My first attempt at building an enclosure (1 Viewer)

[Erick P]

Here are pics of the somewhat completed sub:



















Yea, I know, the circles aren't perfectly round, haha, stfu... my dremel circle cutting tool didn't go out far enough for the big circle and the small circle was 1/4" too small (stupid dimensions from the manufacturer were wrong!!), so I had to pretty much follow the line when I cut out the holes, lol

I just briefly tested the sub then took it out of the box so the glue and caulking could cure... it sounded good, except for some rattling from not having all the screws ont and no rubber seal around the edge. Tomorrow when I get home from work, I'm gonna drop the sub in and bring it back to my room for some boomin'

Oh, in total I used 76 screws + 3/4 of a large tube of liquid nail... is that a bit too much? lol

 

[Dave Poehlman]

LOL... that's a little more "screw happy" than I would've been but you don't have to worry about it falling apart.

As far as the holes.. If you don't want to invest in a router and a circle jig, you can draw the circle and cut as close as you can, but inside the line. Then, pick up a $5 wrasp file and file your hole until you meet the circle. It's not perfect, but it's better than eyeballing.

I'm curious why you mounted the amp in a separate box.

 

[Erick P]

Why I put it in a separate box:

1) so that I wouldn't have to cut up a panel to mount the amp in and risk some air leaks

2) I didn't want to subject the amp to unnecessary vibration

3) I didn't want to lose some box volume, however slight it would have been.


I'm listening to music right now and wow... this thing is pretty sweet. It puts my 50 watt, 8" AR sub to shame

 

[stephanX]

Happy that youre happy! is that a shiva or a dayton dvc12? either way it should get plenty loud and low, and sound nice doing it. Good job on the box! usually 1 screw to ever 4-6" is fine, the glue should do most of the holding.

 

[Erick P]

Dayton DVC

I didn't glue the joints together. I just glued the 3/4" pieces to the inside edges to stop any air leaks... so far so good.

 

[Raceen]

I'm sorry to be suck a newbie, but why did you build a box for the sub? It looks good, but does it enhance it acoustically?

 

[Erick P]

wow, this thing puts out some serious bass!

The image on my computer monitor was visibly shaking during bassy music. I succeeded in overheating the amp causing it to shut down A 5" 107 cfm fan resolved that issue.... lol

I gotta take it easy with the bass and maybe I should consider mounting a fan with a thermal switch onto the amp's heatsink.

 

[Aaron Howell]

Or just eliminate the back panel on your amp box. You could even put a grill on the backside if you're worried about protecting it.

I have similar enclosures for my plate amps, just without the back as I have described. I've never had an amp shut down on me.

 

[Erick P]

Thats true... I'll see what I can come up with

Thanks

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

My suggestion comes from years of experience, so I'm trying to help. You wasted a LOT of time, effort and some expense using screws. If your saw cuts are accurate and your wood joints tight, all you need to use is glue. Believe me, good joints glued with the right amount of glue are as strong as joints full of screws.
Have fun and enjoy the bass!

 

[Shawn Solar]

Hank,

If say one didn't have enough clamps could screws be used as a means of holding the joint instead of clamping? Or would you suggest using two clamps to pull the two joints together, screw the two pieces and remove the clamp then repeat with the next size? I only ask cause it seems a lot quicker. I have boxes and boxes of screws(free too)

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Yes, of course you can. If you're building a large cabinet and don't have enough clamps, then a couple/few screws will hold your panels in place while the glue dries. Screws, or a brad nailer help in such cases. My point was that I see lots of new cabinet builders use screws not for holding panels in place, but to ostensibly "strengthen" joints, which is absolutely not needed IF the panel joints are tight. Work your way through a few cabinets and you'll develop your own style/methods that you feel comfortable with. Main message: ENJOY!

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I'm with Hank... I use a lot fewer screws in my enclosures now than I used to. I prefer screws to clamping, though. The box goes together quicker... and... well... a box of screws are cheaper than a bunch of clamps... plus, I love the sound of driving a screw home in MDF. >squeeeek!

 

[Erick P]

My cuts weren't *too* straight, lol

The table saw I was using was a few inches short of the sizes I needed to cut... In the last picture you can see a small gap where the top panel meets up with the sides and front. The little 3/4" pieces I glued to the inside edges took care of the gaps though - the box is 100% leak free.

Next box I build will have MUCH less screws. I found like 6 boxes of screws in my dad's assorted crap box so if I didnt use em, they were just gonna rust away, lol

 

[joseFMJ]

Use of a poly-glue like Gorilla can help close the gaps when your cuts are not precise, since that type of glue expand as it dries and works great on MDF material. I usually use a brad nailer for the initial assembly then use screws to pull every thing tight. I find that using a counter sunk bit before driving screws helps sink the screw heads better. The downside of glues like Gorilla is that its so darn strong, when it gets on your fingers(or any part of you), it days before it washes off. Using latex gloves is recommended.
Congrats on your first speaker box build, its a blast to first fire it up and hear your handiwork.

 

[Erick P]

I think I'll just caulk or use filler on the gaps

Right now I have 2 120mm fans running at full speed to cool down my equipment. I have a renewed interest in listening to music in my room (before it was limited to my car cuz it sounded better there)