xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

anyone know where you can buy plexiglass to make a top of a box out of? How thick woudl the plexiglass have to be ?? i know i make boxes out of 3/4" MDF.....but for plexiglass???

Would this be better or just making little holes to have neons shine out of?

CaysE

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=132861

CAMp3RO

i saw what a plexi toped box looked like and have wanted to do one since. come on now, how cool does a floating sub look???? however, 3/4 in plexi (about what you'd need) is very, very, very expensive and i believe difficult to cut. i think i was seeing like $100+ per sheet (dont remember the size). maybe someday, but for now, i'll stick with mdf, fiberglass, carpet, and paint

92 z28

you can use 1/2, that will be fine. im finishing up my plexiglass box for my car, im doing the final touches on the box this weekend. ill try to get pics, i have to say guys, it looks ****ing sick!

Peg8687

Heres mine

Peg8687

and the other

AJ_92RS

You can use a regular wood saw to cut Lexan. I know it's plexiglass but I don't know if other companies use different compositions that may not let you cut it that way.

I work for a sheet metal fabricating company and we cut Lexan all the time. I've cut as thin as 1/8" with a table saw. The first time my boss told me to I was like "That ****'s gonna crack and splinter from that blade won't it?" He told me it cuts easier and better than wood. He was right.

Just don't peel it before you cut it or else you'll scratch it.

AJ

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

so anyone know anywhere i can buy some from? and yes i've seen the other post. But i am thinking of the whole top of the box maybe if it 's not too much $$$

90FirebirdV6

Ive bought a sheet of plexiglass about 4X4 for about $11.00 bucks, picked it up at a hardware store, you can purchase a plexiglass cutter for about 5 you just scribe a line down where you wanna cut several times then you can snap the peice off, I used that to take out the big chunks then used a dremel cutoff wheel to get the curves and the dremel cylinder looking sander to smooth the edges just dont use to much pressue with the dremel otherwise it will cause the plexiglass to melt and look funny.

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

ok i'll try ace hardware around here then. or maybe home depot or menard's....who knows what you can find at these places at 12:30 am.

CAMp3RO

dont think about using very much of that plexi. i know you can buy plexi at the hardware store for cheap. but its not thick stuff. i used it as a set of speaker mounts for a pair of coax. however, it was almost too flimsy for them. in a sub box, the pressure from the subs would probably end up flexing, if not breaking, the plexi.

bunghole

I saw this address in another thread, http://www.onlinemetals.com/

redbird_400

Damn... Beat me to it.

redbird_400

That sounds like a good idea there. That would be cool to put in some neon lights so you can see inside in the dark but the only thing about that is you might get some kinda buzz when they are on. Well who knows they sell those lights to fit around the speakers so they might not buzz. It worth a shot though. Mind if I steal you idea.=?

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

hey try it out redbird....i should be building my box prolly next week....this week is pulling motor time

DISTURBthePEACE

I'm cutting my box out now and after that I cut the hole for the plexy. I'm going to use 3/4 inch plexy and route my top 1/2" down, screw the plexyglass in, and put supports outa sight under it so it doesnt flex and crack that 1/4" of MDF that I have holding it in. I'll post pics when im done.

ninety1TAgta

Dont go plexi/lexan. This just my experience but I will tell you about it. got a 1/2 inch piece of lexan cut for the top of my box. I was told it would not flex bad enough to hurt the sound, it does. I was told it wouldnt crack, Its crack at about 80% of all bolt locations on the box and sub. I was told it wouldnt scratch easy, it scratches from almost any contact. Basically, I got fooked. If you are talking about mounting your subs on the plexiglass (pic attached). I went this route planning to bondo and paint the inside and put some neons in there. Well that Idea went down the drain fast. Now I do have 2 15s, so that can take credit for most of the cracking but not all. And have 15s means a large area box top so that can be attributed to some flex, but not all of it. So with two 12s, it might not be as bad, but I would never do it. Anyway now I am stuck with a ruined expensive box top and am going custom fibreglass. Thats what I would recommend to you if you still want hot looks. Or go mdf with small plexi windows. Anyway I wouldnt go full plexi top unless you barely crank your subs, you keep everything away from your top and be careful working on it, and you dont really care if flex makes your subs bottom out way earlier than they should. Thats my long, painful experience . Just take those possible problems into account when building it. Maybe try some braces...? I will attach a through glass pic (cant see many cracks/scratches) so you can see what my situation was. Oh and btw, 1/2 inch plexi/lexan is very expensive. hope my rant helped in steering you away from it...
greg

DISTURBthePEACE

ninety1TAgta:I don't know if you were talking to me or not, but I am doing plexy window on the top. I thought I was going to do the rout and brace approach, but I might do the 2 peice top instead, it sounds more reliable. I'll have to see if I have to re-cut any parts or not.

ninety1TAgta

I was talking to the guy who started the thread but it applies to anyone thinking of a full top.
Agreed. The brace route it the best way to go. I dont know how purdy it would look though. Im sure some creativeness would help in making it look alright. Maybe mount some neons on 1x1 braces running vertical to the top?
The window idea sounds like a safer bet but definately wouldnt look as nice. If theres one nice thing about a full plexi top is it has amazing potential to look nice in the hands of someone creative. But no matter how well built your still going to suffer functionality losses over fibreglass or mdf.
If you know anyone into fibreglass talk to them about the top. I can tell anyone who wants to know how to do it. Its not as hard or expensive as most people thing you just have to be detailed and meticulous with it for good results...
Just dont do what I did with the 1/2 lexan
greg

AJ_92RS

You think that a 12"x12" @ $12.14 is expensive?

