Rubber ring too big for Cutouts- Options? (1 Viewer)

[Garret_O]

Hello all,

It has been a LOONNGG time since I posted. I finally have enough of a break to try to finish my thunder 12.3 cabinet.

A little problem popped up.

I cut the drive openings to the specs in the design I recieved from Stryke, but the PR and Subwoofers will not fit in the holes with the rubber rings in place, these things are waay to tight. Another 1/16 th would've been perfect but the holes are already drilled. I'm guessing that the rubber ring on previous runs of these drivers were lower profile and allowed for a snug fit. As it is, I can only mount these without any rubber on. Unfortunatly, this is less than ideal for looks.

ANyone have any ideas?

I have not veneered the box yet but I plan on doing that shortly (This week!). I need millimeters here. I could try to sand down the rings but that would be silly, I'm also thinking about sanding the holes bigger but I couldn't guarantee a even ring.

I could create a template for my router 1/16th wider and then use the template router bit but that seems like a gamble as well.

Lastly, I was thinking of painting the metal outside of the surrounds with some black enamel.

 

[Eric Eash]

a few thoughts come to mind. one would be to take the rubber gaskets off and put them in the freezer overnight, then see if it'll fit. or do like i did, cover up your routing with the veneer, just take a router and extreme patience and take a little off, trying to keep it as round as possible, and then cut your veneer perfect. if it's a tight enough fit, you won't be able to tell if your routing job wasn't perfect. last thought, i know the gasket on my av15s is a tad loose. you could take the gasket off, and cut a 16th or an 8th off and then try to fit it. also, use a screwdriver to push in the bottom lip as that can get hung up very easily. the rubber should compress a little, get a friend to help squeeze it in there.

eric

 

[Mark Hayenga]

Do you have a plunge router? If so, I might:

1) Cut a circle that roughly matches the diameter of the existing hole. You'll only need a section of this circle.

2) Take the cirle and cut it so you have a about a 6x6 piece that contains part of the arc of the circle. Make the piece big enough to mount to your router.

3) Affix it to the base of the router so that the bit, when plunged, cuts through the arc of the circle cut but protrudes 1/16" beyond it.

4) The arc of the wood will ride up against the inside of the existing hole, while the bit protruding 1/16" beyond the arc of the wood will widen the existing hole.

Basically it'd be like making an edge guide, but for a curved edge. Don't know how well it would work, it just popped into my head thinking about the problem. I'm so lazy I always just sanded away when this happened to me

 

[TimForman]

So how do we avoid this problem in the future when mounting a driver we haven't worked with before? Do we calculate the diameter by measuring the circumference? That 1/16" is a pain to sand and ruins the look.

 

[ThomasW]

I just throw those stupid hard rubber gaskets away. They always vary in size, and make getting a good airtight seal around the driver problematic

 

[Mattak]

Anyone have a picture of these rubber rings? I'm having a hard time visualizing.

 

[Garret_O]

I suppose I should've taken a diameter measurement of the driver with the rubber gasket on and then rounded up to the nearest 16th. That would've given me the best appromimation most likely.

As it is, I think I am going to do what ThomasW has suggested and move forward without the rings. I usually seal the driver opening with rope caulk anyway and I'm sure the rubber gasket would mess that up. I've decided to move forward with creating some grills for the sub drivers. I purchased some small neo magnets last night and will use some particle board or mdf for the grill frame - I'll try particle board first- lighter weight. I searched the forum and like the idea of mounting the neo magnets and then veneering over them- sounds slick to me.

Any quick tips RE:Neo magnets would be cool!

Thanks for the ideas all.

 

[Anthony_Gomez]

another option is to re-route the hole. glue a board in the insideof the box that spans tha hole...like a 1x2 (enough glue to hold firmly, but little enought that a firm strike of a hammer will free it).

Then replace (glue) the cutout circle (from the original routing) over the board and make sure it is CENTERED!

now, you can re-route the recess. once you are done, hit tie center replacement with a hammer firmly and pop the sucker out!


I did this with a speaker before and it worked perfectly.


Hope you can envision what I am talking about.

 

[Eric Eash]

i can tell you that NEO magnets are the way to go. if you've done some searching, then you've probably read my posts about it. mine has turned out great, the only problem i ran into was what size magnets. first, i had 8 pairs of 3/8" x 3/16" discs from partsexpress. my 48" x 24" grill weighs close to 3 lbs, so that coupled with my 3/16" veneer, and it wouldn't hold. then i bought 2 pairs of 1/2" x 1/2" and put them in there. it would hold it up but would sag a little. so then i bought 4 pairs of 1" x 1/2" magnets which have hurt me many times they are so strong. no problems now. just watch your fingers!

about the rubber rings, if you do decide to take them off, let us know what you are going to do to make them more cosmetic, one look at my AV15s without the rubber gaskets made me cringe. good luck.

eric

 

[Garret_O]

Well, I may have gotten some magnets that are too small. What I was thinking is that I would take 3/4 inch particle board and make a couple of ring/round grill covers 1/2"-3/4" wide - rounded on both sides. I was also thinking about lining up about 8 of the small magnet pairs per grill. Would that not be enough to hold? Nice even distribution and a sweet looking round grill.

As far as the visible metal basket goes. I may just paint it with some black krylon or modelers enamel - outside only - that way it won't shine through the grill fabric.