I'll be embarking on my speaker building journey soon and need some advice on equipping myself with the right tools before I begin.
For cutting flush mount driver holes and recesses, is there a particular bit that's suggested? I was thinking of a 1/4" straight double flute (used in 3 separate 1/4" deep passes to cut 3/4" MDF). I've heard up spiral bits but are they really necessary?
Also, I'll be using a circular saw with a guide for most of my cuts and wanted to know if I can get away with using my regular 24 tooth carbide blade. I was thinking about cutting everything 1/4" large and flush trimming the edges but is there a better way to go about this?
Thanks aplenty!
For cutting flush mount driver holes and recesses, is there a particular bit that's suggested? I was thinking of a 1/4" straight double flute (used in 3 separate 1/4" deep passes to cut 3/4" MDF). I've heard up spiral bits but are they really necessary?
Also, I'll be using a circular saw with a guide for most of my cuts and wanted to know if I can get away with using my regular 24 tooth carbide blade. I was thinking about cutting everything 1/4" large and flush trimming the edges but is there a better way to go about this?
Thanks aplenty!
I'd go with a 1/2" bit with 1/2" shank. It'll be less likely to break than a 1/4" bit.
I've had good experiences with the Freud and Bosch bits and blades. They're more expensive than the el-cheapo brands, but they're worth it. They cut better and don't wear as fast as the cheap bits. The CMT bits are good too.
~Tom
I've had good experiences with the Freud and Bosch bits and blades. They're more expensive than the el-cheapo brands, but they're worth it. They cut better and don't wear as fast as the cheap bits. The CMT bits are good too.
~Tom
MDF cuts like butter. A budget 1/4" router & set of bits will do the job perfectly.
A bigger machine is heavier to handle.
If you don't have a trammel attachment, make one out of a scrap of 9mm MDF (to cut circular driver holes).
It reduces the work if the wood store do the main cuts on their wall saw and they will maintain a consistent panel width (free cutting service is a wonderful thing). A circular saw should produce a very clean accurate edge but try some practice cuts. I had great fun building mine (IPL S3TL, Oak veneer).
A bigger machine is heavier to handle.
If you don't have a trammel attachment, make one out of a scrap of 9mm MDF (to cut circular driver holes).
It reduces the work if the wood store do the main cuts on their wall saw and they will maintain a consistent panel width (free cutting service is a wonderful thing). A circular saw should produce a very clean accurate edge but try some practice cuts. I had great fun building mine (IPL S3TL, Oak veneer).
For the router bit I have had great results with a Bosch 1/4" solid carbide up-spiral bit for speaker cutouts. In addition to the brands of saw blades mentioned Forrest blades are very high quality.
Thanks for the advice guys. I picked up a Lee Valley 1/2" bit with a half inch shank.
Do you guys think the bit is too big for circle and recess cutting? It seems a chunky piece of kit!
Do you guys think the bit is too big for circle and recess cutting? It seems a chunky piece of kit!
The router is an extremely versatile tool and worth investing some time (and scrap lumber) in practice as well as study, to discover and appreciate the many things you can do with it.
Dale
- I'm a big fan of the "saw-it-oversive-then-trim-with-router" technique. It takes significantly more time, but with just a little care and attention to detail the pieces fit superbly!
- I would avoid any bits with 1/4" shank unless there was no other option.
- Getting jigs and fixtures for a router can be a lifetime pursuit. If you have even a mediocre grasp of the applicable geometry and mechanics, the ones you make yourself often have at least 90% of the capabilities of commercial store-bought units - at 10% of the cost. One of my "router tables" is nothing more than a scrap sink cut-out with an appropriate sized (and rabbeted) hole, and a switched line outlet mounted under one edge. C-clamps hold it in place on a couple saw horses when I use it.
- You may find some good ideas, and even completely documented designs, for router jigs or fixtures at "RouterForums.com" { http://www.routerforums.com/ } I've built the push block at { http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fix...h-block-4.html } and use it with my homemade dovetail/box joint jig.
- "Router Bit" http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equipment-tools/196341-router-bit.html#post2704900
- "What tools do I need to cut perfectly straight edges with a circular saw?" http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equi...traight-edges-circular-saw-2.html#post3001262
- "Which router?" http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equipment-tools/215349-router-2.html#post3348215
- "Help me not destroy everything and cut my fingers off!" http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full...rything-cut-my-fingers-off-4.html#post3095726
- "Routering help needed: collet grip / bit slip " http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/mult...eeded-collet-grip-bit-slip-3.html#post3337903
- "Only a Plunge Router? QQ" http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equipment-tools/228990-only-plunge-router-qq-2.html#post3349343
Dale
Just picked up a Ridge Carbide table saw blade. They seem to come out as well as Forrest in the tests at half the price. It's been too cold in my shop to test it.
Read what was referenced above on collets. Read it several times.
