Project underway! Update and advice, please... (1 Viewer)

[Brian J Dupuis]

Hey guys,
Little update on the 12" DVC, PE 250W, ~1 cubic foot project for those interested... just trying to "give back" to the community a bit with my experiences so far. If you're just looking for the questions, scan down to the bottom . Thanks!
http://homepage.mac.com/bjdupuis/PhotoAlbum1.html. I also have two 3" spring clamps. The box is set up as follows:
* top and bottom are totally outset.
* front (where driver mounts) and back are inset with respect to top and bottom, and outset with respect to sides.
* sides (one of which has amplifier cutout) are totally inset.
I'm thinking of gluing one of the sides and the back to the bottom piece at the same time, but place the other side and the front "dry fitted" together (for "squareness" and to give the clamps more to hold onto), then band clamping horizontally near the bottom and top and pipe clamping vertically the center and edges. After that's together, then I'll glue the 1/2" edge bracing (recommended by someone, I just can't find the post) on all the edges and then caulk up the glued edges. Once dry, I'll glue the dry-fitted front and opposite side and apply the edge bracing and caulk similarly. Once that's dry, I'll glue in the big braces and the edge bracing for the top, and finally the top, with fun attempts at caulking through the speaker and amp holes.
Does this sound feasible? Any advice?
Thanks again for all the info.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Brian,

Don't worry about the screws that come with the amp. They will work fine as long as you aren't removing the amp constantly. I've never had any trouble at all. And I've done 6 sub enclosures this way.

Brian

 

[Brian J Dupuis]

Don't worry about the screws that come with the amp. They will work fine as long as you aren't removing the amp constantly. I've never had any trouble at all. And I've done 6 sub enclosures this way.

Cool! Thanks for the input (again), Brian. Should be a fun night, if I can escape work to do some stuff.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Thanks for the report, Brian, I think I'm having as much fun as you are just following along. Is that Jasper fun or what? I know I can royally screw up everything else, but my holes will always be friggin' perfect.
Like Brian, I've also used the screws that come with the amp with no problems, although they'll tend to strip MDF if the amp is removed/reinstalled a few times.
As far as glue-up, just do a "dry-run" so everything comes together ok when the glue is a-flowin'. I do four sides first, then the other two the next day. For the box I'm doing now, I'm going to glue-up the four sides nice and square as usual. For the top and bottom, though, I'm using pieces that are about 1/8" too large each way. After gluing them up, I'll trim the excess perfectly flush with a flush-trim router bit. It's a method that a few folks have recommended, and it seems easier than trying to get the top cut perfectly beforehand.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Jack,

I too like the idea of oversizing the last outermost sides and then flush trimming them. The first time you almost feel like you're doing something wrong but there's a whole lot less headache in the long run!

Brian

 

[Brian J Dupuis]

I too like the idea of oversizing the last outermost sides and then flush trimming them.

Next project, by gum! I see the light! I was just overly afraid of the whole veneering thing.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Brian, congrats, you are HOOKED for life! Welcome to speakerbuiders anonymous. As the guys said, the amp screws will work fine for the reason cited. If you're uneasy about glueing all panels at once, just glue a joint or two or three and assemble all the panels, apply your Merle and pipe clamps and you're in business. 30 minutes later you can glue the other joints. Use plenty of glue, as MDF is very absorbant. With glue squeeze-out, either wipe it immediately with a damp cloth, let it partially harden and use a razor blade to "plane" it off, or ignore it and sand it off later when you sand the cabinet. Nice looking clamps in the photo.

 

[Brian J Dupuis]

Quote:

Thanks, I've been trying to build a library of clamps, and I couldn't pass up on those. eBay special, $10 for two of those pipe clamps (plus another $10 to ship, which I of course didn't see originally :frowning:... not the worst deal in the world, I guess, but not as good as originally perceived. Nice clamps though!) I figure those pipe clamps, with the Merles you quite rightly recommended and a couple of spring clamps (which I'll probably get more of... can never have too many spring clamps) will get me started. Man, this is fun.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

My, my, this boy has got it bad If he has a wife, she'll be a speaker widow (better than a golf widow though, since he'll at least be at home).

 

[Brian Bunge]

Brian,

I know how you feel! Between getting my business started, working on the website, building test subs, building cables, Hank and I bouncing ideas off each other, etc. I'm getting about 5 hours of sleep at night. Then this pesky day job gets in the way.

My wife doesn't even walk into the spare bedroom any more! Currently, there's a BPD1803, the PE 200W amp, a BFD1124, the SpeakerPage kit, component and digital coax cable, connectors, heatguns, strippers, crimpers, techflex, heatshrink, a "Bose-Buster" test sub, ACI Opals, an 8' tall box with a 4'x8' sheet of maple veneer, etc. all over the room. Then there's the computer and my DVD/CD rack in there too!

