Where to find....

[oface1]

Hey all,

I am looking to start building my cabs for the 604's.

I tried looking for 1"-1.5" void-free ply. I called my local cab builder, who called his supplier. They said there was none to be found.

Is such material available to someone like me? Do I keep calling around?

I am in mid-South Carolina. Any familiar with any product? Or should I get the regular 3/4" stuff and have my cab shop make 1.5" lamination, would this be cost effective?


I am gonna continue to search around, but I like asking questions here , which will help me figure out other questions to ask later....


Thanks,,,


-chris

[Old Guy]

Void free is usually marine...you may need a supplier who caters to boat builders.

[bowtie427ss]

From most suppliers anything over 3/4 is going to constitute a "special order" in which case the prices tend to go astronomical. Some suppliers won't break up units on special orders either. At least that's how it works in this corner of the country.

FWIW, if you have access or know someone who does to completed ebay auctions going back 60 or 90 days(requires a subscription), there was a fella in southern PA trying to sell 70+sheets of 3/4 void free cherry, and 30+ sheets of void free Alder.

A buddy and i had considered the lot, but storage and handling for ply of that quality and quantity presents some challenges all it's own. You don't throw that stuff around like CDX.

[Tranquil]

I have seen 1 inch Baltic Birch ply here in Florida. BB is void free stiff and not as heavy as MDF. 3/4 inch with adequate bracing does a great job, I used it for my model 19 cabs and It turned out great. Do a search here on Baltic Birch you will find some good info written by some knowledge people.

[GM]

Greets!

FYI, marine grade used to be guaranteed void free, but several years ago I learned from Georgia-Pacific that this isn't the norm anymore, so now I only recommend (11-13 lam) 19 mm or thicker Baltic Birch or Apple ply and of course any other plywood that meets/exceeds their specs that I'm not aware of.

WRT to hardwoods, few have enough moisture stability to make speaker cabs from, so Caveat Emptor.

WRT desired thickness, bracing the above with same is more cost effective than a single thick panel for a given as built stiffness. Weighs less too, a big plus for those of us with weak/damaged backs. That said, if front mounting woofer(s), then adding a veneer of the same material to create a flush mount is far superior to rebating the baffle.

GM

[Old Guy]

The "void free" part depends on the supplier, some will guarantee if you find a void while cutting they take the sheet back and give you another.

Others, not so much.

BTW asked a friend boat builder he sends this from his list

* Bowman - VP Kiser Lumber Co, Rt 2, Box 12, 29018 803/829 2571 - L
* Charleston - Marine Lumber Supply LLC, 2060 North Hopson Ave, 29405, 843/554-2425 - L, PW
* Donalds - East Teak of SC, PO Box 287, 29638. 800/379 2111 - L (Teak, oak)
* Ladson - Wood Boys - PW
* Moncks Corner - Umphlett Lumber Co, PO Box 547, 29461 803/761 8314 - L
* Ridgeville - Ashley River Lumber, 449 Campbell Thicket Rd, 843/873 2071 - L (cypress)

L stands for "lumber" PW is, you guessed it...

[oface1]

Old guy , GM and crew you guys are great...

Thanks for the list. My search queries turned up really much nothing or dead ends.

Even tried to with a local reputable cab builder, to keep it local and home, but he said even his supplier could not come up with the desired thickness.

Called and talked to a great woman out of OR who is a national distributor, she said IF she could get it, she would galdly sell it to me by the warehouse or truckload full!!!!,lol!!!

At best the lowest amount would be a crate, and it would set me back a gracious amount. But she got my contact info and she said she would send me emails with links and info on anything, great customer service after all.....

I will check with contacts Old guy.......


Also, been asking some of the local shops if they could be able to, if I supplied the 3/4" material they could laminate both panels together, and most have come up mum on the subject.....still calling and see if any could do that.....for a charge of course.


Thanks again all....

keep you posted..


-chris

[martyh45]

I don?t have any problems finding it. The trick is drop the ?void free? from your requirements. As GM pointed out, it is not a common specification anymore. As I understand it, no manufacturer will guarantee that their plywood is totally void free. That being said, I have cut up bunks of Appleply and Baltic Birch and everything I have seen is close enough to void free to use in speaker cabinets.

If you need stuff that is thicker than ?? and can?t find it locally you can laminate it up. The best way to do that is with contact cement in the center of the panel and wood glue in a two or three inch strip along the edges. If you do it like that you can use standard clamps along the edges after you press the panels until the wood glue sets. The problem in a home shop is pressing the pieces after they are glued up. In a shop you would use a cold press machine, at home you can use an old solid core slab door as a base and pound the panels with a heavy hammer and wooden block.

Your local cabinet maker may be interested in providing you with panels laminated and cut to size. (like a flat pack) Just make sure that the edges of the individual panels are glued with wood glue rather than contact cement. The problem with laminations like this is the extreme stresses that can be put on the joints near the edges with changes in humidity. Contact cement just doesn?t hold up well to the sustained forces moving wood can put on joints. The same trick works well with wood backed veneers if you ever need to do any of that.

[oface1]

Hey Marty,

Yep, I was thinking of having a shop do the laminations. Trick is finding one that has the set-up.

I have seen a diy version using heavy-duty mylar or some other kind of plastic, sealed off on all side, in essence, a large bag, and having a vacuum hooked up to it and having the pressure on it for many hours.

Saw it on a woodworking show a few years back. Not sure if I want to go that route yet.


hard thing is a lot of shops around here work 9-5, same as I , and I tend to get very busy and things get a little hectic at work.

I wll come up with a solution though,.

Thanks,


-chris

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

Yep, I was thinking of having a shop do the laminations. Trick is finding one that has the set-up.

Seems to me that having a shop build plywood for you would quite expensive. I've heard of it being done, but I got the impression it was for customers buying a custom high dollar end product.