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considering DIY speakers (1 Viewer)

Dan Wesnor

Second Unit
Joined
Apr 28, 1999
Messages
389
There are a number of people who will build cabinets for you for a reasonable cost, in any state from bare MDF to fully veneered. You might try asking over at the Madisound Forum - www.madisound.com click on "Audio Discussion Forum" on the right.
Here are some that mya do the work for you...
http://home.attbi.com/~ellisaudio/ - Click on products, then cabinets.
Link Removed - Don't know what his stuff will cost you (not a lot, but as much as or more than Dave's), but it's heirloom quality. Your wife will drop her jaw when she sees it.
 

Hank Frankenberg

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 13, 1998
Messages
2,573
Christopher, my two cents advice regarding table saws is do not buy an inexpensive one. What are your long-term plans for DIY? If you only want to build a set or two of speakers for yourself/family members, then a table saw won't be a good investment. It would be cheaper to pay a cabinet shop or an individual to cut your MDF to size. If, on the other hand, you want to build speakers and also get into woodworking to build other projects around the house, then you can justify buying quality tools, including a quality table saw with the very important quality, stable fence. A good table saw will cut accurately, will have enough power to cut larger boards for other projects, and it will give reliable service for many years. IMHO, a $200 table saw is a waste of money - it's better to save for a future purchase of a quality unit.
As Dan's references, I can also obtain exotic wood veneers for cabinets. I really like the look of the "different" hardwood veneers and my favorite finishing method is a hand-rubbed Danish oil finish that's like the old-world French polish method. There are some stunning grain figure woods out there - I can't wait to do cabinets in block mottled Makore.
Welcome to the world of DIY - once your hooked, it's forever ;)
That cenote/cavern diving pegged the thrill-ometer for me!!:eek:
 

ChrisAK

Grip
Joined
May 17, 2002
Messages
15
My DIY speaker experience is fairly limited, but i do have some woodworking experience. A tablesaw will be a good purchase if you plan to stay the DIY path. I also would suggest a cheaper route short term. For cutting large pieces of plywood, mdf, etc. I use a circular saw and a guide. One person cannot handle a full sheet of mdf on a tablesaw and get a good cut unless you have a very large(ie expensive) setup. You can get an 8ft aluminum saw guide for ~$20. You also need a couple of clamps. With a little practice you can make a good strait cut with a circular saw and this guide. Be sure you have a good sharp blade on your circular saw. I can actually make a better cut for large pieces this way because a full 4x8 sheet is so difficult to control up on the tablesaw.
 

ChristopherD

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 28, 2002
Messages
107
Hank,
I was hoping I wouldn't get that response! Conversations with the guys at Woodcraft intimated the same philosophy, but I was grasping for a second, more economically feasable opinion.
I'll ask around the neighborhood...hopefully there is one I can use while I save for the big'un. I've been jonesing to start for a while, and now that I have a router I'm jumping out of my skin! You know the feeling. ;)
ChrisAK--I appreciate your contribution. Unfortunately, I am EXTREMELY persnickety when accuracy is concerned and would severely bum out if it did not come out square. Who knows, though, with woofers and tweeters and crossovers (oh, my!) dancing through my head your ideas may come in handy.
Thanks again!
 

Hank Frankenberg

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 13, 1998
Messages
2,573
Christopher, Chris has good advice re 4'x8' sheets of MDF/plywood. One person can't control them on a table saw without infeed and outfeed tables/rollers and lots of space to the front, left side and rear of the table saw. If you buy 4' x 8' sheets, cutting them down to manageable size at home is best done with a circular saw and a straght edge. The aluminum unit Chris mentioned is good -it is a 2-piece unit that snaps together to span the long dimension of a 4'x8' sheet, and comes with a couple of small C-clamps. If you place the straght edge accurately, have a sharp blade and control the saw, you'll have a nice cut. Then you can continue to cut cabinet pieces accurately on your table saw.
 

Andrew Pratt

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Joined
Dec 8, 1998
Messages
3,806
I have a used table saw that I picked up at a garage sale but what I did is build a new top for it so that I can handle larger peices of wood. I also suggest that for full sheets have home depot cut them down to size. You can trim them up at home so they're exactly what you want but it will be a lot easier to handle the smaller boards...plus its less dusty if you let them do some of the cutting:) Besides you get the first few cuts for free anyway so take advantage of it.
 

Hank Frankenberg

Senior HTF Member
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Oct 13, 1998
Messages
2,573
Yep, that's the way I do it Andrew. I don't have a pickup, so I have to have Lowe's/Home Depot cut 4x8 sheets down. Depending on how well a store maintains its panel saw unit, the cuts may not be a perfect 90 degrees, but you can usually use the factory edges against your table saw fence as references for your cabinet panel cuts. AND, as Andrew said, the firts two cuts are free on the store's blade!;)
 

Brian Bunge

Senior HTF Member
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Sep 11, 2000
Messages
3,716
I don't know about where you guys live, but here in GA the Home Depot's sell 2x4 sheets of MDF already cut. Four of them works out to the same price as a single 4x8 sheet.

