Hello Gurus,
hoping to delve into speaker building in the near future, I am pondering finishing methods.
One option is using MDF and veneering it later on , but my question lies in the other slightly more expensive option ie. using pre-veneered plywood (birch or oak) which can be obtained at home depot etc ..for about $40 / sheet
1. how is the quality of this veneer as opposed to stuff that one would paste onto MDF ?
2. which is better as far as taking a finish (oak / baltic birch) ?
3. as far as finish goes, i tend to like the lighter colours better. any suggestions, ... i could use clear Polyurethane (which is what i've used in the past on wood), ....is the spray on stuff any better than the stuff in tin cans.
another alternative is danish oil / tung oil, ...any difference in the two, ... and would they work well on veneered plywood? how easy are they to apply for a floorstander project?
3. any thing else i should note? BTW, the speaker will be a fostex FF165K based single driver horn.
thanks
hoping to delve into speaker building in the near future, I am pondering finishing methods.
One option is using MDF and veneering it later on , but my question lies in the other slightly more expensive option ie. using pre-veneered plywood (birch or oak) which can be obtained at home depot etc ..for about $40 / sheet
1. how is the quality of this veneer as opposed to stuff that one would paste onto MDF ?
2. which is better as far as taking a finish (oak / baltic birch) ?
3. as far as finish goes, i tend to like the lighter colours better. any suggestions, ... i could use clear Polyurethane (which is what i've used in the past on wood), ....is the spray on stuff any better than the stuff in tin cans.
another alternative is danish oil / tung oil, ...any difference in the two, ... and would they work well on veneered plywood? how easy are they to apply for a floorstander project?
3. any thing else i should note? BTW, the speaker will be a fostex FF165K based single driver horn.
thanks
Hi Zobsky
1) Probably much the same, unless you want to shell out for really fancy veneers, then you will have to buy raw stock.
2) Oak needs a lot more prep work as it has a more open grain
3) Poly is good, but so are clear water based acrylics, and much less smelly and quicker to apply. I prefer oil though, it is even easier to apply, and to touch up should the inevitable accidents happen.
Danish oil contains Tung oil, but also has other ingredients as well, that help it soak into close grained timbers. Either will work well I suspect for your application.
To apply, just brush on liberally, leave for about 15 minutes, then rub the excess off. Leave for a couple of hours, and then repeat. 3 coats is a minimum, I usually go for 5 or 6, as it gives the wood a much nicer look.
Remember in all woodwork, there are three things you must remember to get a good finish - preparation, preparation, and preparation! 😉
1) Probably much the same, unless you want to shell out for really fancy veneers, then you will have to buy raw stock.
2) Oak needs a lot more prep work as it has a more open grain
3) Poly is good, but so are clear water based acrylics, and much less smelly and quicker to apply. I prefer oil though, it is even easier to apply, and to touch up should the inevitable accidents happen.
Danish oil contains Tung oil, but also has other ingredients as well, that help it soak into close grained timbers. Either will work well I suspect for your application.
To apply, just brush on liberally, leave for about 15 minutes, then rub the excess off. Leave for a couple of hours, and then repeat. 3 coats is a minimum, I usually go for 5 or 6, as it gives the wood a much nicer look.
Remember in all woodwork, there are three things you must remember to get a good finish - preparation, preparation, and preparation! 😉
Hi Zobsky,
Here are also a couple of other discussions on the subject:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6061&highlight=marine+plywood
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6261&highlight=marine+plywood
There’s more where those came from as well.
Here are also a couple of other discussions on the subject:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6061&highlight=marine+plywood
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6261&highlight=marine+plywood
There’s more where those came from as well.
the veneered plywood from Home Depot isn't bad, I have made built-ins and cabinets with the birch veneered -- maple goes well with the birch.
as far as finishes are concerned -- if you use the penetrating oil finishes a couple of coats are fine -- with Watco follow the directions -- they result in a very good looking job.
if you are going to use a penetrating stain like Minwax allow 24 hours (at least, depending upon humidity) for the drydown before applying a protective finish on top.
as far as finishes are concerned -- if you use the penetrating oil finishes a couple of coats are fine -- with Watco follow the directions -- they result in a very good looking job.
if you are going to use a penetrating stain like Minwax allow 24 hours (at least, depending upon humidity) for the drydown before applying a protective finish on top.
thanks for all the replies.
