[oscarw]

Hi

I'm planning a DIY build, but with no DIY skills. What do people think about buying a cheap, used subwoofer to take apart and use the cabinet?

[audioenthusiast]

Depends on what you mean when you say you'd look for a cheap second-hand sub.

If it's cheap because it was always a cheap sub, then its cabinet probably isn't very good. If you're considering DIYing a sub, you'll probably already know that the cabinet is every bit of influential as the driver an amp.
If you take a sub that was never up to much, and put more powerful electronics in it, that's putting even more stress on the cabinet than before. I wouldn't expect fantastic results.

But if it's cheap because it was once a decent sub and is now not working at all (eBay being sold for spares/repair?) then that might be an option.
Of course going this way, you might find yourself limited in the driver you can use. Apart from the issue of physically fitting it on the side, your driver will be happiest with a particular volume of air inside the cabinet.

[swiftpete]

I think it's a bad idea. You'd be better off buying some wood and practicing putting it together if you're bad at DIY. In most timber yards they have offcuts that are effectively scrap, go and ask for a few and have a go with them to get used to working with it.
Or build a cylinder, they're really easy!