MDF powders finely when you saw or drill it, so you really need to wear a mask. I like it though because it's so easy to file to fit.

That being said however, I completely agree it won't hold a thread well at all. So when I use it I drill thru holes and use nuts and bolts, such as with speaker baffles, or machine screws such as with access covers.

I suppose there's always any number of ways to do something

SkintheCatAugs

 

Audio Speaker Enclosures
Construction tips
For do-it-yourself (DIY) audio hobbyist.
You can design a system that looks and sounds the way you choose. Audio speakers with non-parallel walls have fewer problems with internal reflections but most builders prefer the box-like enclosures because construction is easier and they look like audio speakers. The preferred ratio of dimensions is 0.62 : 1 : 1.62. This ratio is referred as the "golden ratio" since the days of the Egyptian pyramids. It insures the resonance will be spread over the frequency spectrum. This ratio is prevalent in several engineering applications.

Driver placement
The first rule is to place the high frequency tweeters above the low frequency woofers. This places the tweeters near ear level and the directional sound will not be lost. The woofers then are nearer the floor for good bass reinforcement. The second rule is to place the audio drivers in a vertical line. This will keep frequencies in-phase with the listeners ear. If for some reason the drivers are place off line or off center, mirror the audio speaker front face so that the drivers are not at different distances from the ideal listening chair.

Materials
The most commonly used speaker material is 3/4" plywood or particle board. Thickness should be chosen to match enclosure size. If the box is under 1/2 cubic foot in volume, it can be made from 1/2" or even 3/8 material. Use 3/4" material in enclosure made for woofers with a diameter of 8" or greater. If you use plywood, choose a good grade. Hardwood plywood such as birch or walnut works well. Cheap grades of fir plywood will have many voids and poorly glued layers. Voids and loose layers can cause rattles. For a fine wood furniture appearance you can use 3/4" hardwood plywood with beveled corner joints. One can also use particle board with butt joints. Wood veneer can be applied for appearance. Any kind of material will work from cloth to wallpaper for appearance. Particle board is especially desirable because of its high density, lack of voids or loose layers, and is less expensive. When buying it, choose an industrial grade. Counter top particle board works very well. You can identify the best particle board by examining the particle size. The best selection has small particles and smooth edges. Avoid particle board that is flaky with large particles.

 

Box Construction
Note the following when building an enclosure:

Needs to be strong enough to withstand the energy produced by the driver
Needs to be airtight

The following materials and parts are suggested for construction:

1 inch high density particle board. (3/4 inch particle board can be used for smaller drivers)
1 1/2 inch screws. Do not use nails. Nails will vibrate out of the wood
High quality wood glue (Elmer's wood glue)
Silicon caulk

1 inch or greater particle board should provide enough strength for most applications. For larger boxes, an internal brace should be installed to prevent excessive vibration.

Apply wood glue to all fastening joints. The glue provides additional strength to the joints.

Apply silicon caulk to all internal joints. This will ensure any leaks in the enclosure are sealed. A small leak can produce noticeable noise and degraded sound output of the enclosure.

Patman
High density particle board is almost twice as dense as MDF(medium density fiberboard). Particle board will hold screws much better . Go back to the 80's and 90's and still currently . Just about every world DB record was achieved with high density particle board boxes . I do not know where you recieved your information .

 

If we're skinning the cat and you're going to claim old school creds, then I'll step in with my 2 cents:

There's as much literature out there on MDF as is on high density particle board for speaker enclosures. I suppose we can do a record search for comparable densities, but what's the point if either work well?

MDF is easier to source than "one inch high density particle board" . It has two drawbacks that I'm aware of, much heavier and it won't hold a thread. But it's dense, hard and a lot easier on your cutting tools, and is great with glue.

Not very attractive, but veneer's veneer.

Just to be clear though, some of the world's best home speakers, IMHO, are made with high density particle board, some very esoteric grades.

GreyBeardAugs

 

Tbd
Agreed , Both have some advantages over the other . I simply stated that I prefer high density PB for its structural qualitys and the ability to hold screws much better, without splitting . and its like a couple of people ripped on me for it .

 

ya mdf sucks at spliting, gotta predrill every damn hole, still its cheap and easy to work with

 

x2 I didnt have any problems, b.c i predrill my holes like im supposed to