If you like the look, use it in veneer form, or as 'thick' veneer (ie cut with a bandsaw to 1/8" - 3mm - thickness) bonded to a stable medium like mdf.
Regardless of how stable a hardwood, or softwood, is supposed to be, there is still too much movement for an item like a speaker. That is why furniture is designed to accommodate movement in wide panels, which is detrimental to speaker cabinets.
Regardless of how stable a hardwood, or softwood, is supposed to be, there is still too much movement for an item like a speaker. That is why furniture is designed to accommodate movement in wide panels, which is detrimental to speaker cabinets.
Veneer suggestion
If you go the veneer route, have a look at (Australian) silky oak.
Cardwellia sublimis (sp?)
http://picasaweb.google.com/rvworksinwood/ClassWork#5685984890509046082
Beautiful!
Cheers
Doug
If you go the veneer route, have a look at (Australian) silky oak.
Cardwellia sublimis (sp?)
http://picasaweb.google.com/rvworksinwood/ClassWork#5685984890509046082
Beautiful!
Cheers
Doug
Last edited:
Very cool looking. If you go the veneer route it needs to be thin, about 1/16", or you will get cracks. If you use solid make sure you think about the expansion across the grain. Top bottom and sides in solid grain all going the same way and the box grows front to back. Plywood front and back stay the same and don't force the box apart.
Very cool looking. If you go the veneer route it needs to be thin, about 1/16", or you will get cracks. If you use solid make sure you think about the expansion across the grain. Top bottom and sides in solid grain all going the same way and the box grows front to back. Plywood front and back stay the same and don't force the box apart.
The sides of the briefcases are solid wood, but the top and base are veneered on both sides. So no probs.
cheers
Doug
i can get this in plywood form, is it still not suitable for 100% due to shrinkage?
Veneered plywood will be fine.
Doug
i can get this in plywood form, is it still not suitable for 100% due to shrinkage?
Speakers can be successfully built from solid. It is tricky thou and you need to know what you are doing.
Hopefully some of the guys who know will chime in (i'll ping Bernie for you)
Unfortunately this is one of those situations where if you have to ask the question you are not ready... but you have to ask to get to thet point...
dave
Speakers can be successfully built from solid. It is tricky thou and you need to know what you are doing.
Hopefully some of the guys who know will chime in (i'll ping Bernie for you)
Unfortunately this is one of those situations where if you have to ask the question you are not ready... but you have to ask to get to that point...
dave
sorta chicken / egg situation
Oak by itself is an open grain wood and it is prone to shrinkage. I have used American Oak for the facia of my kitchen cabinets and in hindsight think I made a mistake. May not even be suitable for veneer.
environmental conditions could certainly have a lot to do with that - kitchens are not know for carefully controlled heat / humidity
as a veneer bonded directly to a plywood or MDF/PB core, or even applied post fabrication of carcass would likely be less problematic - it's the potential movement of solid hardwood cabinet panels that can cause the problems - some species far more than others.
Oak by itself is an open grain wood and it is prone to shrinkage. I have used American Oak for the facia of my kitchen cabinets and in hindsight think I made a mistake. May not even be suitable for veneer.
It doesn't matter if wood is open grain or not (ie maple) it always moves across the grain from moisture, and no finish in the world will prevent that (a finish will only slow the process)
Real wood and stuff
Hello guys:
I work with real wood a lot and have made quite a few sets of speaker cabinets from Douglas-fir, Yellow Cedar, Big leaf Maple, etc.
here are few principles I follow:
Kilm dry the wood to 6% moisture first. If possible leave the lumber in the same room as the finished product is going go for a few weeks or months. This will allow the wood to restabilse to the same moisture content as the room. If not leave in the house somewhere to come back up to house moisture content This ususally around 15% for me. It is dried to 6% to colapse the tilosis and ensure all water bounded to the resins is driven off. The kiln temperature is different for each wood with the more resinous ones being a bit warmer.
I generally use only tight grained wood with the grain on edge or at 45' to the surface. I do not use wood with knots or really wide grain for cabinets.
For large panels I rip the pieces and laminate with biscuits alternating the cup direction. Ripped pieces are usually not wider than 4 inches.
Once the box is constructed I seal all surfaces inside and out with Varathane natural oil. Any other oil that has susupended plastics and driers will also work. The objective here is to ensure the rate of moisture exchange is same on all surfaces.
I expect a little bit of shrinkage so I leave a bit of slack when installing braces I use chaulk to glue the braces in place. (this was learned the hard way, with a fonken split in my fonken)
I spray on Eurothane finish but any other finish will work fine.
Just for sport I put stone bases on most of my work.
For me the secret is to ensure the wood has been properly dried to get as much moisture out as possible. I like 6%, then allow to come up to house humidity. Air dried lumber does not work for me. It moves too much.
A well designed, well constructed cabinet is a pleasure to listen to and stare at.
