I feel so, disapointed with current project subwoofer.

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Hey all

I built a sub box last year a 80 litre vented box, with way too small vents that chuff like hell, and lined box insides with foam, I used a 12" US goliath as a my woofer, I never finished it, right now its still here in my room as it left the work shop, perfectly sanded and smooth, im using it right now for movies and music, great little thing, but it was time to make a new project to end all!....

this box, that has been in the making for a while and has been made for 2 x 12" alpine type R 2005 model, tuned to 25hz with a pretty big slot port, and going to power it with a 500 watt rms bash plate amp which I orded from america, I have subwoofers and amp sitting in my room, recently glued box is at the work shop

but I have lost faith peoples

I have had to use tonnes and tonnes of body filler cause all my mdf bowed when glued and and the cuts the begin with wernt perfect, the box is now so heavy that I have dropped it 3 times and chipped/squashed 3 corners of my box while trying to sand it and get it ready for painting,

while im here at home, I look at "old" box and see its in perfect nick, and that makes me feel more disapointed in the one at workshop as this one, the old one was built in a rush but turned out way better and it sounds way more solid, when I do a knuckle rap on it,

to save me next time, is there a really accurate way to cut mdf boards so you get "exact" dimensions, and any tips in general to save the end box product

restore my faith people
 
Hi I use this to accuratly cut anything. If you can't get anyone to cut for you, let me know, and I will cut it and send it flatpack to you.

Tools002.jpg
 
is there a really accurate way to cut mdf boards so you get "exact" dimensions, and any tips in general to save the end box product

restore my faith people

1. Take your time. (not trying to insult you)
2. Meausure twice cut once. (same^)
3. Get a router with a trim bit, it has a bearing on it that when the depth is set right will trim overhang down flush with the rest of the box. This way, with proper box assembly order you can get perfect edges.
4. Finally, Im assuming you are using sawhorses and a circular saw. So to explain this picture your wood in front of you and you have already measured the cut line and drawn it and then remeasured it. The wood piece you want to keep is on your left, when you cut the left edge of the blade will go right down the line and the thickness of the blade will cut away some of the "scrap side." Now if you take the thickness of this blade and add it to the distance from the right side of the blade teeth to the outer edge of the base and take that combined measurement and cut a 4' piece of wood/aluminum to the exact width, or have a shop do it you will have a spacer that will allow you to clamp it to the line(left edge aligned). Now go buy a 4' straight edge-heavy duty is the key here, if you butt the straight edge to the spacer, clamp it to the wood (scrap side) and remove the spacer. Now you have a fence that is the perfect distance from the line so that all you have to do is keep a light pressure towards the fence and the saw will track straight and accurate every time.
 
wood cutting service

I am in Melb., I am sure you have a similar service in Tas.This is the service...

I make accurate drawing of the box I need and I use this drawing and take my wood to the cabinet(kitchen) maker, most of them will cut them for you at a small price. Sometimes this maker also sell the wood and you can buy from them.

They have precision equipment and can cut to an accuracy less than 0.5mm...Furthermore the edges are all square, I am very happy with the results I got.
 
if the box is sturdy, and well made, and you dont care that much about looks, id jstu slap some of those corner protectors you see on PA gear on them to hide the denting, toss the drivers in there, and finish to taste. In fact ive seen artifically tarnished furniture grade corner protectors, that you coudl use with a dark veneer to good effect!


DIY is about improvisation. sometimes stuff doesnt go to plan, its learning to deal with that thats half the "fun":D of diy.
 
I don't suppose my comment would be considered constructive...

I also have been dissapointed with my DIY items. I've done amplifiers, subs, and random other junk, but it seems as though I always fail miserably (in my mind). My last sub turned out OK, but it was a little sloppy in music reproduction. I have ended up giving up on DIY (see my for sale thread in the Trading Post if you are interested in buying any items...).

My downfall was always a lack of ability to build things properly. Something always broke.

So, my advice is that you take your time, measure twice, cut once, be careful and patient.
 
My advice is keep trying. Every time I make a new sub it gets much better than the last. You have to understand that when I started I was REALLY bad.

Get the plans cut to flat pack from a cabinet maker. Or maybe have them assemble the whole box so you only have to finish it. It's still cheaper than buying a commercial speaker.
 
If you're going to repair a motorcycle, an adequate supply of gumption is the first and most important tool. If you haven't got that you might as well gather up all the other tools and put them away, because they won't do you any good.
-- Robert Pirsig

The nice thing about wood is that it's adjustable.
-- Teddly's Boss

It's not a race. It's not a contest.
-- Anon.

