Solid wood suggestions for cabs.

[Josephjcole]

Originally Posted by mondogenerator

Thanks. I was a little concerned about a wider board cupping, so i also looked at 2 of 3.75 wide planed all round instead of a single board. Regarding 'alternating grain' i assume you dont mean perpendicular, and mean alternating the curve of grain. Im not THAT green, but im no master craftsman either.

This is the most obvious example I could find in my house. It's a white oak counter top/ kitchen island I made a while ago. You can see the board on the left is cupping toward you, and the board on the right is cupping away. Hope this helps.

edit... the boards are obviously not cupped, I should have said the grain "wants to cup"

[Cal Weldon]

Originally Posted by mondogenerator

thats the cool climate for you, im sure that very northern pines spruces etc are also 'better' quality too.

Your temperatures and Daves are remarkably similar throughout the year. The difference is that he has more rain in the winter but less in the summer.

[Cal Weldon]

Originally Posted by realysm42

Hello chaps, kind of on topic I guess, but why does everyone use glue to hold speakers together and not screws?

glue or screws

[puppet]

Originally Posted by mondogenerator

Thanks. I was a little concerned about a wider board cupping, so i also looked at 2 of 3.75 wide planed all round instead of a single board. Regarding 'alternating grain' i assume you dont mean perpendicular, and mean alternating the curve of grain. Im not THAT green, but im no master craftsman either.

P.s. I think that glue actually bonds better in most cases, doesnt weaken, split or damage the wood as screws can

Your looking at the end grain for managing "cup". You'll be able to determine, usually, which side of a board would be closer to the bark by the end grain. (not so with a qtr sawn piece though). So, when you lay up a series of boards for a panel you alternate bark up ... bark down ... bark up ... bark down, etc. A board has a tendency to cup toward the inside of the tree.

This is all academic IMO however. It's of greater concern with table tops and other "free" formed/floating designs. A four sided case will have joinery at every corner. Mid span warpage can be managed with interior bracing ... but the bracing cannot be glued across the grain. Rather, you'd attach the brace with screws that have washers under the heads. The holes in the brace(s) are drilled over sized so the panel can move over the brace without the screws limiting panel movement.

In the design of a case like this I'd favor good overall grain match over anything else. I'd go for the full 8" width here.

One thing I never do is pre-plane any wood for future use. If you have access to the mill or a friend with a thickness planer, you're better off buying the wood rough sawn and having it planed to dimension when your ready to build it. Kiln dried wood is fine but all woods, after the kiln are subject to climate. The surfaces will take on moisture once again. If you delay surfacing as far as possible, you're removing that affected surface and a potential problem with it. You have no control over a suppliers storage arrangements.

[Josephjcole]

Originally Posted by puppet

Mid span warpage can be managed with interior bracing ... but the bracing cannot be glued across the grain. Rather, you'd attach the brace with screws that have washers under the heads. The holes in the brace(s) are drilled over sized so the panel can move over the brace without the screws limiting panel movement.

Any pictures of this? I'm having a hard time visualizing it. Thanks!

[mondogenerator]

Cal, my geography knowledge is poor, but the canadian climate i experienced (montreal) was significantly cooler in winter, and better summers to boot.

Joseph, that pic illustrates it as well as possible, and that is what i was trying, poorly, to convey. Thank you.

Puppet and joeseph, you guys sum up perfectly the quandry i have. To match grain character, or not. Strangely, i was going to brace perpendicular to the grain, at least in the top and bottom panels, as i was considering a vertical windowed brace. Maybe a re-think of that strategy is required. I have alot to consider, ply would be easier, but not as satisfying. Thanks again.

[planet10]

Originally Posted by mondogenerator

Cal, my geography knowledge is poor, but the canadian climate i experienced (montreal) was significantly cooler in winter, and better summers to boot.

In general Canada is cold in the winter, but Victoria is under the influence of a current from Hawaii (as UK is in Caribean current) -- Canada's banana belt. Temp in winter is typically 3-10c, in the summer 15-25c. Rain in the winter, little in the summer (the monsoons are finally on us, prediction is that in the next 4 days we'll get more rain than the previous 3 months). We get maybe 7 days with snow on the ground (with a big dump every 3 or 4 years) and a couple weeks in the summer where it might push towards 30c. 1st year here i remember running across the street to Freddie the Freeloaders in my t-shirt. It is not unusual to see a mailmail wearing shorts year-round.

Montreal is 3 time zones to the East. The other end of Canada is 4 1/2 time zones away.

dave

[gooki]

I've started working with solid timber. If your willing to have floating front and back panels you can use solid timber on all faces.

[mondogenerator]

Dave, haha yeah i think posties must have warmer blood than I! Im an islander and i forget the size of the NA continent (family historical origin is Portsmouth and Isle of Wight, both tiny islands)

Gooki, i was planning to use ply front and rear panels, glued with silicone sealant to allow some flex, as i normally do to gasket the drivers. Whether this would be free floating enough i could only speculate. Great looking cabs! New A6P? I have some original A6s that NEED cabs that gorgeous!

[gooki]

If you run the grain correctly on the sides, top an bottom you should be able to glue a ply front and rear panel directly using normal wood glues (pva, or polyurethane).

Here some more pics of my cabs. And yip new AP6, marvellous sounding drivers.

A couple of Alpair 6 builds.