Orion Construction Questions

[¿GotJazz?]

I'm in the process of building my first pair of Orions, and I had a few woodworking questions for the more experienced builders out there:

(1) I am building templates out of 1/4" Melamine for the side panels and every piece that has a hole. Is there an easy way to cut out the circles for the drivers accurately and smoothly? We failed with a number of options. Currently, the best thing we have found is to screw the center of the of the (future) hole tightly to support blocks, and use a Rotozip and the Rotozip circle-cutter attachment. The Rotozip has a tendancy to "jump" a bit when starting, so we had to press hard to avoid nicking the circle.

(2) I couldn't find any radius information on the side panels. SL just states in the layout that all curves are circular sections, but no further details. Does anyone have this information?

(3) I really like the look of the Wood Artistry speakers shown in the middle of this page. I also like Malcolm Campbell's selections. Can somebody recommend veneers / solid woods / stains that would get me the look of the Wood Artistry MT panels with Malcolm's side panels?

Thanks!

[Davey]

The best option for cutting circles is a jig attached to a router, but your rotozip method should work okay also. Practice a bit and you should perfect the technique.
The large arcs are tricky to cut well with typical shop tools. Use a sabre saw and then sand until the arcs are smooth if you don't have access to a bandsaw that can be rigged with a long extension.

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/images/gr...on-curves2.gif

Davey.

[Drew Eckhardt]

Note that you _really_ want a plunge router, 1/4" spiral bit, and 1/2" flush trim bit.

Originally posted by ¿GotJazz?
I'm in the process of building my first pair of Orions, and I had a few woodworking questions for the more experienced builders out there:

(1) I am building templates out of 1/4" Melamine for the side panels

A half inch template works better because you can attach it to the side panel (I located the screw holes so they'd be covered by the H-frame), stick it to your work bench, and have clearance for your router flush trim bit pilot bearing mounting screw.

When you do a good job on the template using a router to copy it produces side panels that essentially need no sanding.

You don't need templates for the other pieces. Just drill locating holes for your circle jigs and have at it.

Is there an easy way to cut out the circles for the drivers accurately and smoothly?

Use a router with a circle jig for all the round holes and curves except the short transition between the flat top piece and bottom front radius and perhaps the large diameter radius on the bottom left corner. Cut the other one or two curves with a standard width blade in a jig saw. The jig saw cuts will need a little sanding.

Making the circle jigs takes about 10 minutes each plus a few seconds per diameter you intend to cut with each one.

For the side panel curves, you can screw your template and a matching piece of wood to hold the circle jig pivot to a couple of 2x4s so nothing moves - I've never been able to get double sided tape to stick well enough.

(2) I couldn't find any radius information on the side panels. SL just states in the layout that all curves are circular sections, but no further details. Does anyone have this information?

The support URL listed in the documentation has the radiuses.

[Drew Eckhardt]

1. Attempting to stick the pivot point for my long-radius jigs to the floor with double sided tape failed miserably. I ended up screwing my side-panel template to a couple of 2x4s along with a piece of matching wood to hold the pivot.

2. I listed most of my construction issues here:
http://www.poohsticks.org/drew/orion.html#Tips

3. You might want to construct the radius center points instead of measuring. You can drill holes in your circle jigs or a piece of scrap masonite to create a long compass. Pick two points on the arc you want to cut or mark, use those for the compass center point, and draw arcs that intersect at the center point.

4. Visit SL's support URL.