To saw a straight line, just think pure thoughts.
-- Roy Underhill

Dovetail joints are easy. Just envision the joint, and remove the wood that doesn't belong.
-- Roy Underhill

Sandpaper is our friend.
-- Dan Erickson
 
needtubes said:
I also have been dissapointed with my DIY items. I've done amplifiers, subs, and random other junk, but it seems as though I always fail miserably (in my mind).
I allways end up like that...
No matter if it's amps, speakers, kitchens, bedrooms-for-the-kids, shelves (Yes, you CAN actually mess up shelves!), but I don't give a <you-know-what>! I don't care what it looks like (To a certain extend...;) )

It's the FUN of making it. Keep trying, and you'll notice that it always ends up (a little) better than the previous (Insert your last project here) you made.

C'mon, MDF burns quite well, so if you fail, you can allways heat your house!
I always re-use the stuff in a smaller project... My first speakers eventually ended up being tiny bits of wood, like braces and stuff (And a lot of it ended up like sawdust)
Transform your subwoofer in a woofer, than a mid cabinet, and it'll end like a piece holding a supertweeter or so

Bibster
 
Hang in there.

If been stuffing around with a couple of amplifiers for a year and a half. They always looked like rubbish, and before I was finished I went on to the next one. Now I've decided to put the brakes on and take my time, save some money and do it right. I haven't found a shortcut that came out the way I planned it.

It'll cost more, but in the end I know that I'll have an amp to be proud of instead of something hidden under the desk

Patience is a difficult thing to master, especially for me, but I rekon it's worth a go.

Keep on going!!!
 
If you are striving for perfection, get out of DIY. You have to learn that Murphy's law is always there.

I DIY everything I can and have had fantastic results. Each time it gets a tad better.

I spent two months, every spare minute stripping my Corvette. Block sanded for a few weeks and then took off from work one day because the weather was perfect for paint.

Things were going great the paint was flowing perfect. I was shooting the last coat of clear on the body and had some bags covering the wheels, the same bags that I had shot the primer with. I got all the way around the car and disconnected the gun. Put it in the garage and went back to admire my work. Very pleased, I went in the house for a quick drink.

When I came out and walked around the car again, one of the bags on the wheels had blown off and was sticking to the rear drivers fender. When I pulled he bag off, some of the primer had come off the bag and stuck into the clear. Enough so that I couldn't dig them out without ruining the whole fender.

The paint job looks great, I get lots of comments on the shine, bright red corvette, but if you go up and look closely, you can see these little gray specks of primer in the fender.

The road to perfection is full of bumps and pot holes, learning to enjoy the ride is what keeps on on the road.

If you don't like the box, a 5 pound mall and a burn bin will vanish it from history, gives you plenty of room for another.;)
 
nunayafb said it.
The router is the only power tool you really need to make a perfect box. (although a drill helps a lot)
I cut the panels slightly oversize with a skilsaw, then, using some straightedge as a guide, trim them exact using the router. It can be done using a plain 1/4" bit, but the 1" flush-trimming bit is easier. I let the box edges overlap a little, screw and glue the box together, then trim them flush with the (wait for it) flush-trimming bit.

A good used router can be found for $20 to $40 (look for something that is all-metal, like a vintage Black & Decker). Hardware stores occasionally have great deals on imported carbide bit sets, but you can get by with a single 1/4" straight bit and some ingenuity.

For making driver holes, cut a sheet of thin plywood to bolt onto the router base (recess the screw heads), and either drilling a hole at the appropriate diameter, or making a slot and sticking a bolt, washers and nut through it to make a pivot.
 
Great thread Toastmaster.

I know exactly how you feel. I've been feeling that lately. I remember the first time I built a pair of smaller "subs" using two seas 25-FEW 10". I figured use a circular saw, use a guide with it...no problem! Until I dragged all of the panels upstairs and started putting them together, just to see if they fit. They were all off. I was so p.o.'d when I discovered that. I wound up using construction adhesive to glue the boxes together, but I'll tell you one thing.....it was pretty good sounding bass.

A couple years ago, I built a pair of 6.5 cu' real sono-subs, each with 2 peerless 260 swr's in push-pull configuration. I figured I'll have 'em done in a week. Two months later I finished them. I remember hooking them up thinking, "These better sound awful damn good. They did! :) All of that apprehension, and some anger went away when I fired them up.

I think the reason some of us get so upset with stuff like this is that we are perfectionists.

Now I'm in the middle of my latest pair of 3-ways and I'm frustrated at how long it is taking. (Pre-built boxes yet) but, I do have a lot of confidence in how they will sound. For me, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I'm listening to something that I designed and built.

Once I had my buddy Ray over to hear a pair of sats. that I made (Focal 6v-415 and Dyne D-21) and "Jazz at The Pawnshop" was playing. In the recording somewhere a phone rings in the back ground. Ray glances at my phone, looks over at me and says, "Are you gonna get that?" Bingo! That made it all worth while.
 
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