What is the bare minimum in equipment to build fine enclosures?

[454Casull]

I can't cut a straight line to save my life. I have both a table saw (jobsite-grade) and a Skilsaw with a sawboard, and neither one gets me what I want.

Is the problem with me?

[Francec]

Possibly?
A sawboard, probably like one I made, does give you a straight cut PROVIDED it is clamped strongly and accurately marked. If the board is straight, the cut must be straight.
Make sure you have a sharp, multi-toothed, say 40 for 5 1/4, blade and you shouldn't go wrong. Unless you are like my good mate Robbie who could not do it if his life depended on it.

Frank

[stratus46]

Originally Posted by 454Casull

I can't cut a straight line to save my life. I have both a table saw (jobsite-grade) and a Skilsaw with a sawboard, and neither one gets me what I want.

Is the problem with me?

Yes. What can help is to lube your table saw with paste wax - both the table and the fence. When things slide nicely it's easier to keep things straight. When I need the 'dead straight exactly perpendicular no splinter even with veneer' cut I use a straight edge clamped to the work and use a router to do the final trim. It's not as fast as you need to do the rough cut first, but the final cut will be really clean.

G²

[AJ Wykes]

This worked for me:
MAKING STRAIGHT CUTS WITH A HOMEMADE JIG - YouTube
Simple and never fails.

AJ

[bunkie]

It could be you, it could be your saw or it could be a combination of both.

Make sure your saw is properly aligned. This is critical. The blade and the fence need to be parallel to the miter slots.

Make sure you have a good blade. This is also very important.

Make sure your blade guard is properly installed and aligned. Lots of people remove theirs. This is not a good idea, these things can really make a difference, safety-wise.

Building speakers involves cutting large sheets of material. There is a definite technique to this and it takes practice. You need an outfeed table behind the saw to support the work as you push it through. You need to know where to stand. NEVER stand in line with the blade. The first reason is safety. The second is that you want to be on the side of the sheet opposite the fence so that you can steer the sheet so that it stays nicely up against the rip fence. NEVER use a miter gauge together with the rip fence. This invites kickback which is incredibly dangerous (and the main reason why you never stand in line with the blade).

I routinely run 4x8 sheets of plywood and MDF through my saw. I'm fanatical about keeping my saw aligned, my blade sharp, my guard installed and my saw top waxed. I also plan each cut, making sure that I can push the sheet entirely through the saw without it binding or catching on anything. I also make sure that the work is fully supported (I have a portable table that is just a fraction lower than my saw top that I use for support). The last thing you want is an unplanned distraction as the saw can grab the work and send it flying right at you at speeds that would impress top-fuel drag racers. NEVER allow someone to help by standing behind the saw and pulling the workpiece. That's another disaster waiting to happen. I often see this on DIY TV shows and it makes my skin crawl.

With a little practice and some planning, you can quickly learn to cut sheet goods into exactly-sized pieces on a tablesaw.

[pski]

Originally Posted by 454Casull

I can't cut a straight line to save my life. I have both a table saw (jobsite-grade) and a Skilsaw with a sawboard, and neither one gets me what I want.

Is the problem with me?

I solved this problem by getting my material from a neighbor who is a professional cabinet maker. For a small amount over the cost of the 1" mdf, he cut DISGUSTINGLY IDENTICAL parts. You could stack the same parts and not feel any variation on the edges. I did use Visio to layout the parts to scale and to minimize his saw sets. This also let me see that one board was enough material.)

His table saw is about 8' square so support rollers are not needed.

That just left me to rout the baffles (using a Jasper router jig) and cut biscuits (Porter Cable,) clamp and glue, and cut the cup (connection) holes. On the first build, I used a drill press (and air hose to keep the dust out of the kerf) to make the braces.

Build 1:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=448c6a3d89

1. router (Sears) $40
2. biscuit (plate) joiner (Porter Cable is better than Dewalt) ($180
3. hole saws (2" and 4") $40
4. clamps (the more the better) $20 each x 6 minimum
5. jigsaw (B & D from Walmart) $45
6. Jasper router jig $34
7. cordless drill and bits $35
8. wired Porter Cable 5" sander (Lowes $45)

These speakers compare easily with medium size Vienna Acoustics (using similar drivers) and the material investment was less than USD 700. The bass output of the 180mm woofer is unbelievable.

P

[kevinahcc20]

If you've ever looked at an 18th century highboy you will realize that virtually any woodworking project can be done with quality handsaws, handplanes, chisels, brace & bit, scrapers and lots of talent and practice. Those last two items take a long time to acquire. In modern woodworking we substitute power tools with fences, jigs and scales to replace some of the hard earned hand tool skills. For me the list of essentials is:

1. 10" Tablesaw (at least a good contractors model with honest 1 1/2 HP TEFC motor)
2. Either pay for quality lumber squared and dressed to dimension or a 6" jointer and 12" to 13" planer to DIY, once you have it the jointer is great for fitting parts with fine cuts
3. Quality 1/2" capacity router (PC690 or equvalent)...a plunge base and a good router table makes this tool much more versatile
4. High quality router bits - don't start with a cheapo set, buy each one as you need it and get good ones
5. Biscuit joiner - this both adds great strength and helps align and hold pieces in alignment as you clamp
6. Drill press - if you have room a floor model with at least 1/2 HP motor and 1/2" chuck
7. One good handplane for fitting and tuning...I'd go with a block plane (wooden ECE Primus adjustable block plane is my favorite)
8. Good clamps - Bessey K Body can't be beat
9. Variable speed 5" to 6" orbital sander - Dewalt or PC

Of course there's lots more, but these are a good start.

