Hello Everybody,
There are many thread and posts covering the art of veneering , staining , polishing, waxing and so on. All of them are foreign countries, Very good explanations are given on the techniques and material used. But Still proves to be Alien as none of the materials shown are available in India.
The scene in India is Exactly opposite of being Diy Friendly. I we ask a shopkeeper for Pu and allied goods required, The first stare he gives is a big ?, He just wont sell what materials are needed in small quantities until you agree to get the work done from him, then he will charge a exorbitant amount for the work, saying that it is due to him that work was done properly, other wise it could have been a big disaster.
Once went to a very big paint shop dealing with paints and goods for wood finishing. i asked for shellac, he gave me a very blank look as if i had asked him something which was available only on Mars. I asked for wood stain again the same.He called upon one of his skilled workers doing sorts of inerior wood works for homes.
Asked a local ply wood dealer for birch ply, which he didnt knew ever existed.
So I am calling upon Knowledgeable people who have experience working with goods avalable in India. Speaker finishing is still a big gap for Indian Diyers, Who have have to relently get it done from professionals,which makes a big hole in Monthly salary.
Again having a small workshop in our 1bhk flats is not possible, without the risk of wife shutting doors on you, "EITHER ME OR YOUR WOODEN BLOCKS WILL STAY"
We can here gather and share our our experiences about scene in India, Where could we get CNC cut mdf for our speakers, where can we source veneer, and how to get working with it. Where ro buy finishing materials for veneer ,Things to take care with available materials,
There are many thread and posts covering the art of veneering , staining , polishing, waxing and so on. All of them are foreign countries, Very good explanations are given on the techniques and material used. But Still proves to be Alien as none of the materials shown are available in India.
The scene in India is Exactly opposite of being Diy Friendly. I we ask a shopkeeper for Pu and allied goods required, The first stare he gives is a big ?, He just wont sell what materials are needed in small quantities until you agree to get the work done from him, then he will charge a exorbitant amount for the work, saying that it is due to him that work was done properly, other wise it could have been a big disaster.
Once went to a very big paint shop dealing with paints and goods for wood finishing. i asked for shellac, he gave me a very blank look as if i had asked him something which was available only on Mars. I asked for wood stain again the same.He called upon one of his skilled workers doing sorts of inerior wood works for homes.
Asked a local ply wood dealer for birch ply, which he didnt knew ever existed.
So I am calling upon Knowledgeable people who have experience working with goods avalable in India. Speaker finishing is still a big gap for Indian Diyers, Who have have to relently get it done from professionals,which makes a big hole in Monthly salary.
Again having a small workshop in our 1bhk flats is not possible, without the risk of wife shutting doors on you, "EITHER ME OR YOUR WOODEN BLOCKS WILL STAY"
We can here gather and share our our experiences about scene in India, Where could we get CNC cut mdf for our speakers, where can we source veneer, and how to get working with it. Where ro buy finishing materials for veneer ,Things to take care with available materials,
India is one of the major producers of shellac...you might want to try a different store....
~Mike
India is one of the major producers of shellac...you might want to try a different store....
~Mike
shop owners here are not so technically sound with the materials they sell as most of the buyers are professionals well versed with what they want. And other shops which know the detail, they wont tell as the quantity which I would purchase is very small.
Some wood workers helped though , but difference occurs in understanding technical names.
Shipping is very costly, I have been through many online companies, And shipping cost has proven to be several times higher than cost of goods.
Yes, I also find shops here are not diy friendly. We spend too much time,
ask too many questions, and buy too little.
It pays to cultivate a few shops over time.
However, most things are available, but have different names as per
your local lingo. For ex, at my local hardware store - T-nuts are called tiger nuts, threaded inserts are known as D-type wood nuts,
quick connect terminals are known as battery clips.
Baltic birch - the closest match is good quality void-free marine grade ply (IS:710 spec) with as many plys (layers) as you can find .
CNC - yes, there are a few ones around. Look around for small factories
which make kitchen cabinets, or modular furniture.
Also hang around on cnczone or mechmate forums to connect with
DIY CNCers. If you intend to do a lot of work, you may want to make
a small DIY CNC. It should be fun.
ask too many questions, and buy too little.
It pays to cultivate a few shops over time.
However, most things are available, but have different names as per
your local lingo. For ex, at my local hardware store - T-nuts are called tiger nuts, threaded inserts are known as D-type wood nuts,
quick connect terminals are known as battery clips.
Baltic birch - the closest match is good quality void-free marine grade ply (IS:710 spec) with as many plys (layers) as you can find .
CNC - yes, there are a few ones around. Look around for small factories
which make kitchen cabinets, or modular furniture.
Also hang around on cnczone or mechmate forums to connect with
DIY CNCers. If you intend to do a lot of work, you may want to make
a small DIY CNC. It should be fun.
