Nail guns for assembling speaker boxes

[andyjevans]

I've read a few threads about assembling speaker boxes with Titebond II and a nailgun. Sounds good!

But does this need an air gun for nailing 18mm birch plywood together?

In the UK there are electric guns like Tacwise EL500 that can use 50mm brad nails in a wimpy way. Basically for tacking on thinner ply I think. Is an electric gun an option? Would be more economic but would it cope?

Can somebody enlighten me on the A to Z of nail guns for building speakers with 18mm birch ply panels?

Andy

[kevinahcc20]

Whether or not an electric nailgun would be sufficient depends on its ability to drive the nail and set the head a little below flush. If it has adequate power to do so, it would be just as useful as a pneumatic gun. While this tecnique (brads and glue) can work, the brads do not provide sufficient clamping force to get optimum glueline strength by themselves. They are OK as an assembly aid but the major joints should be properly clamped for best results. BTW, I prefer using a biscuit joiner to obtain stronger joints...the biscuits help with alignment and assembly and, once properly clamped, provide superior strength.

[tryonziess]

Andy,
Nail guns in general are great tools. They are convenient and fast. However, plywood end grain is not the best place to be nailing into. If you do go the nail route the crown or flat head staples, in my experience grab better in plywood.
Your best overall end result will be with glue and clamps. Birch plywood saws to a very neat edge and miters well. If you use a good quality wood glue, Titebond or Elmer's are two, you will have a nice strong box. You can use staples or nails to hold everything together while the glue drys but, do not rely on them for finished bond. As I said earlier using some good bar clamps and mitering the joints will make it last. Clamps are a must for strong glue joints.
To get the best finish a new sharp fine kerf blade will make the cuts nicer.

It is also much easier to cut the speaker holes out of the front cover before the box is assembled.

Tad

[andyjevans]

Bar clamps are a cheap solution. Can you use the quick ratcheting type? At what intervals should you use them? Like for a four foot high box, would you use three or four or what?

andy

[boywonder]

I'm presently building a pair of half Changs with 18mm Baltic birch, a pneumatic Porter Cable crown stapler, and some titebond type I PVA glue. I'm rabbetting/dadoing the joints, and they are coming out great so far. I also use a table saw blade that is specifically for plywood/laminate etc (80 tooth ATB IIRC), and the cuts it makes are the cat's pajamas.....

I have found that crown staples work much better than 18g brads for ply. If you use a nailer/stapler, just make sure that you adjust the gun to sink the top of the fastener slightly below the surface. Slightly below is better than slightly above. The glue is what holds it all together in the end.

If using a stacked dado (at least in a non-metric country), you can use dado shims to get the rabbetts/dados 18mm wide.

[kevinahcc20]

If you have a long joint you can use clamping cauls (a thick board between clamps and workpiece to spread clamping pressure over the joint. I would use 4 to 5 clamps across a 4' joint with cauls. My favorite clamps are Bessey K type...expensive but once you use them the rest of your clamps will gather dust. Good luck!

[Pano]

Originally Posted by kevinahcc20

BTW, I prefer using a biscuit joiner to obtain stronger joints...

Hey, everyone loves biscuits, right?

But what do you think of dowel joints in comparison? For those of us who don't build enough to justify the cost of a biscuit joiner. Are they a decent choice?

[kevinahcc20]

I've seen studies where joints were built with various methods (plain glued, doweled, biscuit, through mortise & tenon) & the biscuit joints were about as strong as a through mortise & tenon & far stronger than other methods. I think dowels do a good job of getting proper joint alignment but are not nearly as strong as a bisuit joint. Also in my experience the setup and boring of dowel joints is slower & fussier than cutting biscuit slots. YMMV!

[andyjevans]

I'm new to these jointing techniques, though I did dovetail and mortice and tenon in school. I've been looking up these various cabinet making techniques. So far, biscuit joints look interesting. I'm going off nailers a bit - looks like I'd need an air powered one for 18mm ply, and that would be noisy, big and expensive.

This is more interesting than I thought - I had no idea so many jointing techniques existed.

andy

[andyjevans]

Just looked at this youtube video for Joint Genie. This dowel jig looks pretty useful and easy to use - like Dowelmax in the USA.

YouTube - Joint Genie!

Anybody use these jigs for 90 degree corner joints?

andy