Brian

 

[Brian J Dupuis]

My wife doesn't even walk into the spare bedroom any more!

I have essentially lost my parking space in my garage for the foreseeable future. Aside from some odds and ends, my new hobby expanded to fill the available room where I once parked.

 

[Brian Bunge]

Brian,

I'm in the same boat. Without my wife I'd probably still be in an apartment also. To show you just how lucky I am, she never comments about the size or appearance of anything I build.

If my business takes off I'll definitely lose my parking space as well!

Brian

 

[Kevin Deacon]

Brian, the next time you build you may want to try the veneer route. I just completed my Audax A652 project and was really nervous about veneer. Well, I spent $70.00 on a sheet of maple veneer and went to it. The hardest part was the wrap around piece for the sides and front, but all went well. Actually veneering is very simple except for the pressure required when rolling the stuff on. I will be veneering my next project (center and surrounds) as well.

Give it a try!!

 

[Brian J Dupuis]

Brian, the next time you build you may want to try the veneer route.

Thanks, Kevin, I'm in complete agreement. I've gotten a lot of good experience with this first project, and will probably get a lot more before it's sitting in the living room, but I do believe that the way I tried this time is, ummm, less than recommended. I will most likely try the veneer route on my next attempt. Do you have pictures available of yours? I suppose the only part that makes me nervous is the edges and the roundovers.

 

[Kevin Deacon]

The actual making of the roundover is simple, but when veneering the roundover be sure to work the veneer slowly over the roundover so you don't get any air pockets. Trimming the veneer is really simple. Get a straight bit with a ball-bearing guide at the bottom and run the router around the edge. Sand the tiny lip and it looks perfect.

It is really easy to do. I even used the dreaded smelly contact cement. Looks better than many I've seen in the showroom.

I hope to get pictures soon when I borrow the neighbors digital cam.

 

[Brian J Dupuis]

Thanks for the input, Kevin, I will certainly try it on the next project.

Another little update... decided to spend an (extended) lunch period working on the sub today. Went ahead and routed out the 1/4" plywood that was causing problems on my baffle, then cut out the notches in my main cross-braces for the 1/2" edge braces. No more cuts! (Well, except for the rabbetting and roundovers for finishing.) Yay!

Time to complete the box (refresher: had back and one side panel glued together and to the bottom panel). Started by gluing the 1/2" edge bracing along the bottom back and bottom side, then between the side and the back with liquid nails. Then glued the opposite side piece in, followed by the front, and wrapped the Merle band clamps around high and low. Glued the 1/2" edge bracing along those edges, and popped open the silicon sealant. Sealed all the edges that had been glued. That sealant is gloppy stuff, let me tell you. Due to the less-than-perfectly-square edges, I really piled on the sealant thick to ensure a tight seal... don't get me wrong, it wasn't like there were huge visible gaps! Just slightly unsquare.

Now time for the interior cross-bracing. First placed the smaller cross brace which sits against the back panel and meets the top, bottom, and central brace (this will be easier to picture once I get my pictures up... sorry), then placed the large cross brace (which crosses the center of the sub between side panels... this is the one with the amp cutout in it). This one was a tight fit, but eventually got it in correctly. Applied clamps to the top of this brace to really press it into the bottom.

Following this, I placed the 1/2" edge bracing along the top edge for when the top panel gets popped on, and sealed underneath this bracing. Finally time for the top... the last piece. Hope it fits!

It did. Applied glue along the top edges of all the other panels and cross braces, then slid it right in. Applied significant clamping along the central portion (essentially over the central brace) to get it solidly fit. Looked good! Finally broke out the sealant one last time and really glopped it on. It's a bit tricky reaching some of the places within the braced areas, but I was able to get a solid line of sealant around all edges. Practically done!

All in all I'm pleased with how the box has fit together. It's not perfect by any stretch, but I think it will appear to be fine, and should be well-sealed, so that's okay. I've determined that I'm about the sloppiest sealer in the free world. Luckily no one will see the inside (well, except for you guys when I get the pictures up, of course). I guess it doesn't much matter as long as it's sealed, right? That's what I'm telling myself.

I'm mildly concerned about the finish, because of course I got some glue on the plywood. Cursed a bit and rubbed it off, but I'm sure the damage is done. I remember reading somewhere about dealing with this, and I'll have to do another search to find it.

Anyhow, that's it for now. Took plenty of pictures which I'll get up at some point so you guys can giggle at the plethora of sealant :b.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

I too like the idea of oversizing the last outermost sides and then flush trimming them. The first time you almost feel like you're doing something wrong but there's a whole lot less headache in the long run!

Just wanted to note that I did the routing for this method and it works extremely well, perfectly flush as you'd expect. Just make sure you sand off any glue squeeze-out which might be in the path of your bearing, or else you'll perfectly recreate that bump (this is just a hypothetical warning, of course, not from personal experience :b ).