Or a 12"x24" @ $23.45 is?

Or how about 24"x36" @ $52.76?

If that's expensive, then why is spending $200 per subwoofer OK? (not refering to you, just people in general)

Go check out the prices at www.onlinemetals.com

(BTW, I was the one who originally posted that link :rockon: ) I think it may change your idea about "expensive".

AJ

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

so what about bandpass boxes....??? if you're saying that having a clear window would crack???
thanks again
steve

spike1856

Ok, so... let me see if I can try to illustrate my idea. (No access to Paint or anything on this computer, so text it is! Heh, the periods are supposed to represent air, because spaces get ignored on this message board system, it seems...)
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|...\,,,,,,,/...........\,,,,,,,/.....|
|....\,,,,,/.............\,,,,,/......|
|......................................|
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Ok, here's your box with two subs right? And you're saying the lexan top isn't strong enough to support the subs. Well, how about putting another strip of lexan running front to back between the two subs? You won't lose much in the way of transparency (the whole point of the lexan top) and it seems like that would be the point most in need of reinforcement...

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|...\,,,,,,,/...........\,,,,,,,/.....|
|....\,,,,,/.............\,,,,,/......|
|......................................|
|......................................|

If you could find a strong enough way to mount that center strip to the front and back, wouldn't it go quite a way toward solving the problem without hurting the looks? You could use a piece of MDF instead, but it wouldn't look quite as good. Actually, that probably wouldn't look too bad--it would seem like two seperate enclosures from above, right? Anyhow, I just think a strip of lexan on the middle there would make it stronger enough to fix the problem

ninety1TAgta

Thats not bad at all! I was speaking from my point of view. I looked around and most places didnt even stock the 1/2 inch and over lexan which means even more cost. Also, I live in canada and shipping from the states gives me nasty extra charges so it would still be a little much.
Also you would probably need a bigger piece than 24x36. And that is expensive considering you can get a 4x8 foot sheet of 3/4 mdf for 35 canadian (probly 20 usd?). Thats enough to make a whole box.
greg

ninety1TAgta

I doubt a small window properly installed would crack. Its just when you do a full lexan/plexi top the weight of the subs is being held by them and it takes alot of vibrations/flexes which lets the subs bottom out and doesnt make a very nice seal.
greg

ninety1TAgta

Sounds like a decent way of reinforcing it but I dont think it would be sufficient. If anyone is really dedicated to making a lexan top, it can work. heres some things I would do if I did it again.

1. Put a few braces of 1x1inch mdf or even better, round metal 1/4inch tubing between the 2 subs, staggered though, not in a line.

2. Put a ring of mdf under the the subs and plexi where the subs screw holes are. hard to explain but its the same thing you would do when you make a fibreglass box and mount your subs to it. Its like an inch wide circle, the same diameter of the subs mounting lip. Then drill holes in the plexi that are a bit bigger than the screw/bolts you are using so It barely touches. Basically this would just take the pressure off of concentrated areas on the plexi and spread it out some more to stop the cracking there.

3. Nothing less than 3/4 lexan/plexi.

4. To take the pressure off of the plexi holes where you mount it to the mdf, I would use the same idea as the mdf ring under the sub lips and and plexi. Either make a rectangle of MDF to go over the perimeter of the plexi (probly wouldnt look to nice), use washers (wouldnt work as well as the mdf) or try custom cut/welded metal strips to go on the perimeter to also spread out the pressure.

5. Look into some sort of coating or laminate so it wont scratch or scuff easy. Its just to fragile to be used plain in a daily driver. Maybe that laminate they put on house windows and glass doors so they cant be smashed would work...

6. If you put neons down in there make sure you put a fan blowing em too. Not to much fresh air down there and the subs get hot enough as it is.

That should take care of cracking and some of the flexing if done properly. But you will still loose some sq and spl with the flexing that would be hard to prevent without going to extreme measures at the costs of looks. All in all, it could work. But the effort will be about 3/4 the effort and probly the same cost it would take to make a fibreglass top.
greg

redbird_400

Ugly boxes......

http://www.audioformz.com/

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/7165/how_to_1.htm

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This one here is a good Idea!

I think I'll Try that!


https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/subwoofer.html