Brian
 

Rob Lloyd

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 22, 2001
Messages
234
Up here in good 'ol New England, Home Depot sells 2x4 sheets of MDF for $5.85. A 4x8 sheet is $16. I usually get the same guy all the time and he cuts the 4x8's down to 2x4 for free for me. They are usually out of stock of the 2x4 sheets anyway and I tell them that it's not really 2x4 anyway and I need it 24", not 23 3/4" like on the shelf.

Plus 4x8 sheets are larger than that which is helpful for 281s. I always trim down the "factory" edge which looks like it was cut w/ a lawn mower.

I guess things are cheaper down south. Sort of like Brian's jabs at Hank!
 

ChristopherD

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 28, 2002
Messages
107
Wow. Many good ideas! And some even involving the word "free."

I'm still wrestling with getting an inexpensive saw, though. I have seen some with solid fences, but (insert vision of Chris cowering under Hank's furrowed brow here) Hank's logic is undeniable. I do want to continue the DIY, but can't buy the fat DeWalt saw for a while and the wife supports the cheap one now with the "how do you know you're going to continue it" line.

What to do...
 

Brian Bunge

Senior HTF Member
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Sep 11, 2000
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3,716
Chris,
Having a small, somewhat portable saw has it's advantages as well. My dad and I each have fairly large saws and smaller ones as well. He really likes using the smaller one for things like cutting molding and stuff like that. I agree with Hank that in the long run you're better off with a higher quality unit, but get what your budget and boss will allow! ;)
Brian
 

Chris Keen

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 14, 2002
Messages
117
Chris,

You might want to do some google searches on table saws, and table saw reviews. You have different formats to choose from as well -- Bench top; Contractor's; Cabinet; etc.

If you can afford it, the cabinet saw is the way to go. They offer a more solid/stable platform, usually have higher power motors (and requirements for 220v)and generally come with higher quality fences and such. Also, the cabinet saws can be placed on moveable bases which allow you to change the location of the saw in your work environment (garage maybe?).

The Contractor's style of saw is also nice, and will come in at a better price-point. The main advantage here is relatively speaking, it is much lighter. A couple of people can put this into the back of a pickup truck and take it from one work site to another.

Obviously, the bench top gives a smaller work surface, no stand, and the weakest fence systems. The price is very low, and so is the quality. Great for very small quick jobs, but precision is not their strong point.

Some saws you might want to look at (do google searches) are ones by Jet, Delta, and Grizzly. The Rigid that you see at Home Depot is a decent saw, but it's fence system is not on par with Delta or Jet. Actually, there are some Craftsman (sears) saws that are really just relabled Rigids. In fact, there was an ad today from Sears (local paper) that had a sale from the 5th thru the 7th on their 10" relabel of the Rigid Deluxe 10" belt drive. The price is normally just under $600, and on sale for about $100 less (less than $500).

The Grizzly G1023 series of cabinet saws are supposed to be of great quality (especially at their low price starting at under $800) however some online reviews have criticized their fence. I don't know anyone personally who owns one, or I'd demo it for myself. I'm leaning towards a Jet or Delta myself, but these start closer to $1500 by comparison. Upsides though are incredible build quality and knowing the fence systems are precision.

Do your research. And remember, $300-$400 that you spend thinking about a "temporary" solution is just money that could have been put towards that quality permanent one.
 

Brian Bunge

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2000
Messages
3,716
I have the $800 Rigid unit that HD sells and think it's really nice for the money. If I had it to do all over again I'd probably get a Delta though. WoodCraft has a Delta cabinet saw that they were selling for $1K that I wish I'd gotten instead. But the Rigid is still a good quality unit.

Brian
 

Rob Lloyd

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 22, 2001
Messages
234
I started with a Jet contractors saw. It was just under $500. It was great for everything I did. With a good blade it cuts anything.
Since then I've re-wired it for 220v. Now it purrs and started beautifully.
I've added a side extension table for the 3 1/2hp router insert, Link belt (well worth the $20) and last year upgraded the fence to a Beisemyer commercial fence.

Sure a cabinet saw would be great, but I've upgraded as my skills got better and had the money to do it.

You should also check your local papers. Lots of tablesaws there that you can grab for cheap. Add a few new parts and you'll be way ahead of the game.

Rob
 

ChristopherD

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 28, 2002
Messages
107
Thank you for all of your suggestions. The thinking individual in me is telling me to listen to your experience (the impatient speaker-nut is telling me to buy anything with a blade). I think I'll wait a while and get the Delta I saw in Woodcraft. Then, I know I'll be happy and comfortable with the purchase.
Thanks to all of you that have taken the time to include your opinions.
Chris
 

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