I'm building a large subwoofer and finding MDF to be too heavy to work with. The Baltic birch plywood is great, but it's a bit pricey for my budget. My shop suggested using reinforced maple plywood or Bravo birch plywood instead. The appearance isn't crucial for me, but I need a material that has good density and minimal voids, ideally around 18 mm thick. What do you guys think about these options?
2 Answers
Honestly, if you can swing it, I’d invest in the Baltic birch. I've tried cheaper plywoods in the past, and let me tell you, they can be super voidy and not worth the hassle! After paying hefty prices for mediocre supplies, I’ve learned that quality really matters. I pay about $90 for 18mm Baltic birch and it’s consistently solid without any of those annoying voids.
I get my 18mm birch sheets from a local lumberyard for around $60 each, and they’ve been perfect for cabinetry—no voids at all. They’re imported from Vietnam, which surprised me at first, but the quality has been excellent! Might be worth checking out similar sources in your area.
Wait, birch grows in Vietnam? That’s interesting! The stuff I’ve seen usually comes from Northern Europe.