how to mount rca jacks and volume control in wood enclosure?

[AudioGeek]

i did not know where to put this topic... so i placed it here.

If i have a 1/4 inch thick enclosure... wood on top and sides (all wood essentially).

how do i mount rca jacks and volume controls onto this? as they were meant for a metal enclosure with thin metal.

help.

p.s. i know its an all wood enclosure... and it will work fine.

[Bryan]

for the RCA jacks I fabricate a small piece of sheet aluminum on which I drill holes for the RCA's. I then cut a hole in the wood slightly smaller than the aluminum sheet, and router out the edges to the exact dimension of the sheet. This is then flush mounted to the wood with adhesive. Alternatively, you can mount from the back and negate the need for routing.

Volume controls get mounted to aluminum sheet attached to a small 90 degree angle bracket. This then is screwed to the wood inside the enclosure, and I connect the knob with a shaft extension.

Hope this helps.

Bryan

[AudioGeek]

may work...

problem is that i do not want any metal showing on exterior of enclosure.

where do i find shaft extensions?... and is it a matter of drilling a hole larger than the shaft extension, or does there need to be some sort of support or bearing for the shaft extension at the wood enclosure?

thanks!!

[Eli Duttman]

Do you have Forstner bits? If so, drill appropriate holes in the wood and counter bore from the rear. Grounding for the RCA females is, of course, automatic. You will need to ground the volume control bushing(s).

[AudioGeek]

the enclosure will be made out of cut plywood laminated together. So it is one solid unit.. with no joints on corners.

being this said... i have no idea how to counter bore from the rear (inside) of this as i will not be able to get my drill to be level.

what is a forstner bit?

Thanks!!!

[Nordic]

You get big drillbits that does not need a pilot hole, and does not have an extended bit that sticks past te blade part, very easy to rebate a few mm into the wood, leaving only a thin face... I use this method alot as I have yet to master any metalworking skills

The shape you are after is more challenging though, and you will need a router and some good clamps to hold on to the wood while you eat into the wood edgewise.... maybe a small dremel can be used to eat away enough wood to get RCA thread through...

[Sherman]

Originally posted by AudioGeek
the enclosure will be made out of cut plywood laminated together. So it is one solid unit.. with no joints on corners.

being this said... i have no idea how to counter bore from the rear (inside) of this as i will not be able to get my drill to be level.

what is a forstner bit?

Thanks!!!

Sounds like you may need a right-angle attachment for your drill!

An alternative is to cut the plywood thin enough for the shaft to protrude through the front (for volume control mounting) and thin enought for the RCAs to be mounted. If you are laminating layers of plywood then you will only have to make a couple layers thin in those areas, especially if it is 1/2" thick. You could use a bandsaw, hand held jig saw or better yet a router table with a straight-cutting bit.

[Eli Duttman]

Forstner bit description here.

BTW, I'm NOT a wood working expert. I learned about the device watching Norm Abram on PBS.

[AudioGeek]

i will be lamintating the plywood sheets so that when looking at the front of the enclosure... the grain is horizontal.

like this:

______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________


the issue is that i do not want to cut my enclosure down to very thin.

is there a way to keep the 1/4 inch thickness i want and still mount the rca jacks and volume control?

[dnsey]

If the ply is high enough quality, how about drilling and tapping the vol control hole to suit the bush, and screwing the pot directly into the wood? Otherwise, mount the control on a bracket this shape:

__ __
_| |_

and screw the bracket to the inside of the enclosure.

Edit: diagram previews OK, but doesn't work on actual post!
bracket with hole in centre for pot, ends bent 90 degrees, then 90 degrees back out for fixing (if that makes any sense!)