Will routing edges of front baffle affect sound?

[Ken C]

I'm building 2 pairs of bookshelfs right now, 8-3/4 in width.
One pair is for me, one for my cousin, and we'd like to dress these up just a bit differently.
He'd like rounded edges on the front baffle along the right and left sides. I'd like to have a 45 degree cut angling them back. The router bits will both cut 1/2 inch, so approx 1" in total of the baffle is going to get shaved a bit...

I've seen some of Dennis Murphy's views on the roundover not making a big difference, but will the 45 degree cut do much?

Any thoughts?

[tiroth]

It won't do too much. AudioXpress did some measurements, and unless I am remembering incorrectly, only the 1"+ bits had much effect. It could be worth digging out that article if you are really serious about it; they have back issues on CDROM.

Another way to do this if you have a table saw is make the baffle thicker and make the angle cuts right on the saw.

[5th element]

It may not do an awful lot for diffraction but it certainly looks a lot better, allowing you to make the cabinet slightly wider and still keep a slender look. This does require a lot more work if you are finishing the loudspeaker with veneer, because you need to put insets of wood in around the veneered parts so you can route them.

[5th element]

Example of what I just said.

[Ken C]

I haven't had a problem wrapping the veneer around the rounded-off edges of my other speaker projects, but I just never considered the effect on sound the cuts would have...for the 45 degree cuts (which on the wood I suppose is really what, 135 degree angle) The rolls of veneer I usually buy easily wrap, or you can cut in pieces and hide the seams very well on edges...

[5th element]

Hmm I never considered putting the veneer round the corners I just assumed it would be very difficult to get right.

[Ken C]

Well, it ain't easy, but it's certainly doable.
I just built 8 stands for the ar.com DIY projects I'm building as my new Home theater upstairs so I can move my towers into my studio...we wrapped veneer around the octagon pillars of these stands without problem at all...this was difficult. Speakers are way easier because they're larger, flatter surfaces with less corners:
http://ca.geocities.com/sdupre0828@r...ker_stands.htm

err...I'm still learning about uploading thumbnails onto the webpage, not the greatest pics until you blow them up.

[aaroncgi]

Ken,

Those are some beautiful speaker stands! I can't decide if I like the rounded bases or mitered bases better. I love the hexagonal veneered center post though, something I don't think I've ever seen in commercial stands. The price is sure right, too.


Aaron Gilbert

[ultraman]

I've had no problem wrapping veneer around a 1/2 inch radius. The corners on those speaker stands is more than I thought it could do without splitting. They look great.

Going around corners gives a more solid appearance to a cabinet. Just always, ALWAYS, go with the grain of the veneer lengthwise over the bend.

[catapult]

Dennis Murphy changed his mind and found that a 3/4" roundover significantly smoothed the treble, both on and off axis. He has some sample response curves on his website.

http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=cabinets.html