Speaker bodging goes a little wrong

[Dannyball]

I have made most os the box for my sub but i have come accross a little problemo there is gap What should i do? Scrap the prodject and start again or will tightly compacted woodfilla do the trick with plenty of extra screws.

This is a bit embarassing but i got to learn from mistakes.

It's a vented box i'm building by the way drivin by a 100w 12" bass driver.

[officeboy]

Unless it's a really large crack, Well heck even if it is. I'd just use some body filler and fill it up. Then caulk the inside good to seal off any pores or tiny cracks. Sand smooth and no one will ever know

except me...

[Vikash]

Hi Danny, I think i matters very much on how big the gap is and where the gap is. I've got away with a lot by using P35 car filler recently, but again it depends on whether it's a cosmetic gap, or are a huge gap etc.

Can you describe a little more where and how big the gap is (pic would be even better).

[Dannyball]

I'll get some pics for tomorrow but it's about 3.5mm on two of the bottom corners. Will using filler effect the sound? What is the best filler to use?

[Vikash]

You could always put another layer of wood on. Fill the gap with filler then slap on another layer of wood on each side, or enough sides to make it look ok. This will save you starting from scratch.

[officeboy]

Just to play ’s advocate.
Why not fill a 4inch (101mm) hole or gap with bondo, or body filler?
It is certainly as dense as wood, probably less resonant. On a well-prepared surface it has adhesion properties usually as good as the glue you are holding the rest of the box together with.
Of course if you have a 4" gap somewhere your box is probably so out of square you should scrap it anyways. But even so why (structurally, or acoustically) would you not choose to just fill in the gap.
Aren’t some speakers even made out of plastic and fiberglass? (Commercial speakers generally).

[CrisTUFR]

Here's a neat trick I learned this weekend at the wood shop when repairing some poorly-mitered 1/4-round solid wood edges on my home made desk...

Take a piece of natural wood that matches what you're repairing (you *must* have some scraps by now). Slice off a reasonably-sized sliver that will fit into the gap you've created. Add some glue to the crack and hammer it in (softly) to the gap until it won't go further. Careful not to break the gap open wider, though!

After the piece is in, you'll likely have a huge piece sticking out of your old hole. Before continuing, be sure to get as much of the glue residue out from the sides of the repair piece. After the glue is dry (or close enough), take a sharp knife and cut away at the scrap piece you repaired with until it matches the contour of where you're repairing.

If there are still some tiny gaps nearby (and there likely will be), just add some wood filler. The amount you use will not be nearly as much as before you wedged your repair piece in. After the filler dries, sand away the area until you're happy with the result.

The finished product is quite amazing, and worked out well on a poorly-matched mitered piece of rounded, solid wood. You will still see the fix, but it'll look far more natural.

Hope this helps,
Chris

[johninCR]

Just glue pieces of wood on the inside corners for structural integrity, then you can fill the gap on the outside to get whatever cosmetic result you want. Wood filler would probably be the easiest.