Jimminy crickets what the heck is it with lowes here! Every time i walk in there they either don't have MDF or they have 1 single sheet that was dragged through the pits of hell. This is getting annoying as I am ready to start building my box.

So I got my seat lift squared away. I'm modifying it a bit to bring the seat back up 2.5" so it'll sit pretty close to flush with the window. Pretty cool cause it gives me maybe 1-2" of additional clearance behind the seat for air circulation. I still got to get some 1/8 steel to secure the back of the seat. Idiot me picked the steel up then sat it down to get a cart from the front door and forgot to go back and get it.

Anyways me and my booming headache are headed to the couch for a nap.

 

Hell, the closest Lowes is 150 miles from me, I know they have MDF though.

Used to get mine at Menards untill I went there last time and the dip*****s said they couldnt cut the sheets inhalf for me to fit under my bed cover. I was mad, and I cussed. I told them to shove it and ended up getting some from the stereo shop just down the street. Same price, plus its a little larger sheets (4x10ft) and it just seems nicer.

I seem to always have a sheet laying around though.

 

My Lowes always has a rack of it

 

lowes around here has it

 

My Lowe's is about 1/2 mile away and has plenty of MDF. Sorry Impact!

BTW, here's a few pics of the box I just finished up that I based off of Bryan's measurements. I ended up with 13" width on the passenger side instead of Bryan's 14" b/c I was hitting the outside passenger side front lift bracket. I realized too late that you can clearance the side b/c your baffle is just high enough to clear the bracket. Let me know if I can help in any way.

 

You are the Man! (And so is Bryan where ever he may be) Your pics are going to save me a ton of time. Thanks!!

oh..
I went to the other lowes and way up on the 3rd level was the MDF. Poor guys are a bit smarter about where they put the MDF now.

 

[QUOTE=Im_SCrewed]My Lowe's is about 1/2 mile away and has plenty of MDF. Sorry Impact!

BTW, here's a few pics of the box I just finished up that I based off of Bryan's measurements. I ended up with 13" width on the passenger side instead of Bryan's 14" b/c I was hitting the outside passenger side front lift bracket. I realized too late that you can clearance the side b/c your baffle is just high enough to clear the bracket. Let me know if I can help in any way.





does your box fit under your rear seat, becuase in my scab i only have 7 inches and my box is 8 inches and doesnt fit!!

 

hmm... Don't know if anyone cares about this, but as a Lowe's employee, I'd thought I'd put my $.02 cents in. Different stores carry slightly differently product line, this is both due to corporate and the management within the individual store itself. Management may also decide to discontinue any particular item if it has been selling particularly bad. And, par Murphy's law, as soon as we discontinue something, people come in looking for it. We oftentimes just point them to another Lowe's that carries it. Next time you're at a Lowe's and can't find something, such as MDF, track down an associate, and if he's worth his salt, he can tell you if they carry an item and where it is located, if not, he can direct you to a store that does, or if you are getting a sizable amount, he can order the product for you.

I am ashamed to admit that I do not know if the Lowe's I work it has MDF, I work in the nursery.

 

Thanks for the info minimonster! The lowes I normally go to was sold out and they got a few pallets in the other day. I'm pretty lucky and have 2 lowes with in 13 miles of my house.

Plus like 3 home depots which I despise.

LONG LIVE LOWES! haha

 

I can't comment on depth differences btw Scab/Screw, but the reason I can fit that box height is I've got a seat lift from LMI Welding.

 

I guess you could call me old school . But I would use Particle Board any day over MDF . If you used both types , you would know why .

 

Please explain, Id like to know why you say this.

Ive never made a box out of particle board, and after seeing what has happened to some, I wouldnt want too...

 

omg particle board wouldnt hold pressure at all, it would be like haveing a ported box, and sticking a sock in the port to make it sealed

 

Hahaha

 

Patman
Are you sure your not thinking of OSB ? Industrial grade PB has been used for speaker box & cabinet makers for the last 50 years or so . It is more expensive than MDF , But here are a few comments some speaker & cabinet builders had to say about MDF .


There is a huge difference between industrial grade (very good), commercial grade (okay), and underlayment grade (Wal-Mart) particleboard. One must first know the difference to make an educated decision about this subject.

Regarding MDF, no screw will hold reliably in the stuff, period. MDF is much more likely to split if you do try to use screws. Cabinets built from MDF weigh a ton!
MDF for speaker boxes ? No thank you very much. I'll take an industrial grade PB core anytime.


Too many people think that particleboard is hunks of wood haphazardly glued together. Not true. Particleboard is an engineered product with specific properties that must be met to have it graded in a specific grade and usage grouping. Particleboard today is not like the stuff we used for cabinets and so on in the 1950s. In many uses, especially structural, and in fastening, particleboard will greatly outperform MDF.

Incidentally, what is MDF? It is the same wood used for particleboard, except it is made smaller (fibers or groups of fibers) before it is glued back together. It uses the same adhesive, too! The June 2002 issue of FDM magazine had a nice summary of the composite board definitions. Read it before making statements that are not really true but that need qualifications.

Comment from contributor C:
Each product has its place. Particleboard is very smooth, consistent, and holds screws and other fasteners well. MDF has a smoother finish, takes machining very well, but doesn't hold screws too well. Use dowels or other fasteners. MDF is heavier than particleboard. Lightweight MDF is great, but can't be trusted to hold a screw at all.