Hi,
I am currently building a pair of speakers which I plan to mount to the sides of a bike rack. You can see a few progress photos here: Music bike progress - Imgur
To join the sides, I used Gorilla Glue as well as screwing in battens (I think that's the correct term?). However, I did not clamp the box while letting the glue set. This is my first ever woodworking project, I thought that the screws would be sufficient for clamping but there is still a tiny gap in some areas. Does it need to be absolutely 100% flush or I need to scrap this and start over? Or is this sufficient, particularly once I seal it up with silicone and putty the outside? I also thought about screwing in some external corner braces for extra stability, if that will help?
Thanks in advance!
I am currently building a pair of speakers which I plan to mount to the sides of a bike rack. You can see a few progress photos here: Music bike progress - Imgur
To join the sides, I used Gorilla Glue as well as screwing in battens (I think that's the correct term?). However, I did not clamp the box while letting the glue set. This is my first ever woodworking project, I thought that the screws would be sufficient for clamping but there is still a tiny gap in some areas. Does it need to be absolutely 100% flush or I need to scrap this and start over? Or is this sufficient, particularly once I seal it up with silicone and putty the outside? I also thought about screwing in some external corner braces for extra stability, if that will help?
Thanks in advance!
The Gorilla glue foams and seals gaps, although it is very weak it should be ok in your application. Having said that, you should have seen the foaming in the gaps so maybe there is not enough glue, or did you use the Gorilla wood glue rather than the original one? Corner braces will do nothing, corners are already the strongest part of a box.
There is foaming in the gaps, I just wasn't sure if it is still strong enough? I did use the original formula. Thanks!
Just to clarify, corner braces, aka cleats, where the flat grains of the wood are attached on either side to the cleat is a stronger bond than a butt joint where you are joining an end grain to a flat. Same applies to a 45º mitre as that is similar to two ends. Without seeing the construction, it's difficult to know if the cleats are the right material or if they were applied correctly. If I read it correctly Erica, your boxes sound like they may be strong enough and that you should be able to fill the gaps with caulk. Use an exterior grade but not silicone. I'm not sure what external corner braces are and I'm thinking Richie was commenting on those concerning strength.
Thanks! What do you recommend? I was thinking of using Great Stuff foam or silicone, is there a better option?
Yes, there is always a cheap latex or "paintable latex/silicone" sort of caulk that's just fine. Don't waste money on something you don't need especially a silicone that often requires surface prep and doesn't necessarily do what you need. Don't buy butyl either, but that's for another reason. Cheap caulk is the best caulk for speakers. 🙂
A word of caution: Don't be in a hurry to close up the box. Letting the caulk set up and off-gas overnight will never hurt. Patience is your friend when it comes to chemicals and speakers.
Good luck Erica.
A word of caution: Don't be in a hurry to close up the box. Letting the caulk set up and off-gas overnight will never hurt. Patience is your friend when it comes to chemicals and speakers.
Good luck Erica.
That's quite adventurous. I like it.
Am I right in thinking you're planning on building just one cabinet? Are you planning to put anything on the other side for balance? Also, that cabinet is actually going to be fairly heavy and will likely get bounced around a lot as you hit bumps and such, so make sure you glue it well and put plenty of screws in the cabinet (with well glued and perhaps slightly larger cleats for the rest of the cabinet if you can), and also make sure it is securely attached to the bike frame. Because of the jarring it might get from riding around I would think it might be best if there was as little 'play' as possible between the cabinet and the frame.
There is a chance that your cabinet may begin to loosen up over time. If that does happen then don't fret. Just treat it as a learning experience, think of ways to try and improve upon your design, and start over.
Good luck with it and don't be discouraged if things don't always go as planned.
Am I right in thinking you're planning on building just one cabinet? Are you planning to put anything on the other side for balance? Also, that cabinet is actually going to be fairly heavy and will likely get bounced around a lot as you hit bumps and such, so make sure you glue it well and put plenty of screws in the cabinet (with well glued and perhaps slightly larger cleats for the rest of the cabinet if you can), and also make sure it is securely attached to the bike frame. Because of the jarring it might get from riding around I would think it might be best if there was as little 'play' as possible between the cabinet and the frame.
There is a chance that your cabinet may begin to loosen up over time. If that does happen then don't fret. Just treat it as a learning experience, think of ways to try and improve upon your design, and start over.
Good luck with it and don't be discouraged if things don't always go as planned.
Nope...I built the other one after I took those photos 😉
For sure...I'm going to add lots of straps in addition to the mounts pictured 🙂
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