I was thinking of writing this inquiry in the home theater, but I guess this is where it is more appropriate. What is the type of wood best for placing my sound system for my home theater?
I forgot to mention about the cabinet. I like the Baltic Birch because of its nice texture. How do I know the difference between a Baltic Birch plywood from the regular ones?
Wayne Parham Messages: 18786 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Baltic Birch comes from Russia or one of the countries nearby, like Finland. It only comes in metric thicknesses, like 18mm (which is 0.7", the nearest size to 3/4").
Baltic Birch uses only birch plies, so each ply is pretty thin. You can distinguish Baltic Birch easily because of this trait. A cheaper 3/4" plywood with soft inside wood might only have five plies. But 18mm Baltic Birch will have 13 plies. So look at the edge of the wood to identify Baltic Birch.
Most sheets I've bought also have Cyrillic characters on the label printed on the sheet too. Every one I've bought has the letter "ф", for example, which is the Cyrilic letter "F".
Thanks a lot for your advice, Wayne. A plywood with 13 plies is really amazing. I'm glad you mentioned about the Cyrillic characters because I don't know if the seller is just telling me that it is a Baltic Birch even though it is not.
Are there any alternatives for Baltic Birch because the price seems high for us who don't have the budget for this kind of material. It is a great material for people who can afford it.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18786 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
You can use MDF. In fact, I prefer it for speakers that won't be moved a lot or used in environments where they might be subjected to exposure to water or high humidity. Baltic Birch is a stronger material and and is less prone to panel resonance than solid hardwoods. But MDF is even more internally damped than Baltic Birch, it's just not as strong or tolerant of moisture.
Our wooden cabinets were made with MDF boards. My computer table was also made out of MDF. The problem I have right now is these boards puffed up due to the humidity, I guess. Any ideas on how to protect these boards from swelling up?
I also want to know how to protect MDF boards from soaking up moisture. The outer covering and especially the sides have no protection against humidity.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18786 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Of course, a finish applied (both inside and outside) will help protect the wood. But to be honest, MDF is really not happy in moisture, and I wouldn't want to subject MDF cabinets to moist environments no matter what finish was on them. If you need a cabinet to last when it might be occasionally exposed to water, use Baltic Birch.
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