Buying a readymade subwoofer box from a subwoofer distributor is a good idea, but not for everyone. The reason is all the boxes don’t fit your need. Constructing your own subwoofer box is the perfect way to get the ideal fit you need at a low-cost. Designing your own subwoofer box requires a few fundamental tools, related hardware, and material. Constructing your own subwoofer is a very creative thing to do, but this task needs proper guidelines to complete. In this article, we will provide easy-to-follow guidelines to build your subwoofer box. This box will be cheaper than what you get from a subwoofer distributor or purchase from a subwoofer enclosure wholesale.
Points to Know Before Building a Subwoofer Box
Before you try to build your Subwoofer box, it is critical to know aspects. For example, material price and time requirement.
Cost of Materials
The cost of the box depends on various factors, including the volume of the box you need and which material you want to use. For a medium-size subwoofer box, the cost of material ranges between $25 to $30.
Time Required
Little time is required to build your subwoofer box. If you follow our guidelines well, you can design the box in an hour. However, time requirements can vary greatly with the shape and size of the box. Types of equipment used also play a crucial role in deciding the time requirements.
The Material You Need
To build your subwoofer box, around ten basic items are required. These items include jigsaw, table saw, two-inch drywall screws, Electric drill with bits, ½ inches, and ¾ inches pinhead sheet metal screws, ¾ inch medium density fiberboard. Other items include silicon caulk, Carpenter’s glue, Non-hardening rope caulk, and Speaker terminal cup.
Selection and Planning
The next big thing is a selection of the right-sized subwoofer box according to your requirements. In case you have small space to accommodate this box, the manufacturers’ recommended size is the best fit for you. Usually, the best box size ranges from anywhere between 0.45 to 0.9 cubic feet. Assuming that your current box is not fulfilling your needs of sound, we are selecting the 10-inch box size.
After size selection, the next big thing is the correct planning to construct it. For better planning, the following things are important to note.
- Calculate the minimum depth of the subwoofer box. For this purpose, calculate the depth of your purchased subwoofer. Your box should be 2 inches larger than this depth.
- Calculate the required height and width of the subwoofer box. For this purpose, calculate the frame diameter of the subwoofer. Extra space is a must if you need to add a grille in the box.
- Calculate the maximum space available for the box. It is critical to measure the exact space availability in the vehicle. Calculate the height, width, and also depth of the vehicle space in your car.
- Draw the first sketch of the planned box. After determining all the above-given dimensions and available space, it’s time to sketch the box.
- The next planning step is a measurement of internal box volume that is mostly in cubic inches. Formula to measure it is as: Height * Width * Depth = Cubic Volume in inches. Change this volume into cubic feet by dividing this volume by 1728 (in our case) for accurate design.
- For perfect box design, your volume should be nearly the same as advised by the manufacturers. In case your box volume varies greatly from the recommended volume, adjust the sketched box accordingly.
- After necessary adjustments, the final thing is to calculate the final outer dimensions of the box.
Steps to Build Subwoofer Box
- Measure and cut main pieces of medium-density fiberboard for all sides of our box with the help of a table saw containing the carbide-tipped blade. Remember, there will be a total of seven pieces: top and below side, two for both sides, one for back, and two similar pieces in case of the front side because of its double width
- After perfectly cutting pieces, mark the woofer cutout on one of the front side pieces with the help of a compass.
- In case you are working with a double thickness of medium density fiberboard to create a strong front side of the box, join the two similar pieces of the front side together by using a good amount of carpenter glue. Use necessary numbers of sheet metal screws to make it further stronger.
- In these joined pieces, create a hole close to the inner edge of the circle by using a drill press. The hole should be large enough that a jigsaw blade can pass through it.
- Similarly, make a rectangular hole on the backside of the box using a jigsaw blade or drill. After using the pieces of silicone caulk on the hole’s edges, place it using the ½ inch sheet metal screws.
- After designing the front and back sides of the box perfectly, it’s time to join all the pieces one by one. Join the sides of the box with front and back sheets first. Add the top and bottom sides later.
- For powerful medium density fiberboard, create holes in the box for screws. Use plenty of carpenter glue in it.
- By using a cordless drill and 2-inch drywall, join all the pieces together.
- Now the subwoofer box is almost ready. Adjust the subwoofer in the box now to see if it fits. Mark the places to create screw holes.
- Take out the subwoofer and create the holes using a drill and put screws in these holes.
- Let the glue dry. It may take 1-2 days. Your box will be ready to use.
After following these simple steps, you can build a stronger and also cost-effective subwoofer box. This way, one can avoid purchasing a costly subwoofer box from a subwoofer enclosure wholesale and subwoofer distributor.