[nigelwright7557]

I get away with poor woodworking skills by finishing in thin carpet.
It covers a multitude of sins and is a cheap method.

For my speaker boxes I buy half a meter of thin carpet and staple it on neatly.
I mkae sure it is cut dead straight at the shop so I have at least one straight edge to work from.

[rjb]

I've got enough power tools to run a commercial shop, but you don't need them all. You already have the basics. Others (particularly beginners) may be interested in this thread, don't think I am telling you how to suck eggs.....

I will assume to start with, you will be using materials to which to will be added a finish, (paint or veneer) later. I recommend your first cabinets are like this, as using prefinished materials takes a lot more care and planning, and practise first is a good idea.

For good cabinet work you can get away with three simple power tools, and a few accessories,:-

1) A reasonably good quality skillsaw, but with a high quality fine tooth blade. (The other power tools and accessories can be cheapies or second hand, but I recommend a good skillsaw. A small one, (eg 5 inch) is easier to use for cabinet work, but for general purpose use a 7 1/4 or 8 inch is more versatile).
2) Three of four C-clamps with a six inch screw opening or bigger. Ideally if you can get two with a deep throat ( ie from clamp screw to support back) so it can extend deeper into the work, do so.
3) A long length (2.4 metres) of square section aluminium 25mmx 50mm or thereabout
4) A decent stainless steel ruler, (not a tape) at least 500mm long, and a fine-point pencil.
5) Three or four sawhorses or similar supports.

By clamping the Al as a guide to the sheet you are cutting,(lengthwise, supported by the sawhorses, (which are moved as required to avoid being cut), and with the saw set for full depth, you can long straight boards. The fine blade means you don't need to plane. Offset the guide as required by the baseplate dimension of your skillsaw. All that is required is care in setting up, and patience when cutting to ensure the saw is always against the guide.

6) A short length (say 600mm) of Al angle say 25mm x 25mm x3mm or similar whatever you can acquire cheaply
7) A builders square, The flat type with 400 t0 500mm long arms.

Now you can cut your board at right angles using the same guide system as above.

8) Jigsaw, to cut round holes for speaker etc. To inset the speaker use two layers of wood, with one large hole, the other smaller hole. This last hole can be chamfered by angling the jigsaw blade and by smoothing by any means including coarse sandpaper
9) Small power drill, (10mm chuck), to drill holes for fastenings, (brads, screws) and to use as a power screwdriver. Can also be used with a spade bit to make a starter hole for the jigsaw. A cheap battery model is fine, but power ones are often cheaper and don't need recharging!.
10) Small offcuts of the sheet material, cut square to ensure the cabinet side are held square during construction.

Assuming you are using unfinished material such as MDF or ply which you will veneer or paint later, you can now assemble the box, using simple butt joints with brads and glue, or if you wish screws, drilling as required, using the offcuts as temporary support. Punch or set fastenings below the surface, and fill holes with builders bog.

11) Use elbow grease to sand before finishing.

If you now are serious about prefinished materials, the above tools still hold good, but now it helps to add a good quality bench saw, a router, and preferably an orbital sander, in that order. A biscuit jointer is also desirable but not essential. A bench saw can replace it to make slot joints.These will allow you to cut the more complicated joints, such as angled butt supported with internal fillets. High quality blades and bits are essential.

As you can see, the more expensive power tools such as a bench saw, drop saw, planer, biscuit jointer, drill press etc (all of which I have, and often more than one of each) are not needed to start with, Or even ever. Sure, they can be very helpful and make certain tasks quicker and easier, and more complex joints possible, but before getting any of these, you need to develop certain skills, including the ability to cut straight. I can make all the cabinets (including those with pre-finished materials) that I have ever needed using only the simple tools.

[Illusus]

If I had to absolutely minimize the amount of tools I use to build a cabinet it would boil down to a properly set up table saw with in and out feed support, a router, clamps and good glue. I have built some tough, tricky, compound angled walled cabinets with those tools.
Most of my disappointments and frustrations were caused by inexperience, ignorance and lack of patience, I now have a little experience, a lot of patience and almost enough knowledge and I'm smiling every time I complete a project.

If you're new to cabinet building pick up a few books from your public library on the subject. If you decide to stick with cabinet making, you will have a good idea which books will be invaluable to your shop library, then you can choose to purchase them. Reading almost equals actual experience especially if you take time to really soak in what is being said. I like to stop and imagine performing the task as I read it's description when learning a new technique, I then practice on scrap. When I started I thought everything about woodwork and associated machines was 'common' sense, until I started reading what the pros have to share. Even proper body position makes a huge difference.

My wood working epiphany was the understanding that I need to make one perfect operation at a time not a complete cabinet. Each pencil mark, every cut, every blade adjustment needs to a separate, complete and well thought out task. Soon, that perfection becomes very enjoyable... huge payouts in satisfaction at the end. Also, every correcting for a bad cut or hurried layout takes much more time than doing it right the first time.

... and learn to enjoy f'ing up. You'll go crazy if you don't.