Screwless Box

[BoomBoxB 0]

ok thats what i want to hear. thanks for the help. ill let everyone know how it comes out next week.

[topgun 262]

Also, for cleaning up glue after you clamp a joint. Wait about 30min or so for it to get tacky/slightly hard and then just scrape it off, works a lot easier than wiping it off while its still wet.

[buggsson 0]

I would use one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscuit_joiner

and clamp like crazy while it dries. Rock solid joints without screws.

[95Honda 486]

I have built tons of boxes without any screws. I mostly use biscuits though, it you are only doing butt joints they are the quickest and strongest.

I only use polyurethane with MDF. Mostly Elmers. I haven't used titebond or others for years. It takes alot longer for poly to dry, but I think it is a real step up in performance.

If you are going to have it sprayed with liner, prep it like you are going to paint it. I have done about 50 or so boxes sprayed with line-x that last few years. You can see a finish nail hole if you look close enough....

This box is line-X'd. It is also completely done with biscuits. All 1.25" MDF.

[///M5 2,833]

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ok if you put 3k plus through a box with only glue it can blow apart... Glue is only so good...... If you check out box builders on the net if they are running some decent power they are using at least 1 1/4 in screws. Why do you think this is??????

If you are only running a little bit of power (baby bass lol) you could use bubble gum to hold it together....... But if you are a bass head or running some power you need more than just glue........

Dose anyone else agree with me???????????

Stop with all the useless punctuation. And to top it off you are wrong. If you glue a box together correctly the glue will be stronger than the mdf itself which makes the screws completely unnecessary. Their biggest benefit is they idiot proof the assembly, so maybe you are saying that you need some extra help... (much better use of ellipses than above )

Do you need screws? No. Should you use them? Why not. Personally I never do, but that doesn't mean you should follow suit.

Just to clarify some of the other posts as well, don't use liquid nails. If you do, you will need screws as it is crap for building boxes. Real woodglue is all you need, Elmers or Titebond will be more than adequate. If I were you, I'd follow Topgun's advice when it comes to working with wood.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

My tendency is on the smaller enclosures, I usually don't use screws. The Dcon 8 ported test box has no screws. (But the big TL from fuzzyping does ). Where as by habit I guess, anything larger then 1.5 cubes gets screws, usually due to the size of the panels and the size of the driver I guess.

[BoomBoxB 0]

wow thanks for all the reply's guys, i should get my box plans from pwkdesigns.com this week, so ill start building, and let you know how it goes.

[topgun 262]

If I were you, I'd follow Topgun's advice when it comes to working with wood.

[efxtruck 0]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ok if you put 3k plus through a box with only glue it can blow apart... Glue is only so good...... If you check out box builders on the net if they are running some decent power they are using at least 1 1/4 in screws. Why do you think this is??????

If you are only running a little bit of power (baby bass lol) you could use bubble gum to hold it together....... But if you are a bass head or running some power you need more than just glue........

Dose anyone else agree with me???????????

Stop with all the useless punctuation. And to top it off you are wrong. If you glue a box together correctly the glue will be stronger than the mdf itself which makes the screws completely unnecessary. Their biggest benefit is they idiot proof the assembly, so maybe you are saying that you need some extra help... (much better use of ellipses than above )

Do you need screws? No. Should you use them? Why not. Personally I never do, but that doesn't mean you should follow suit.

Just to clarify some of the other posts as well, don't use liquid nails. If you do, you will need screws as it is crap for building boxes. Real woodglue is all you need, Elmers or Titebond will be more than adequate. If I were you, I'd follow Topgun's advice when it comes to working with wood.

If screws are SO Unnecessary why do ALL of the top box builders use them..... Are they wrong and you are right. People that make a living off of this would know a little more than people that just build box's in there garage.

Edited March 2, 2009 by efxtruck

[NB50 206]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ok if you put 3k plus through a box with only glue it can blow apart... Glue is only so good...... If you check out box builders on the net if they are running some decent power they are using at least 1 1/4 in screws. Why do you think this is??????

If you are only running a little bit of power (baby bass lol) you could use bubble gum to hold it together....... But if you are a bass head or running some power you need more than just glue........

Dose anyone else agree with me???????????

