this was years ago, he said it was more likely to be the piece of junk drivers I had installed in the cabinet. Which he was probaly correct, given the absolute junk available for car audio. Either way, I went with MDF and haven't looked back. We now use a double pressed MDF which is denser that regular MDF, works like regular MDF but isn't as hard as HDF. It weighs about 15 LBS more than a good quality MDF and about 20 Lbs more than the cheap crap they sell at the home improvement stores. I think the added mass is more beneficial for bass cabinets.

Either way the choice of material is more of what the driver needs as a system, and not, this is the material to use regardless of drivers to be installed. This is my opinion.

You have to be very careful with Baltic, it splinters very easily, even after everything is machined, you can catch an edge and run a splinter the size of a pencil right off the surface. That can ruin date night for sure.

I only build one cabinet out of baltic birch, and even it uses braces made from MDF. Customer choice, and design!

ZYGI

Title: Re: Using birch
Post by ClassA on 03/04/11 at 08:14:42

The only thing I can get around here is Home Depot MDF and its not bad but I usually chose birch. Yeah I have leaned the hard way to router my edges when using birch lol. I'm definitely going to do some research on the double pressed fiber board. Thanks for you input.