So my dad has alot of different types of wood in his garage (oak, maple, ect) and i was just curious if any type of wood is better than using MDF. Im pretty sure MDF is better though, just a question.

 

almost any decent quality hardwood is "better" than MDF, not by much however, mdf is cheap and relatively light which is what makes it ideal...oh, and easy to work with.

 

Thanks for the info

 

I've used Birch plywood, and it was not very easy to work with, bows and such, make it poopie.

 

Yet a lot of folks put the 7 layer baltic birch plywood in a saintly position reserved for magic dbz (i think Yuli smuggled it out)

There is a foam board that should significantly out perform MDF but OMG it would make a standard box cost 500+ dollars

 

You can get 15 ply ( 1 inch thick ) but cost 150-200$ and is still much lighter then MDF. 7-11 ply (3/4 inch) around 75-100$ and will always come on top of MDF. Fibre board is massively used due to its ability to easily resonate your speakers and is much cheaper the birch or maple.

 

You can always use 1" MDF, if you want it a bit more solid than 3/4". I get it here for $53 a sheet (4x8). The problem I see with "lumber" is that it's typically not a sufficient width, so it' becomes very labour intensive, having to glue and clamp enough boards together. The end result could be amazing though after staining and varathaning, and maybe even dovetailing the joints. I guess it depends on what you want for an end result. Either way can be a work of art depending on your skills.

 

7 layer won't do it... you want 11 layer ++. and yes, it will usually be louder than MDF

There is other stuff that's even better than baltic birch for spl but I have yet to find a place to get it in Canada

 

MDF is about the best as it gets.. regardless of price.. doesnt warp, cuts nice. doenst split etc... and cheap. Except may not hold nails or screws that well but you glue it anyway right?

 

I've always used 3/4 MDF but my new plans are to use birch. I've heard nothing but good things about it. Almost twice the strength and half the weight of MDF... Didn't really think much about the bowing problem that KK had. Going to have to keep this in mind when buying the wood and cutting the bracing.