Stop with all the useless punctuation. And to top it off you are wrong. If you glue a box together correctly the glue will be stronger than the mdf itself which makes the screws completely unnecessary. Their biggest benefit is they idiot proof the assembly, so maybe you are saying that you need some extra help... (much better use of ellipses than above )

Do you need screws? No. Should you use them? Why not. Personally I never do, but that doesn't mean you should follow suit.

Just to clarify some of the other posts as well, don't use liquid nails. If you do, you will need screws as it is crap for building boxes. Real woodglue is all you need, Elmers or Titebond will be more than adequate. If I were you, I'd follow Topgun's advice when it comes to working with wood.

If screws are SO Unnecessary why do ALL of the top box builders use them..... Are they wrong and you are right. People that make a living off of this would know a little more than people that just build box's in there garage.

Probably because they dont have time to sit around and wait for the glue to dry. It is easier and more cost effective to screw it together then wait for the glue to dry. You know time = money.

[BoomBoxB 0]

http://www.pwkdesigns.com/blog/

I dont see any screws, and imo are CLEANNNNN.

[efxtruck 0]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ok if you put 3k plus through a box with only glue it can blow apart... Glue is only so good...... If you check out box builders on the net if they are running some decent power they are using at least 1 1/4 in screws. Why do you think this is??????

If you are only running a little bit of power (baby bass lol) you could use bubble gum to hold it together....... But if you are a bass head or running some power you need more than just glue........

Dose anyone else agree with me???????????

Stop with all the useless punctuation. And to top it off you are wrong. If you glue a box together correctly the glue will be stronger than the mdf itself which makes the screws completely unnecessary. Their biggest benefit is they idiot proof the assembly, so maybe you are saying that you need some extra help... (much better use of ellipses than above )

Do you need screws? No. Should you use them? Why not. Personally I never do, but that doesn't mean you should follow suit.

Just to clarify some of the other posts as well, don't use liquid nails. If you do, you will need screws as it is crap for building boxes. Real woodglue is all you need, Elmers or Titebond will be more than adequate. If I were you, I'd follow Topgun's advice when it comes to working with wood.

If screws are SO Unnecessary why do ALL of the top box builders use them..... Are they wrong and you are right. People that make a living off of this would know a little more than people that just build box's in there garage.

Probably because they dont have time to sit around and wait for the glue to dry. It is easier and more cost effective to screw it together then wait for the glue to dry. You know time = money.

makes good sence

[efxtruck 0]

http://www.pwkdesigns.com/blog/

I dont see any screws, and imo are CLEANNNNN.

But will he give a lifetime warranty??????

[BoomBoxB 0]

he stands behind his work, but anyway... almost everyone here says you can build a box w/o screws, so ill go by what they say. And if it doesn't work and explodes, ill just build another one with screws and let you know you were right. hahah

[efxtruck 0]

he stands behind his work, but anyway... almost everyone here says you can build a box w/o screws, so ill go by what they say. And if it doesn't work and explodes, ill just build another one with screws and let you know you were right. hahah

I wasnt saying dont do it. But yeah let me know how it tunrns out

[///M5 2,833]

makes good sence

But will he give a lifetime warranty??????

I wasnt saying dont do it. But yeah let me know how it tunrns out

Ok.

1) it is sense

2) I already told you to stop with the stupid punctuation

3) spell check

And most importantly, when you don't know what you are talking about ask questions don't say what you think it just makes you sound more stupid than your sentence structure.

BTW, "all the top builders" do NOT use screws. Glue joints when done correctly are stronger than mdf itself. Screws are NOT necessary. As I did say before though they help idiotproof the process so you should obviously use them, but most of us don't need to.

[topgun 262]

If screws are SO Unnecessary why do ALL of the top box builders use them..... Are they wrong and you are right. People that make a living off of this would know a little more than people that just build box's in there garage.

Somehow I don't think anyone makes a living building subwoofer boxes. They may make some side money at it (if they are bigger, pretty decent side money at that), but I highly doubt they can crank them out enough to make a good living at it. If you want to look at someone who makes a living making boxes for audio, look at high end home audio companies, they sure don't need screws in their designs and don't use them.

