MDF particle board seems to be the choice for building custom enclosures these days so having a couple years experience as a cabinetmaker/finish carpenter I thought I'd share a few tips about working with it and hope others will add...
1. Stay away from the edges when edge drilling mdf. This stuff splits like crazy when you nail or screw into the ends of it so you should probly stay around 2" or more in from the end of the piece...
2. Use the smallest screws possible. #6 wood screws 1 1/2" long are best for 3/4" mdf. As long as the joints are glued before they are assembled... otherwise your enclosure may fly all to f***.
3. Sand alot before applying finish (this doesn't apply to people using carpet
). I used a special black colored laquer finish on an ported box i built one time and it looked really sharp, except that every edge that was showing had to be done over because of the saw marks. 120 grit should do the trick.
4. Use a good acoustical sealant or caulking of some sort. mdf is easy to work with, but if you stop moving it through the saw for a split second it causes little gouges on the edges, so using some good caulking helps seal these for better sound quality. (I always use as thick a bead as possible and push it in with a round trowel or my finger :p).
5. Don't just start off the top of your head. sit down and do a little drawing first. make sure you deduct the thickness of the mdf for where it overlaps, and consider whether or not any special vents, ports, or terminals need to be allowed for.
Well I dunno what else to say other then good luck with building your own enclosures... sometimes it helps to follow the reccomended cubic feet provided by some manufacturers. And I also wanted to ask if anyone had tried building a woofer box out of the new waterproof MDF (also lighter and more durable). Thanks.
i usually just use the woodglue i'm using to seal the joints....works fine.
also a good table saw is needed to get accurate cuts
the glue is where the strength is...not in the screws (they are there to act as a lazy man's clamp)
I've never used terminal cups..a small hole is all i use with some sealant.
if i think of anything else to add i'll post it up
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gorilla glue > wood glue > *
That stuff not only is stronger then almost any adhesive I'v ever used, it expands to over 5x its original size acting as a glue/sealant in one step. But be sure to clamp it down real good or it will expand the wood from each other.
sandmanx wrote:gorilla glue > wood glue > *
That stuff not only is stronger then almost any adhesive I'v ever used, it expands to over 5x its original size acting as a glue/sealant in one step. But be sure to clamp it down real good or it will expand the wood from each other.
and it's twice the cost of regular wood glue
wood glue does the job fine(never had a failure while using it)...i'd rather save money on materials.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Offical dealer for the following-
SOUNDSTREAM
DB LINK
DB DRIVE
PANASONIC
GARMIN
ROSEN
SCOSCHE
XE DESIGNS
SOUNDGATE
PAC
LITEGLOW
