Line arrays getting glued...

[mazeroth]

Got the braces glued into place last night and they came out extremely well. My next plan is to glue a piece of MDF about 1" too wide and long on the front and use a flush trim bit to make the front baffle. I've never used a router in my life and will practice first, but do you think I should glue the MDF down, then flush it, or try to clamp it down when I flush it, just in case I mess up? I'd also like to put a small roundover on the baffle so I'm thinking maybe clamping it would be wiser, and I could roundover the back of the speaker holes to let the speakers breathe.

Here's a pic of them in my dirty kitchen!

[tiroth]

Originally posted by mazeroth
I've never used a router in my life and will practice first, but do you think I should glue the MDF down, then flush it, or try to clamp it down when I flush it, just in case I mess up?

It's REALLY easy. You don't want to rout prior to gluing up, because the beauty of a flush-trim bit is that you don't need to worry about precisely aligning the panel and the box is *perfect* when you are done. You could probably get away with only an extra 1/2" overall, but 1" just means a little more work for your router.

Rounding over the speaker holes could be a great idea--just cut holes and rout before gluing and trimming.

It looks great so far--I don't think you'll have any trouble with the routing.

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

Cut all your holes and rebates in the front panel first. The amount you flush trim off the edges should be 1/16" not 1". Glue them in place before trimming. If you don't you could wind up with slightly concave sides! Trust me.

If you need to practice, make a small sacraficial box out of scraps. You may be skittish at the corners.

Use a sharp bit, move the routher in the correct direction and wear a dust mask.

[tiroth]

You might also consider adding some vertical braces...those panels look quite long. A "holy" brace from top to bottom would help a lot. Put it slightly off center so the panels are asymmetrical.

[Grahamt]

Looks good so far. I would cut the baffle just like a 1/4" too big then flush trim because MDF dust is nasty stuff and it makes life easier on the router. I would screw the baffle into place to flush trim and then do the roundover with the baffle clamped to a table, that's just how I would do it. Rounding over the driver holes is a good idea.

Post the finished pics over at Polk, I should have my speaker boxes finished soon too.

[mazeroth]

Thanks for the suggestions! I will be adding more bracing next but did these to get the main box finished.

I ran into a slight problem. I'm building these on a budget and used 3/4" birch veneered plywood, which when I conditioned and stained on a test piece, came out extremely well. I just noticed a small section of the veneer isn't glued down to the ply and is a little loose. The section is about 2" wide and 1/2" down the wood. I took a pic of it but it didn't come out very good because my camera lacks a macro function. How would you go about gluing the veneer back to the plywood? The veneer barely comes out so it will be hard to get a tiny drop of glue in there. I'm also afraid if I get too much glue in there that when I sand and stain it will show up.

Any and all feedback is GREATLY appreciated!

[phoneisbusy]

Hi mazeroth,

Is this bubble close to the edge? I think I can make it out on the picture you posted.

If it is, you might be able to get a low viscosity glue to seep in from the edge and then clamp it down to dry. The only problem with this approach is the only low viscosity glue I know of personally is meant for fixing loose chair rungs and its other property is to swell the wood. That might not be desirable so close to the surface.

Most furniture repair texts I've read suggest cutting a 'X' slit in the veneer bubble and gluing it down. I'm guessing this will work but the repair will not be completely seamless.

Good luck with the project.

Dave

[Bill Fitzpatrick]

Hypodermic needle

[chipco3434]

You can buy a set of "works" (that's the junky term for syringe and needle!) at the drug store. Explain the project to the druggist and then sign the book. Some super glue would set that up quick.

[mwmkravchenko]

Bill is correct on the matter of using a needle. Just make a slit with the grain. NOT AN X!!!! You won't notice a properly done slit that runs parallel to the grain but an X will forever stand out. Poke in the knife edge that you made to cut with pry slightly and inject some of the super glue that you allready know will work. Your done when you have pushed it down for a minute or so and it behaves. If it freaks you out and doesn't harden breathe on it as if you were fogging up a set of glasses to wipe them. If you don't wear glasses improvise. Most of the super glues are activated by a bit of moisture and there is a small chance that there is not enough left in the veneer.

On another note listen to MR. Bill about the triming of the round overs. Don't try to take off to much with a router. An eighth to a sixteenth of an inch is all that is needed to allow you to oversize the cut, glue it up and then trim it flush.

Heck I should offer custom cabinet design some day. Oops did I type that out loud????

Mark