I have plenty of Bosch bits, but I don't see that much difference between large suppliers for MDF which eats bits. Cheap Chinese bits are what you expect, Not as true, not as sharp, and bearings will fail in a few feet. They have their place, just select as appropriate.
We now have up and down spiral bits as well as compound. You have to go to commercial suppliers instead of wood worker suppliers. This lets you get better edge cuts. I will always use the bigger shank if I can. I use a 1/2 straight for my circle cuts because I am lazy and don't want to change from the wider for the recess to a more appropriate 1/4 or smaller for the hole. By lazy, this has more to do with repeat-ability in measurement and setup, not the effort to just change a bit.
Only one router will do for router table work. The Triton. It costs less than a lift without a router. I keep my Rigid in my circle jig and my Craftsman set for edge/freehand, but the Triton is the only plunge router that you can set the depth accurately on and have it not shift when you clamp it down. If I was buying a router just for small driver and port cutouts, I might go for the small Bosch trim router in the precision micro jig. An expensive setup but you will know when you are ready for it.
Don't worry if you have the "wrong" router. You will wind up with several. 😉
Read what was referenced above on collets. Read it several times.
I have plenty of Bosch bits, but I don't see that much difference between large suppliers for MDF which eats bits. Cheap Chinese bits are what you expect, Not as true, not as sharp, and bearings will fail in a few feet. They have their place, just select as appropriate.
We now have up and down spiral bits as well as compound. You have to go to commercial suppliers instead of wood worker suppliers. This lets you get better edge cuts. I will always use the bigger shank if I can. I use a 1/2 straight for my circle cuts because I am lazy and don't want to change from the wider for the recess to a more appropriate 1/4 or smaller for the hole. By lazy, this has more to do with repeat-ability in measurement and setup, not the effort to just change a bit.
Only one router will do for router table work. The Triton. It costs less than a lift without a router. I keep my Rigid in my circle jig and my Craftsman set for edge/freehand, but the Triton is the only plunge router that you can set the depth accurately on and have it not shift when you clamp it down. If I was buying a router just for small driver and port cutouts, I might go for the small Bosch trim router in the precision micro jig. An expensive setup but you will know when you are ready for it.
Don't worry if you have the "wrong" router. You will wind up with several. 😉
Yes there's always room for one more router. I had high hopes for that little Bosch piece since I too use the smallest (lightest) tool for the job but it proved hard to use somehow. I use a 3/8 carbide spiral (1/2 shank) for cutouts bigger than 5 inches. Sawblades start at Freud Diablo and go up from there. Pay attention to tooth geometry, it's a horses for courses, application (not phone) specific selection process. One blade will not do it all well
With a nice table saw. Yes, each blade is designed to do one thing better. The Ridge blade is a thick ABT with a raker, so flat bottom. My "usual" Freud is the Fusion which has no raker so it leaves ugly cleanup when I cut rabbits. Does very well ripping thick hardwood. Unless you are ding production you can probably do fine with only a couple of blades. Tooth design has come a long way. It does such a good all around job, I have not bought an L75 yet. My chop saw has a LU85 which seems fine. At least it was better than the Delta.
Diablo's are half the price. Anyone know how they compare with their standard line?
Both saws and routers do even better when you switch from a pencil to a marking knife on crossgrain cuts.
Eventually you will learn sharp square corners are very bad sonically. It was a big jump in HF smoothness when I went to 3/4 roundover on ALL 12 EDGES.
Router table of course. Yes, I leave the face about a 1/16 proud.
What I did was laminate two panels with a thickness of .75". I recessed one half into the cab while the other butt up against the sides and top/bottom. I over sized the outer half leaving .25" of overlap to trim off with the router. It worked flawlessly. Sure cutting it with a saw and retrofitting it before glue would of worked too, but it would of been more trouble squaring everything up. It will finish off a single piece equally as nice.
-edit- I rounded the edges over in the next step.
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Glad you did so. I am amazed how many folks do not appreciate what edge diffraction does to their smoothness. I was surprised that even the back edges matter as much as they do.
I've had no problem using 1/4" bits, since that's all my vintage B&D will take. The cut oversize and trim is the secret to making perfect boxes. I made an oversized router base from plexiglass which helped a lot when working near corners, and also allowed doing flush trimming with a straight bit (by lifting the base off the cabinet surface using a spare chunk of MDF).
The 1/4" roundover bit cost more than the router, but it makes attractive cabinet edges and driver recesses.
The 1/4" roundover bit cost more than the router, but it makes attractive cabinet edges and driver recesses.
I use a minimum of a 3/4 roundover for my edges. I have not bought a 1 inch radius yet. As you say, they cost as much as a router. I find the difference is clearly audible. You can't spin that in a free-hand router.
Yup, special bases. I have cabinet full of them. Some plexi, some MDF. Still perfecting my circle cutter. It is better than any you can buy, but I have more to do.
Yup, special bases. I have cabinet full of them. Some plexi, some MDF. Still perfecting my circle cutter. It is better than any you can buy, but I have more to do.
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