Any DIY'ers in Rochester, NY?

[Felix_F]

To make a long story short, we have an alcove in our family room that's ~50 cu. ft. Having convinced my wife that it would make a great HT sub enclosure (no small feat, believe me) and having imposed on some of my net-friends to help me with the design process, I'm ready to build. The drivers are arriving today, along with the rest of the necessary parts, but I'm finding myself in a bit of a bind. I'm not exactly a carpenter, either by profession or as a hobbyist. Simply put, I have virtually no carpentry skills. Someone was going to assist me with that stage of the process, but due to family obligations he may not be able to after all. So, I'm hoping to find an individual in my area (Rochester, NY) who can either help me build the baffle, or can recommend someone. Naturally, I'm happy to pay for the labor.

Thank you,
Felix

 

[Felix_F]

No one? Well, UPS just dropped off the drivers and the other assorted parts. I'll be using a pair of Dayton 18" woofers with a 11.4" port (4" deep) and a NHT SA-3 amp. The drivers should have a combined sensitivity of a little over 100dB's. Lemmee tell ya, these woofers are HUGE! For whatever reason I didn't picture them being so big, even though I've been working on the design for sometime. I'm so excited that I feel like a little kid

 

[Wes Nance]

Felix,

I live in Rochester, NY. I'm not sure I'm picturing exactly what you are building. I'm no carpenter, but I can help you cut baffles, as I have a table saw and a Jasper Jig/router, depending on how big the holes are.

Give us so more info on what you're going to do to your room. . .

Wes

 

[Felix_F]

Hi, Wes. Thanks very much for your reply!

The alcove is located in a corner of the room, flanked by the fireplace on one side (cinder block wall) and the outside wall of the house on the other. The opening needs to be framed, a baffle cut to size and installed. There are four holes: 2 for the drivers (16.5"), 1 for the port (11.4"), and one for the cup that'll house the binding posts.

This is how the opening to the alcove is shaped:

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It's 90" high, 33.5" deep. It's width is 26.5" on the bottom and 33.5" starting at the point where it expands. I know this isn't much to go on, but if you live close by I'd love to have you take a look. I'm in Brighton right off Elmwood.

Best,
Felix

 

[Wes Nance]

Felix,

Let's get together- what's a good time for you next week?

Wes

 

[Allen Ross]

Kinky

Good luck you guys post some pics before and after, also of the wife's expression when there are 2 18 drivers staring at her.

 

[Wes Nance]

Felix,

90" high!! That is one honkin big piece of MDF! I'm guessing that you should have one layer of OSB for strength, and then MDF on top of that. It's going to weigh a ton!

This should be interesting. . .

Wes

 

[Felix_F]

I was originally thinking of using two 3/4" sheets of plywood or MDF (glued and screwed) for a 1.5" baffle, but I'm open to suggestions. Yea, it's gonna be *very* heavy. I figure the baffle could be built in our garage and then put on a 4-wheel dolly (which I have) and rolled most of the way to the alcove. I was also planning on mounting the drivers once the baffle was installed, but having the woofers here and looking at their size and weight I'm not sure if that's the best way to go. BTW, Wes, you have email.

Best,
Felix

 

[Felix_F]

Even though my wife is used to having big audio gear in the house, the 18" woofers definitely made an impression even sitting in their boxes.

Best,
Felix

 

[Wes Nance]

Wow. . .

I think mounting the drivers after the baffle is installed will work fine if they are countersunk. That way you can get the driver in it's countersunk hole, and it will more or less stay while you drive the screws. . .

So it would seem to me that you will want to frame the opening with 2x4's and also have some cross bracing, possibly, to support the baffle properly.

I've never heard of somebody doing exactly what you are going to be doing!

Wes

 

[Felix_F]

Neither have I, but what is life without a couple of unexpected turns? Theoretically, at least on paper, this should work pretty well.

Best,
Felix

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Even thought the driver mounting holes would be counter-sunk, you will still be able to take the drivers out in the future - if you needed to.

 

[Wes Nance]

I figure you could take the screws out, then play the U-571 depth charge scene and just catch the drivers as they pop themselves out of the baffle!

Wes

 

[Felix_F]

Years ago, I had a pair of B&W 801F's. The screws holding their woofers were threaded through rubber grommets and I played a bit with tightening/loosening the screws in hopes of experiencing a positive change in sound quality. One morning, while spinning some bass-intensive music, the woofer in the left speakers simply popped out of its cabinet and fell to the floor. I don't think I'll ever get that scene out of my head.

Best,
Felix