I hope this helps
Hello guys:
I work with real wood a lot and have made quite a few sets of speaker cabinets from Douglas-fir, Yellow Cedar, Big leaf Maple, etc.
here are few principles I follow:
Kilm dry the wood to 6% moisture first. If possible leave the lumber in the same room as the finished product is going go for a few weeks or months. This will allow the wood to restabilse to the same moisture content as the room. If not leave in the house somewhere to come back up to house moisture content This ususally around 15% for me. It is dried to 6% to colapse the tilosis and ensure all water bounded to the resins is driven off. The kiln temperature is different for each wood with the more resinous ones being a bit warmer.
I generally use only tight grained wood with the grain on edge or at 45' to the surface. I do not use wood with knots or really wide grain for cabinets.
For large panels I rip the pieces and laminate with biscuits alternating the cup direction. Ripped pieces are usually not wider than 4 inches.
Once the box is constructed I seal all surfaces inside and out with Varathane natural oil. Any other oil that has susupended plastics and driers will also work. The objective here is to ensure the rate of moisture exchange is same on all surfaces.
I expect a little bit of shrinkage so I leave a bit of slack when installing braces I use chaulk to glue the braces in place. (this was learned the hard way, with a fonken split in my fonken)
I spray on Eurothane finish but any other finish will work fine.
Just for sport I put stone bases on most of my work.
For me the secret is to ensure the wood has been properly dried to get as much moisture out as possible. I like 6%, then allow to come up to house humidity. Air dried lumber does not work for me. It moves too much.
A well designed, well constructed cabinet is a pleasure to listen to and stare at.
I hope this helps
Hello guys:
I work with real wood a lot and have made quite a few sets of speaker cabinets from Douglas-fir, Yellow Cedar, Big leaf Maple, etc.
here are few principles I follow:
Kilm dry the wood to 6% moisture first. If possible leave the lumber in the same room as the finished product is going go for a few weeks or months. This will allow the wood to restabilse to the same moisture content as the room. If not leave in the house somewhere to come back up to house moisture content This ususally around 15% for me. It is dried to 6% to colapse the tilosis and ensure all water bounded to the resins is driven off. The kiln temperature is different for each wood with the more resinous ones being a bit warmer.
I generally use only tight grained wood with the grain on edge or at 45' to the surface. I do not use wood with knots or really wide grain for cabinets.
For large panels I rip the pieces and laminate with biscuits alternating the cup direction. Ripped pieces are usually not wider than 4 inches.
Once the box is constructed I seal all surfaces inside and out with Varathane natural oil. Any other oil that has susupended plastics and driers will also work. The objective here is to ensure the rate of moisture exchange is same on all surfaces.
I expect a little bit of shrinkage so I leave a bit of slack when installing braces I use chaulk to glue the braces in place. (this was learned the hard way, with a fonken split in my fonken)
I spray on Eurothane finish but any other finish will work fine.
Just for sport I put stone bases on most of my work.
For me the secret is to ensure the wood has been properly dried to get as much moisture out as possible. I like 6%, then allow to come up to house humidity. Air dried lumber does not work for me. It moves too much.
A well designed, well constructed cabinet is a pleasure to listen to and stare at.
I hope this helps
great to hear from you again Scott - OK, now it's time to show off with some pictures, particularly if there's been any recent builds
see you in August?
not sure what to take from this thread.
the wood is in ply form and i think also larger boards, its reclaimed (will be selecting the bits i want) so presumably any major shrinking etc would have already occurred?
is it possible to get a sticky somewhere with a list of tried and test build materials outside of MDF and birch ply?
the wood is in ply form and i think also larger boards, its reclaimed (will be selecting the bits i want) so presumably any major shrinking etc would have already occurred?
is it possible to get a sticky somewhere with a list of tried and test build materials outside of MDF and birch ply?
Plywood should be good (if void free and well made). Really old rectcled hardwood often has a big advantage over fresh stuff, Scott's fir speakers were from recycled railway bridge ~a century old, and Bernie's fir was put down as flooring in his house some 70 years ago.
dave
dave
Plywood should be good (if void free and well made). Really old rectcled hardwood often has a big advantage over fresh stuff, Scott's fir speakers were from recycled railway bridge ~a century old, and Bernie's fir was put down as flooring in his house some 70 years ago.
dave
will report back with some pictures of what they have at the yard and see what everyone thinks out of the choices.
thanks to all that replied so far.
If you can get large boards of the wood you showed pics of in the original post do not pass it up. Solid is a pleasure to work with compared to plywood, and with some thought and good quality joinery will make a box that will stay together as well as any. I'm in Nj....are you local?
Evan
Evan
If you can get large boards of the wood you showed pics of in the original post do not pass it up. Solid is a pleasure to work with compared to plywood, and with some thought and good quality joinery will make a box that will stay together as well as any. I'm in Nj....are you local?
Evan
actually UK but i can't figure out how to change my location in the user profile part.
my end plan once i've played with cheap drivers and various enclosures will be to make a nice BLH with some uber drivers, a double mouthed thing carved from a solid chunk of something. until then i'm just learning stuff you guys already know from past mistakes and experiences.
actually UK but i can't figure out how to change my location in the user profile part.
I fixed that for you.
dave
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