what thickness mdf is good to use for making a cab

[mebronx2000]

looking to make my own cab ! what thickness of mdf should i use thanks   

[matt4949]

I used 3/4 for the body (great) and 1/4 for the CP (stupid, stupid, stupid) My advice is stick to the big stuff. It's more forgiving when you make mistakes. You can actually screw into it (just make sure you are centered and always predrill you screw holes. It paints better and gives your cabinet a solid, substancial feel.

[ChadTower]

Most commercial cabs that used MDF used 3/4.  I doubt it would have made much difference if they used 1/2, to be honest.  I've never seen a damaged MDF cab where that would have made a difference.  It's always water that is the real trouble maker.

[mebronx2000]

I used 3/4 for the body (great) and 1/4 for the CP (stupid, stupid, stupid) My advice is stick to the big stuff. It's more forgiving when you make mistakes. You can actually screw into it (just make sure you are centered and always predrill you screw holes. It paints better and gives your cabinet a solid, substancial feel.

thanks 

[mebronx2000]

Most commercial cabs that used MDF used 3/4.  I doubt it would have made much difference if they used 1/2, to be honest.  I've never seen a damaged MDF cab where that would have made a difference.  It's always water that is the real trouble maker.

thanks 

[Woodshop Flunky]

If you use laminate, consider that the inside and outside will add about 1/8 inch to the thickness of your side panels.

I used 1/2 material and then laminated the inside and outside.  The result was a side panel 5/8 inch thick.  A 3/4 inch panel would have ended up 7/8 inch thick.

Between the two, I prefer the 5/8 to 7/8 thickness.

[negsense]

It sounds like MDF is what most people are going with.  Is there any reason other than cost to use MDF instead of plywood?

-negsense

[ChadTower]

Material preference, mostly.  Both will work just fine for building an arcade cabinet.  Plywood probably doesn't work out to be cheaper, though.  By the time you're done dealing with the imperfections in regular plywood it might cost more.  Cabinet grade plywood costs as much or more than MDF.

[Woodshop Flunky]

It sounds like MDF is what most people are going with.  Is there any reason other than cost to use MDF instead of plywood?

-negsense

If I had it to do over again, I'd use MDF on the side panels and plywood for everything in between.

MDF cuts like butter, and has a very good surface to work with.  You can sand shaping imperfections out by hand on MDF much easier than plywood.  Also, plywood splinters easily with a jigsaw.

I still like the strength of plywood, but for the side panels, MDF is more than strong enough.

The biggest issues I hear over and again concerning MDF is the dust (a very valid point) and weight.

My son's small cab weighs a ton and it's all plywood.  I can't imagine how heavy a full size MDF cab would be.  But then, you're probably going to be playing it about a zillion times more than you're going to be moving it.

[michelevit]

I'm a plywood cab builder. MDF generates too much dust for me. A sheet of 3/4 laminated plywood is not much more $. I finish my cabs by spraying thinned Rustoleum satin black. Looks great. If you do use MDF be sure to use some sort of dust collector or work outside.