....been doing some reading and decided to go with oak veneered plywood because the birch available locally was not that good.
my main concerns are
1. ease of finishing (is that an oxymoron 😕 ), ..which is why i am tending towards tung.
2. the open grain of oak veneer. on the www, i have seen various solutions ranging from oil flooding, to using a grain filler to using a wax on top of the oil.
3. any suggestions and / or pics of completed projects using oak veneer.
thanks, vin
....been doing some reading and decided to go with oak veneered plywood because the birch available locally was not that good.
my main concerns are
1. ease of finishing (is that an oxymoron 😕 ), ..which is why i am tending towards tung.
2. the open grain of oak veneer. on the www, i have seen various solutions ranging from oil flooding, to using a grain filler to using a wax on top of the oil.
3. any suggestions and / or pics of completed projects using oak veneer.
thanks, vin
I built some boxes out of oak-veneered plywood I got at Lowe's, and finished them cherry. They were way yummy until I put verathane on them and got bubbles in the finish. Oops. *sand sand sand* Oops. There goes the stain. *stain stain stain* Oops. It looks horrible.
So yeah, be careful... I suggest using MDF + veneer, or artificial leather. I'm using artificial leather for my PA speakers. It's sexy. 🙂
Anyway. If you do go with veneered plywood, make sure you get the finish right the first time.
So yeah, be careful... I suggest using MDF + veneer, or artificial leather. I'm using artificial leather for my PA speakers. It's sexy. 🙂
Anyway. If you do go with veneered plywood, make sure you get the finish right the first time.
Any tips on using artificial leather? I was thinking about this for my current project. I have a floorstanding speaker with a 1.5" roundover on top and sides, and I am trying to decide how to finish it. I was planning on making it glossy black, but I don't feel like putting in the hours of priming and sanding to make a good finish... It is currently just in its raw mdf form.
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Brian
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Brian
Attachments
BrianGT said:
Just a quick hint, don't leave it like that for too long, otherwise the surface will pick up dust and grease from your hands and then be a real job to finish evenly. 😉
Bylie said:
They are finished to a functional point, and have been playing. The bass response is great. They go quite low (said to be low 30s). The bass depth matches/beats my Seas Thor TL speakers, but the highs are no contest. The $17 Peerless 811815 tweeter that is used in the design, are a bit harsh, especially compared to the $150 Seas Millenium tweeter. The woofers needed no break-in time, unlike the Thor woofers, and the tweeters took a couple of hours to come out.
If you ignore the Thor TL speakers, these speakers sound great for the money, but I am seriously thinking to upgrading the tweeter to the Seas 27TFFC, which costs around $25 each, and sounds good in other designs that I have heard. The specs seem to say that this is a drop-in replacement, and Bob agrees.
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Brian
pinkmouse said:
Well, I haven't sanded them yet, and I intend to give them a thorough sanding before any type of finishing is done. So far, all I have done to these is give them a quick pass with my router with a 1.5" roundover bit.
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Brian
OK this has probably been covered, but what is the best filler
for MDF? I want to put a smooth paint finish on my speakers head units and clearly they need lots of filling and sanding.
I think someone mentioned auto spray primer?
for MDF? I want to put a smooth paint finish on my speakers head units and clearly they need lots of filling and sanding.
I think someone mentioned auto spray primer?
Nappylady said:
Bubbles -- next time using a cloth to apply the Varathane, or a foam brush, not a bristle brush -- you can also get bubbles and other defects when there is too much humidity in the air.
I have found that Deft is pretty much "faultless" but it must be applied out of doors. It builds up layers very quickly.
Actually, we used a foam roller, and discovered that you can pop the bubbles quickly and easily by *blowing on them* with the spray hose on the air compressor. Of course, it was ruined by the time we discovered this, but for reference, that's the solution...
(edit: /hijack)
(edit: /hijack)
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