Another small amount of progress. There are now four halves. The slats on these were rounded with a rasp to just slightly below the finished level that I wanted, and then built up again with a thin layer of 2-part wood filler. A long bit of wood with sandpaper on it was then used to sand the filler, bridging the top and bottom bowls as guides for the level. There are a few minor surface imperfections to go over at some point, but the basic profile seems to be what was hoped for:
(click image to enlarge it)
The cardboard circles are of course to represent the placement of drivers. Obviously the driver flanges are flat and the baffle is curved, so I will need to do more contouring later on.
The intention is to have the speakers suspended/hanging around ear height with the smaller end facing downwards, but it occurs to me that in future I might want to sit them on a stand, in which case they look better with the fat end down. So I'll want to account for both possibilities when I decide how to support them (likely from the rear).
I lined one half with a bin bag and filled it with water to check the volume. Before any dividers or stuffing or driver displacement, each speaker will be nearly 15litres, which would allow a qtc of roughly 0.7 for both drivers.
They seem quite fun to me, after the rectangular boxes I've built in the past. I don't know how internationally universal easter-eggs are, but by coincidence it is easter weekend here so quite an appropriate shape!
(click image to enlarge it)
The cardboard circles are of course to represent the placement of drivers. Obviously the driver flanges are flat and the baffle is curved, so I will need to do more contouring later on.
The intention is to have the speakers suspended/hanging around ear height with the smaller end facing downwards, but it occurs to me that in future I might want to sit them on a stand, in which case they look better with the fat end down. So I'll want to account for both possibilities when I decide how to support them (likely from the rear).
I lined one half with a bin bag and filled it with water to check the volume. Before any dividers or stuffing or driver displacement, each speaker will be nearly 15litres, which would allow a qtc of roughly 0.7 for both drivers.
They seem quite fun to me, after the rectangular boxes I've built in the past. I don't know how internationally universal easter-eggs are, but by coincidence it is easter weekend here so quite an appropriate shape!
Another tiny step; added some slats on the inside to make the cone section 3-layer, and sandwich the tongue made in the bowls.
The ends of the slats are glued to the bowls with epoxy, and also to the layer of slats below using grab adhesive. The latter remains slightly rubbery; not sure how much of a constrained layer it might make but the main intention is to have it all bonded together. It certainly feels pretty dead and solid, anyway; the 3-layers of the cone section add up to about 16mm (5/8") thick. I think that'll probably be enough, given the modest size and the curved shape, which is less prone to flapping about than a large flat panel.
The middle layer of slats might look like I left voids in it, but that is only at the very ends. The idea was to leave rebates that'll take long rectangular tongues or biscuits for when joining the two halves. I shall probably do that using more epoxy, when the time comes.
But first there needs to be a partition added to create separate chambers for the two drivers, and the driver holes and mounting (probably also some reinforcement) need to be sorted out. As does the mounting for the whole speaker, for a stand. I'll likely add some felt lining in the smaller/full-range chamber too, before closing the two halves. So still quite a way to go yet.
The ends of the slats are glued to the bowls with epoxy, and also to the layer of slats below using grab adhesive. The latter remains slightly rubbery; not sure how much of a constrained layer it might make but the main intention is to have it all bonded together. It certainly feels pretty dead and solid, anyway; the 3-layers of the cone section add up to about 16mm (5/8") thick. I think that'll probably be enough, given the modest size and the curved shape, which is less prone to flapping about than a large flat panel.
The middle layer of slats might look like I left voids in it, but that is only at the very ends. The idea was to leave rebates that'll take long rectangular tongues or biscuits for when joining the two halves. I shall probably do that using more epoxy, when the time comes.
But first there needs to be a partition added to create separate chambers for the two drivers, and the driver holes and mounting (probably also some reinforcement) need to be sorted out. As does the mounting for the whole speaker, for a stand. I'll likely add some felt lining in the smaller/full-range chamber too, before closing the two halves. So still quite a way to go yet.
Looking good!
Still think a full length threaded rod, top center to bottom center, with coupling nuts anchored in the top/bottom would support hanging and a stand. You could insert an eye or hook on the top when you want to hang it, and the stand mount would have a shallow cup with a short thread sticking up in the center.
Still think a full length threaded rod, top center to bottom center, with coupling nuts anchored in the top/bottom would support hanging and a stand. You could insert an eye or hook on the top when you want to hang it, and the stand mount would have a shallow cup with a short thread sticking up in the center.
Thanks!
The rod is certainly still a possibility (or perhaps a tube; similar idea just a different gender). There would be some advantages in being able to rotate/angle the speakers about their axis, but the main thing that tempts me is indeed the flexibility. For instance at some point in the future these could be arranged around a listening chair, rather than a desk; a rear mount/stand might be ugly then, as it would be facing into the room.
The rod is certainly still a possibility (or perhaps a tube; similar idea just a different gender). There would be some advantages in being able to rotate/angle the speakers about their axis, but the main thing that tempts me is indeed the flexibility. For instance at some point in the future these could be arranged around a listening chair, rather than a desk; a rear mount/stand might be ugly then, as it would be facing into the room.
Another small step forwards; the holes have been made for the drivers, and the egg shape contoured to fit the round flat surfaces.
Basically i sawed round holes right through, then glued flat ply rings into the back of them. The baffles weren't thick enough to make routing a recess sensible IMO, plus it would have been tricky to set up a router on the weird curves.
My sawing wasn't (of course) perfectly round, so the holes and rings were buttered with 2-part wood filler, covered with food-wrap film and the drivers pushed in to cast around their edges, and also their flange depth. Though I wrapped a few layers of insulation tape around the drivers first, to make the recessed hole a bit bigger and allow for expansion. It was a bit tricky to get the drivers out again, but I just about managed it when the filler had set but not yet gone completely rigid; a bit nerve-wracking with the plastic alpairs though
They're quite crude at this stage, with lots of imperfections that'll no doubt need a lot of work to get nice, but they're starting to look more or less how I'd envisaged. Except... as they take shape I'm changing my mind about their orientation; it might be a bit more conventional than intended but the fat end down (as pictured) does look better IMO. So I'll probably think again on how I want to situate (and support) these.
Basically i sawed round holes right through, then glued flat ply rings into the back of them. The baffles weren't thick enough to make routing a recess sensible IMO, plus it would have been tricky to set up a router on the weird curves.
My sawing wasn't (of course) perfectly round, so the holes and rings were buttered with 2-part wood filler, covered with food-wrap film and the drivers pushed in to cast around their edges, and also their flange depth. Though I wrapped a few layers of insulation tape around the drivers first, to make the recessed hole a bit bigger and allow for expansion. It was a bit tricky to get the drivers out again, but I just about managed it when the filler had set but not yet gone completely rigid; a bit nerve-wracking with the plastic alpairs though
They're quite crude at this stage, with lots of imperfections that'll no doubt need a lot of work to get nice, but they're starting to look more or less how I'd envisaged. Except... as they take shape I'm changing my mind about their orientation; it might be a bit more conventional than intended but the fat end down (as pictured) does look better IMO. So I'll probably think again on how I want to situate (and support) these.