Using screws in a box is not a requirement in building a good woofer box. Is it a good way to make a box faster? Sure is, and the higher volume of a product you can make and sell, the more money you are going to get.

Do the majority of people wanting woofer boxes know the difference in construction? Not a clue, most of them couldn't build a square box to save their life so it doesn't really matter.

Will screws in a box change the sonic signature? No way in hell in a woofer box.

Will screws in the joints stop it from breaking just past the glue joint when you are getting ridiculous with the setup? Possibly, (I use that word very cautiously) but if that does solve the problem your box design is flawed anyway. If you are breaking anything just past the glue joint sit down and think this one out. Your material is breaking past the joint, thats the telltale signs of a good joint, ok so you did something right. Now you just have to look at it and realize that your material is not strong enough for its purpose. Now if that means you need to add bracing, go to a thicker material, different material, or a combination of the aforementioned.

If you need something stronger than a plain butt joint in wood, there are multiple options to gain you more surface area of glue in a joint. Here are some that come to mind.

Biscuits: They are a quick and easy method, work great

Rabbet joints: Little more time, works best for smaller items, wouldn't use to much for large items.

Miter: A quality tablesaw/fence/sled combo is almost a necessity for this to come out well. For a .75" board you will get ~1" of contact surface on the glue joint.

Are screws necessary? No.

Do lots of people use them, even 'professionals'? Yes

Can you make a quality box with screws or without? Yes

Advantages of using screws? Quicker build time is number one right here.

[BoomBoxB 0]

thanks for the info topgun.

much appreciated

Edited March 3, 2009 by BoomBoxB

[SLYTLYSCRAMBLED 0]

I use screws..... But I'm an idiot!!! I have flaws!!! Furthermore, it's your build and like you said,if it doesn't work, try it again!! LMAO!!! Sorry, just wanted to throw my .02 in!!

[mazzasec 0]

Dont make the mistake my buddy did on my box! Used ONLY glue no screws. BUTTTT glued it together in 30 degrees weather. Lets just say the wood didnt stay together to good lol

[topgun 262]

Dont make the mistake my buddy did on my box! Used ONLY glue no screws. BUTTTT glued it together in 30 degrees weather. Lets just say the wood didnt stay together to good lol

If you read a glue bottle, there is a specific temp that you aren't suppose to glue under... Titebond III is the best and its only to 47*

[mazzasec 0]

Dont make the mistake my buddy did on my box! Used ONLY glue no screws. BUTTTT glued it together in 30 degrees weather. Lets just say the wood didnt stay together to good lol

If you read a glue bottle, there is a specific temp that you aren't suppose to glue under... Titebond III is the best and its only to 47*

LOL If I read the glue bottle? Maybe if you read a post youd realize my BUDDY made the box not me.

Edited March 10, 2009 by SEC

[topgun 262]

Dont make the mistake my buddy did on my box! Used ONLY glue no screws. BUTTTT glued it together in 30 degrees weather. Lets just say the wood didnt stay together to good lol

If you read a glue bottle, there is a specific temp that you aren't suppose to glue under... Titebond III is the best and its only to 47*

LOL If I read the glue bottle? Maybe if you read a post youd realize my BUDDY made the box not me.

Easy there turbo, didn't mean it as disrespectful towards you.

[mazzasec 0]

Dont make the mistake my buddy did on my box! Used ONLY glue no screws. BUTTTT glued it together in 30 degrees weather. Lets just say the wood didnt stay together to good lol

If you read a glue bottle, there is a specific temp that you aren't suppose to glue under... Titebond III is the best and its only to 47*

LOL If I read the glue bottle? Maybe if you read a post youd realize my BUDDY made the box not me.

Easy there turbo, didn't mean it as disrespectful towards you.

LOL Its all good I thought you were coming off smart to me lol

[topgun 262]

Nope, wasn't trying to be smart (this time), but anyone dealing with a glue/adhesive should realize the environment that it is designed to work in and operate in those tolerances, otherwise it will probably not work properly. I'd expect anyone building a box for someone else to realize how to use what they have, personally I wouldn't want anything like that leaving my hands if it isn't done right. If it breaks then I take it as a knock on my ability as a craftsman.