DIY Subwoofer - Buying 6" PVC Pipe / Sonotube

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kiwijunglist

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#161959 25-Jan-2015 10:43

Hi

I'm building my own ported home theatre subwoofers. This is my DIY thread on avsforums.com

PVC Pipe:

I will need 2x ~50cm or less lengths of PVC pipe with approx 6"/15cm internal diameter. Can anyone suggest the cheapest place to buy this, or does anyone have any scraps in Wellington that I can buy/have?

Sonotube:

I'm also going to be buying either 1 or 2 lengths of 3m sonotube. Sonotube is used in construction as a large heavy cardboard for pouring concrete into when making pillars. These are the prices / sizes I had quoted directly from sonoaco.

355mm (15 inch)
406 (16inch)
457 (18inch)
508 (20inch) $151NZD + gst + freight
610 (24inch) $187NZD + gst + freight

It seems like quite a high price, has anyone bought any of this, or know what the trade price is? I was expecting the price to be about half of what I was quoted.

Cheers
Kiwi

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

RunningMan

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#1221796 25-Jan-2015 12:02

Mitre 10 (and presumably the other chain hardware places) will sell PVC drainage pipe and similar by the meter - usually more expensive per meter than getting the 6m lengths, but useful for one off projects. Not sure if available in 150mm - online catalogues here for reference http://www.marley.co.nz/knowledge-hub/brochures/

Niel

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#1221853 25-Jan-2015 14:45

Check out a building site and ask the builders if they have off-cuts or know where you can get it. Usually they just put everything in a skip. Also ask a plumber, perhaps one that is a bit more rural as they more often deal with water tanks which might require larger pipes.

You can never have enough Volvos!

MikeSkyrme

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#1221862 25-Jan-2015 15:04

Sounds like a cool project.

Are you going to use the items in your list in the form they come in, or are you looking to make some 'boxing' to pour a concrete or similar product into?

If the latter option, you might have a bit more luck getting some cheap sheet-metal molds made up.

Michael Skyrme - Instrumentation & Controls

kiwijunglist

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#1221863 25-Jan-2015 15:08

The 6" PVC pipe is for the subwoofer port. The sonotube is for the cylindrical subwoofer enclosure which will have wooden end caps and will be covered with either speaker cloth or pu leather with a thin layer of foam underneath. I wont be using any concrete.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

nickb800

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#1221900 25-Jan-2015 16:18

Try your local building recyclers - most will sell old bits of PVC pipe for next to nothing