Last edited:
Do you have any experience with diy cnc,
I believe Some time before you had inquired for dry film, Is it correct. If yes, Just give your address and postage I will send it for free.
A couple of years ago, I was totally enthused about a small
DIY CNC for speakers as well as for PCB milling. I spent countless
hours going through DIY CNC forums and searching for parts locally,
but finally decided against building one due to cost and lack of
space to keep it.
Nice build thread here for the Microcarve A4 -
An Infinite Number of Cats on Keyboards: cnc
Yep, I did ask you about the film. That's a very generous offer - I'll
send you an email.
yes indeed, i prefer those pre-made shelfs too. Floorstanding speakers can be made out of them with ease. There has gotta be some sorth of general "stuff" store in india too that sells paints, and misc. "stuff" for painting Your home, sellsing needed oods for example.. maintaning Your wooden shed, and so on. I do not know the proper english name for them, but as far as i can remember i thnk every single town I'v been in has few of these shops.
As for wooden shelf material, large stores most probably have them. Many "ikea" style furniture shops can order parts of furniture, that includes the shelfs too.
I do not live in india -but i would like to- so i do not know the details, i just find it very surprising.
As for wooden shelf material, large stores most probably have them. Many "ikea" style furniture shops can order parts of furniture, that includes the shelfs too.
I do not live in india -but i would like to- so i do not know the details, i just find it very surprising.
Viki,
Things are not readily available in India and that calls for more creativity. Like quadtech mentioned it is possible that the shop guys knows these items (shellac, birch wood etc) by some local name.
As for using CNC / DIY CNC it would be useful if you were wholly on to speaker building. If this is a one or two time activity, you can get this done by local carpentry shops.
In fact to build my speakers, I purchased 3/4 inch MDF board (had to buy the whole 8ft x 4ft). I had the dimensions ready and got the shop itself to cut the board to the required sizes. I later got the additional round woofer/tweeter holes cut out by another carpenter after I marked them on the pieces.
And yes, the WAF(Wife Acceptance Factor) is very low on this. They hate to see pieces of wood lying around as such.
Things are not readily available in India and that calls for more creativity. Like quadtech mentioned it is possible that the shop guys knows these items (shellac, birch wood etc) by some local name.
As for using CNC / DIY CNC it would be useful if you were wholly on to speaker building. If this is a one or two time activity, you can get this done by local carpentry shops.
In fact to build my speakers, I purchased 3/4 inch MDF board (had to buy the whole 8ft x 4ft). I had the dimensions ready and got the shop itself to cut the board to the required sizes. I later got the additional round woofer/tweeter holes cut out by another carpenter after I marked them on the pieces.
And yes, the WAF(Wife Acceptance Factor) is very low on this. They hate to see pieces of wood lying around as such.
Nobody knows anything about such things like materials here. Most skilled get their skills from working under somebody and then they go on their own as highly skilled. LOL
The best thing happens is when u go to any store and ask for something, they think that u don't know anything. Once a hardware store wanted me to try a drill bit that was originally sharpened the wrong way.
Also having a shop, they believe they r the experts.
Remember, here, u will not find a pro that knows his subject.
Gajanan Phadte
The best thing happens is when u go to any store and ask for something, they think that u don't know anything. Once a hardware store wanted me to try a drill bit that was originally sharpened the wrong way.
Also having a shop, they believe they r the experts.
Remember, here, u will not find a pro that knows his subject.
Gajanan Phadte
Friends ,
just yesterday I came upon a company Located in Jaipur. It sells watco Brand Danish Oil, Polyurethane finish which can be applied by Brush -which have been shown on many forums for veneer finishing. Its a relief now.
i will be getting this stuff for my use , Lets try and see the results.
just yesterday I came upon a company Located in Jaipur. It sells watco Brand Danish Oil, Polyurethane finish which can be applied by Brush -which have been shown on many forums for veneer finishing. Its a relief now.
i will be getting this stuff for my use , Lets try and see the results.
I can give a few pointers for those in Delhi:
Juneja Hardware store in Kalkaji is the dealer for Stanley brand tools and also keeps a wide assortment of fastners. I use them for all my hardware needs. The shop is always crowded though, so be prepared to wait.
Buying veneer shouldn't be a problem. I usually get mine from Kotla market (near Defence Colony). There is one lane there which has a number of plywood/veneer shops. You will have to buy at least one sheet but they will let you browse their stock and select a piece you like.
I have never seen birch plywood sold here. For speaker cabinets I use grade A marine ply. Check that it has no voids and look for a brand that uses the most number of layers in its construction.
I have some pointers for Mumbai as well, will look up the info and post it here. This thread is a good resource.
Cheers,
mymindinside
Juneja Hardware store in Kalkaji is the dealer for Stanley brand tools and also keeps a wide assortment of fastners. I use them for all my hardware needs. The shop is always crowded though, so be prepared to wait.
