using one piece of solid wood for an enclosure

[Jared]

I was thining about using a maple log I have about 18" diameter and 24" long as a sub enclosure. Does anyone know of a way to get a hole about 15" deep and 13" diameter bored into this without buying expensive tools? So far my only idea is to use a drillbit many many times and a wood chisel to clean it up afterwards. A mostly round but irregular surface might be a good thing on the interior of the enclosure too, right? Will solid hardwood (maple I think) be rigid enough or should I go with a smaller driver and thicker walls? anyone have any links to other projects involving one solid piece of material for the enclosure?

[till]

simple way is chain saw. Other way is larger bandsaw. I build little boxes this way to sell them. Will make a pic tomorrow and post it...

[Jared]

but I dont want to cut the wood at al, just make a hole in it deep enough to provide the needed enclosure volume.

[till]

with the chain saw it is a little dangerous but possible to make a hole.

With the bandsaw you need to cut throug material you have to glue after you finished.

You cut like this:

[pinkmouse]

The easiest and safest way I can think of is to use an Arbortech blade on an angle grinder, they carve wood like nothing on earth and are much safer than a chainsaw.

However you may have problems over time with your log splitting as it dries out, espaecially if you make the walls too thin

[TNT]

Hi!

Consider this once more before You put too much effort into it! The DO split / crack for shure. I have seen it myself.

Maybe if You live in a very humid place it is OK!

/

[till]

it will crack in case you use it not dry enough and put it in the house.

You need to use an piece thats allready dry (some years laying around at a dry place)

The easiest way for a big hole is to find a piece of a tree thats allready has a hole because of illness. If the wall is not to thick and dry slow enough the forces in the material are not so strong and it will have only small cracks.

[kneadle]

Michael Barnes at norh carves his initial line of speakers out of a single log.

[Kongen]

I think I read somwhere that this kind of enclosure isn't very good when it comes to resonances - something about the vibrations won't be damped as well as in an enclosure made from several pieces of wood glued together... I can't remember where I read it but I believe it was in an article about sonus faber in which it was argued that the multiple pieces glued together as in their speakers keeps vibrations lower than if they used one big piece. I do see the point - to not equally sized pieces of wood - perhaps even different in structure - glued together would help dampen vibrarions due to different resonances of each piece. anyway i'm not a scientist so maybe i'm wrong...

[janneman]

Hi,

It is not clear to me why you would want to use a single log this way. Surely it will have asthetic appeal. If you however do it from a point of construction strenght, be aware that a conventional, well-glued joint generally is STRONGER than the wood itself.

Jan Didden