i want to make a lightweight plywood 3D horn like this:
he's using SolidWorks which i actually have access to, but is this really the best way to go ?
his model has some kind of weirdness where the plywood meets - will solidworks calculate all the angles i need for everything to fit perfectly ?
i basically want to use this type of construction for about 80% of the horn and 3D print the throat. there is some kind of 3D printing and prototyping shop 10 minutes away from me literally in some guy's home and the pics he has on google maps show pretty big parts but not quite as big as a 30" wide by 30" tall horn mouth.
aside from the horn basically the entire speaker would be all weird angles - basically think JBL VTX array type cabinets where most of the angles are odd. no way i can ever make it work without the computer doing all the math.
also will i need a separate software to design the 3D printed part ? i think it would if i could design both the plywood and 3D printed parts in the same software as they will need to interface with each other, plus i wouldn't have to learn two pieces of software but it's not a deal breaker if i have to use different software for plywood and 3D printed parts.
i feel like it's time to move from hand sketches to 3D cad models to see how everything really fits, or if it fits.
he's using SolidWorks which i actually have access to, but is this really the best way to go ?
his model has some kind of weirdness where the plywood meets - will solidworks calculate all the angles i need for everything to fit perfectly ?
i basically want to use this type of construction for about 80% of the horn and 3D print the throat. there is some kind of 3D printing and prototyping shop 10 minutes away from me literally in some guy's home and the pics he has on google maps show pretty big parts but not quite as big as a 30" wide by 30" tall horn mouth.
aside from the horn basically the entire speaker would be all weird angles - basically think JBL VTX array type cabinets where most of the angles are odd. no way i can ever make it work without the computer doing all the math.
also will i need a separate software to design the 3D printed part ? i think it would if i could design both the plywood and 3D printed parts in the same software as they will need to interface with each other, plus i wouldn't have to learn two pieces of software but it's not a deal breaker if i have to use different software for plywood and 3D printed parts.
i feel like it's time to move from hand sketches to 3D cad models to see how everything really fits, or if it fits.
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I don't think that hand sketches should be affecting the quality of your design work. However one thing that can be difficult is calculating the angle to set the saw when your bends are in three dimensions. With CAD you can use one object to cut another, and view it from the axis you will run the saw.
i am not a wood shop i would have to cut by hand or maybe i can pay some shop to cut it for me ?
i have power tools but not a table saw ... the circular saw i have i would not be comfortable with running at any odd angles.
i have power tools but not a table saw ... the circular saw i have i would not be comfortable with running at any odd angles.
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I was taught to use hand tools all the way, and I learned to convert the skill to power tools which I only use in certain circumstances. It comes down to your skill more than the tool, assuming the tool is fit for purpose.
There are many ways to approach this. Assuming you want to compensate for cutting tolerances and uncertainties about the angles, you could cut outside a line at an acute angle so that there is more material left than necessary, and plane it back on a trial and error/fit basis.
There are many ways to approach this. Assuming you want to compensate for cutting tolerances and uncertainties about the angles, you could cut outside a line at an acute angle so that there is more material left than necessary, and plane it back on a trial and error/fit basis.
what sort of tool would you use for this ?plane it back on a trial and error/fit basis.
also sounds like a lot of dust.
You would use a plane. Sorry I didn't realise this was your first wood based construction. Maybe it would help to get at least some of the work done for you. Planing is a skill best taught as to an apprentice, but you might go ahead and teach yourself.
no i'm just Russian in Russian it is called "Rubanok"
that said, although it would produce no dust i can't picture myself suffering through that with plywood ...
that tool was really meant for solid wood ...
i will admit that my pops helped me with woodwork in my previous builds ... this would be the first time flying solo so to speak.
that said, although it would produce no dust i can't picture myself suffering through that with plywood ...
that tool was really meant for solid wood ...
i will admit that my pops helped me with woodwork in my previous builds ... this would be the first time flying solo so to speak.
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Call around and find a cabinet shop that has a cnc router table that would be willing to cut a sheet for you. Then you could layout the entire thing, with plenty of spare parts in case some have voids, as is with plywood. Leave a good inch between all the parts, and maybe even put tabs on the smaller parts to prevent them from being ingested into the vacuum system.
For anything you need to be absolutely perfect, leave some extra material to sand off later or engineer a way to work with it. Keep in mind they can only cut profiles, and the machine doesn’t like true square corners as much, radii are better.
For anything you need to be absolutely perfect, leave some extra material to sand off later or engineer a way to work with it. Keep in mind they can only cut profiles, and the machine doesn’t like true square corners as much, radii are better.
why CNC though ?
i don't need anything curved. all the curved stuff i can 3D print.
i just need very strange angles that have to be cut precisely.
i like the idea of having a shop do the cuts but doesn't CNC use a vertical cutter at 90 degrees ? i can do those cuts myself. i need cuts where the blade or cutting tool will be at various angles.
i don't need anything curved. all the curved stuff i can 3D print.
i just need very strange angles that have to be cut precisely.
i like the idea of having a shop do the cuts but doesn't CNC use a vertical cutter at 90 degrees ? i can do those cuts myself. i need cuts where the blade or cutting tool will be at various angles.
Well it sounds like you figured it out then, just use paper plots for patterns and cut it by hand.
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it's a video not an image and i'm not actually going to be building this particular horn.
i want to build a horn that starts with a 2" exit compression driver and has a roughly 30" x 30" mouth. the first 10 inches or so of the horn starting from the driver i want to 3D print and the rest to build in plywood as in the video.
the guy in the video actually used a 3D printed adapter for one of his wood horns in another video, but his adapter was just a flat piece that allowed him to mount the horn to he driver. my adapter would actually include the first few inches of the horn flare that would take the horn from a circular 2" entry to a rectangle cross section of roughly maybe 3 x 5 inches or so at which point it would be easy to continue that flare in plywood.
look at these horns as an example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265462598611?hash=item3dcecdcbd3:g:Ka4AAOSwSx1fEb9H
they use a cast aluminum throat adapter that mates to fiberglass horn mouth. that's what i want to do only the cast aluminum part will be 3D printed and the fiberglass part will be plywood.
i want to build a horn that starts with a 2" exit compression driver and has a roughly 30" x 30" mouth. the first 10 inches or so of the horn starting from the driver i want to 3D print and the rest to build in plywood as in the video.
the guy in the video actually used a 3D printed adapter for one of his wood horns in another video, but his adapter was just a flat piece that allowed him to mount the horn to he driver. my adapter would actually include the first few inches of the horn flare that would take the horn from a circular 2" entry to a rectangle cross section of roughly maybe 3 x 5 inches or so at which point it would be easy to continue that flare in plywood.
look at these horns as an example:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265462598611?hash=item3dcecdcbd3:g:Ka4AAOSwSx1fEb9H
they use a cast aluminum throat adapter that mates to fiberglass horn mouth. that's what i want to do only the cast aluminum part will be 3D printed and the fiberglass part will be plywood.
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- dumb question - how do i make the cut list for a horn like this ?