Buying veneer shouldn't be a problem. I usually get mine from Kotla market (near Defence Colony). There is one lane there which has a number of plywood/veneer shops. You will have to buy at least one sheet but they will let you browse their stock and select a piece you like.
I have never seen birch plywood sold here. For speaker cabinets I use grade A marine ply. Check that it has no voids and look for a brand that uses the most number of layers in its construction.
I have some pointers for Mumbai as well, will look up the info and post it here. This thread is a good resource.
Cheers,
mymindinside
In India the trade uses different terms than what are used internationally. For example if you ask for wood polishing materials then you might get some info about shellac. All over the world Shellac is sourced mainly from India. It comes in form of thin flakes. These have to be mixed in denatured alcohol(usually called industrial alcohol in India).
As you can imagine these are not consumer products thus are not available in consumer oriented shops. Additionally our finishers/carpenters use what they call masala while polishing basically this is some form of wood dust etc which they mix in diluted shellac to even out the color and porosity of the wood though it completely obscures the grain.
Not all carpenters apply polish. Go to a wood carving shop doing doors and ask them to show you what kind of finishing products they will use. Tell them you want to finish an indoor carving like a pooja room item etc. They now a days gravitate to varnish or polyurethane but ask for "polish".
I dont live in India right now but my friends in construction business tell me that the good finishing people are specialists and guard not only their materials but also their processes.Most of them are usually from Bihar and UP. There will be a couple of shops in one city selling these finishing materials usually near where wood is sold. Get hold of a good civil contractor or an interiors firm they will guide you to the right finishing guy or get some info. So ask for "Polish" as in french polish which is basically a technique of applying Shellac.
As far as CNC is concerned if you are in Bangalore I can guide you to one guy who is has built a few DIY CNC's he may even be able to guide you to where shellac is available. You dont really a CNC to make speaker boxes. Get hold of a carpenter shop who has got a table saw and planer. Buy a cheap router and with a circle cutting Jig you can produce 10-15 speaker cabinets everyday!! In fact If you use some proper guides/jigs with the router you can even cut your wood with it. Rough plane it with router and then hand sand it and cut circles for speaker with router.
You can get veneered plywood which is as good and at times better than Birch plywood(which is birchwood plywood with a better finish veneer than coarse finish plywood). Shops like @home etc carry extensive variety of plywood. Not all plywood shops carry good quality plywood. Look at your local yellow pages to get the names of prominent plywood dealers they have better stuff and carry hard to find stuff.
As you can imagine these are not consumer products thus are not available in consumer oriented shops. Additionally our finishers/carpenters use what they call masala while polishing basically this is some form of wood dust etc which they mix in diluted shellac to even out the color and porosity of the wood though it completely obscures the grain.
Not all carpenters apply polish. Go to a wood carving shop doing doors and ask them to show you what kind of finishing products they will use. Tell them you want to finish an indoor carving like a pooja room item etc. They now a days gravitate to varnish or polyurethane but ask for "polish".
I dont live in India right now but my friends in construction business tell me that the good finishing people are specialists and guard not only their materials but also their processes.Most of them are usually from Bihar and UP. There will be a couple of shops in one city selling these finishing materials usually near where wood is sold. Get hold of a good civil contractor or an interiors firm they will guide you to the right finishing guy or get some info. So ask for "Polish" as in french polish which is basically a technique of applying Shellac.
As far as CNC is concerned if you are in Bangalore I can guide you to one guy who is has built a few DIY CNC's he may even be able to guide you to where shellac is available. You dont really a CNC to make speaker boxes. Get hold of a carpenter shop who has got a table saw and planer. Buy a cheap router and with a circle cutting Jig you can produce 10-15 speaker cabinets everyday!! In fact If you use some proper guides/jigs with the router you can even cut your wood with it. Rough plane it with router and then hand sand it and cut circles for speaker with router.
You can get veneered plywood which is as good and at times better than Birch plywood(which is birchwood plywood with a better finish veneer than coarse finish plywood). Shops like @home etc carry extensive variety of plywood. Not all plywood shops carry good quality plywood. Look at your local yellow pages to get the names of prominent plywood dealers they have better stuff and carry hard to find stuff.
Mumbai have many cabinet makers. This is a financial capital of India. Mumbai have got the best infrastructure to make cabinets including CNC. The only problem is how to get this manufacturers interested in us. if we pay more to this people, they will do the job for us. We must understand the financial viability of this cabinet makers when we order few cabinets with maximum demands.
Be adjustable & get the job the done.
for CNC factory, there turnover is big. so they might not be interested in small orders. They have to pay excise & all other taxes. The administrative expense don't allow them to do small jobs.
Be adjustable & get the job the done.
for CNC factory, there turnover is big. so they might not be interested in small orders. They have to pay excise & all other taxes. The administrative expense don't allow them to do small jobs.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.