Box making

I am sure making a box is not hard. Some info on nails, glues, trick & tips would greatly help. I already have the box dimensions. Hopefully someone understands what i am asking.

yea i have access to almost any size air nailer what size u need? just like a pen nailer? for like trim and shhh? about 1 1/2 nail? 16guage nail.. something like that.

2 12'' RE SX, 2 crossfire vr1000d's.  so about 2200 watts rms.

'03 impala ls

In most cases a screwed together seam will split long before a glued together seam. This is why it is fine to use brad nails. The sole purpose of the nails is to hold the two surfaces in place until the glue dries. Once this seam has dried, the surfaces are more than adequately bonded for most subs. If you want to support it even more and in your case is highly recommended, lay a strip of glass on the inner seam, overlay it about 2" on each side, use a couple layers. This will make the seam way stronger than before, way way stronger. I use 16 gauge 1.5" brad nails for .75" mdf. Use a good amount of glue and spread it on the edge of the surface to be adhered first. Do not just lay it on in a strip and expect pressure to spread it evenly as it doesn't. So lay it down, use your finger and cover all of the surface, then nail that seam together. I would not nail within 2" of the end of a piece of the mdf to ensure that it does not split on you. Again, glue is going to be by far stronger than nails or screws. If you are going to screw, again stay away from the ends of the mdf and you must predrill everything.  In 20 years of building boxes I have only had to screw together a handful of boxes, these were usually ones that involved massive amounts of power and 1" mdf. I have had two boxes that were nailed come apart over the years, in both cases it was due to the customer not having the box secured down and allowing it to be bashed all over the trunk (or box of truck in one case). Use a good yellow wood glue for this.

i am new to f-glass.  thinking about messing around with it actually. i was at wal-mart the other day.. stopped by some glass.. i saw different type.. wood.. metal.. new car glass. etc..  pretty much just buy which is for your application then follow directions? once i start my experiment pro .. i 'll be askin in F-glass forum.

Use MDF 3/4" thick  (obviously you have to add or substract this thickness to or from the dimentions depending on the case) and use the dry wall screws (black ones,1 1/2 " lenght) ,you will also need a drill instead of a screw driver so it will be easier and faster to assembly your box

Also, I recommend liquid nails heavy duty glue, apply enough to assembly and seal at the same time(be carefull on how much glue you apply inside the port

Do not use nails ,beacuse the MDF is a very solid material , the nails applied with the air nailer will broke it,believeme! =0)

..and almost forgot it!  put the screws every 1 1/2 inches ....

that´s all what I did with my enclosure(  kicker compcvr 12")   ,I tuned it @ 38 hertz and rocks!

I ment the black metal threaded screws,the ones that are strong...I´m sorry but I don´t know its name in english ,ask for them at home depot...and Gus1 is right ...predrill!!!!

mariocesar wrote:

---

..and almost forgot it!  put the screws every 1 1/2 inches ....

---

Damn, you must go through a few boxes of screws on a single project. Rember it's the glue holding the box, the screws are used to clamp the joints while they dry.

I think every 3-5 inches would be adequate

Liquid nails rocks, some kind of caulk on the inside of all the joints.  The 2 inch screws are enough every 3-5 like dwarren said.  Just to give you an idea of the weight capability, the cabinets in your house are held up with only a few 3 inchers and they hold up tons of weight well.  I have some shelving in my garage with 6 2 inch screws in the studs and theres at least 300 lbs of junk on them.  also when you use screws, use a countersink to make them sit flush or just under the level of the material.  That way if you want to upholster the box with something you don't have bumps everywhere.

you have to use good screws so they thight while the glue gets dry ....and you have to leave them there!  once the glue is dry ...it is easy for the MDF to get broken because its physicall properties...it is a hard material but at the same time it is to easy to break it ...

and the screws are not expensive.. I got 80 screws for near to 3 dollars at home depot!

audiobhan101 wrote:

---

any sugestions on how to cut the most accurate circle?

---

Use a Jasper Jig on your router.  Also, if you use poly glue make sure you pre-wet the edges of the MDF so it won't soak up all the glue.

In general, my opinion is if you use screws instead of clamps, in a well-made enclosure you should be able to remove them without changing the integrity of the enclosure.  If not, it's not well glued or braced.

audiobahn, it sounds as though you are getting ripped off.  Lowes charges $19.99 a sheet (49"x97") for 3/4" mdf.  Even at places that are a little higher, the price very seldom gets over $25 a sheet.

Hey I have one more suggestion: once you are done finishing your box leave it outside the house, be sure the sun gets  inside  thru the mounting holes so it will get dry much better. this will help to avoid gases that could damage the gasket....leave it for a couple of days and then enjoy it!

yes send us pics!!!!

I used Gorilla Glue on my box for my 2 Infinity reference 12's.  I think that if you drop the box the mdf would break before the glue.  And the foaming action is a great way to completely seal the box.

Gorilla Glue is great stuff.

And, btw, to audiobahn101, follow this link to lowes website and print the page and bring it to your lumber store to show them.  You'll probably have a better chance of getting a discount of some sort.  But the taxes are higher in Canada, too, so you'll have to take that into account.

https://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&Ne=8000&N=0%205000158&category=Particleboard%20/%20Medium%20Density%20Fiberboard%20Panels&pad=true

odd about Canada prices being higher - bc i think a lot of US lumber comes from Canada.

Will you update us with pics of your progress?

ok got it. orginal is 13.5*36*25.5 new is 13.5*34*27..

Q. does resizing the box like that change the tuning?  or just as long as i dont play with the actual size of the hole? hmmmm

Wow, that's going to be a big box. Does anyone have any experience with RE's and there box sizes? I've heard go with what the re site recommends.  hope i dont get a flat anytime soon. haha. would it be ok to mount my amps ontop of the box?