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Cabinet Material [message #51808] Sun, 10 February 2008 19:47 Go to next message
Champion is currently offline  Champion
Messages: 40
Registered: May 2009
Baron
I am planning to build a 3pi and according to Wayne, MDF and baltic birch are the best cabinet material. I would like to use ply for the better finish but it is hard to get baltic birch in New Zealand. Can I use other ply such as brownwood ply or Chinese ply? Or any other recommendation?

Also, is it ok to use 3/4" thick instead of 5/8" and adjust the cabinet size accordingly to get the right internal volume? Or do I even need to adjust the size as all?

Finally, I would like to say thanks to Wayne's great customer service and support. I hope the speakers are just as great!

Re: Cabinet Material [message #51809 is a reply to message #51808] Sun, 10 February 2008 23:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18783
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Most Chinese plywood products I've seen are terrible. I don't know about brownwood plywood. If I were you, I'd stay away from plywood unless I knew its quality or unless I could afford to scrap the cabinet if it started buzzing. Sometimes debris breaks loose in ply months or years after construction, causing a buzzing sound long after the speakers were first made.

Most retail stores here don't carry Baltic Birch, so a casual purchaser would say it's hard to get here too. But wholesalers stock it. You just have to know someone in the business of cabinetmaking. They can probably get Baltic Birch for you and I think it's worth it.

As for using a thicker material, that's fine. A slight change isn't going to make much difference but it is also easy to add 1/4" to each dimension to make up for 1/8" thicker wood.


Re: Cabinet Material [message #51810 is a reply to message #51809] Mon, 11 February 2008 02:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Champion is currently offline  Champion
Messages: 40
Registered: May 2009
Baron
Thanks Wayne. I will stick with MDF then, and just paint over it. Cheaper and easier to get the right thickness as well.

Mixed Cabinet Material [message #51815 is a reply to message #51809] Tue, 12 February 2008 08:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Champion is currently offline  Champion
Messages: 40
Registered: May 2009
Baron
Just curious, is mixing different cabinet material an option e.g. using MDF for front and back baffle and plywood for the rest?

Re: Mixed Cabinet Material [message #51816 is a reply to message #51815] Tue, 12 February 2008 11:32 Go to previous message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18783
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

That would be fine.


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