Well back at it!
Next step is to glue the braces into the sub-modules, they are a tight fit so just some well placed glue suffices
And the moment of truth...gluing the sub-modules together. I put together these 3/4" bar clamps to create the most clamping force.
All the sub-modules laid out and organized in order ready to glue
Glued, doweled and clamped
And out of the clamps
This was enclosure A, will do enclosure B tomorrow.
Thanks,
Javad
Next step is to glue the braces into the sub-modules, they are a tight fit so just some well placed glue suffices
And the moment of truth...gluing the sub-modules together. I put together these 3/4" bar clamps to create the most clamping force.
All the sub-modules laid out and organized in order ready to glue
Glued, doweled and clamped
And out of the clamps
This was enclosure A, will do enclosure B tomorrow.
Thanks,
Javad
This project has gone smoothly and I've gotten exactly the results I've been anticipating along the way, however in the glue up of cabinet A I feel the result wasn't perfect.
The issue is that I anticipated the sub-modules to be more flexible during clamping, and they are somewhat but not enough to get a perfectly flat interface. During the glue ups of the 6-layer sub-modules, inevitably some unevenness did occur. I tried to make up for this in brute force and there just wasn't enough of it. The result is I have 2 small gaps between two layers, I'm not thrilled with them however I found some Famowood that is the exact color of the Mahogany and it shouldn't be noticeable.
Regardless I didn't want to make this mistake on Cabinet B.
I devised a perfectly flat sanding platform using some cabinet grade Aruco plywood, to force the flatness in X and Y directions I screwed and glued 4" wide strips, and verified flatness with some large flat Tri-squares.
To the platform I attached adhesive backed 120 grit sandpaper
And then it was like an hour in the gym, definitely a good workout!
Really thrilled with how well this worked out, I was able to create perfectly flat interfaces between the sub-modules for what should be a gap free glue up, will glue up Cab B in the morning.
And I have a huge flat sanding platform I can use in the future whenever I need it.
Javad
The issue is that I anticipated the sub-modules to be more flexible during clamping, and they are somewhat but not enough to get a perfectly flat interface. During the glue ups of the 6-layer sub-modules, inevitably some unevenness did occur. I tried to make up for this in brute force and there just wasn't enough of it. The result is I have 2 small gaps between two layers, I'm not thrilled with them however I found some Famowood that is the exact color of the Mahogany and it shouldn't be noticeable.
Regardless I didn't want to make this mistake on Cabinet B.
I devised a perfectly flat sanding platform using some cabinet grade Aruco plywood, to force the flatness in X and Y directions I screwed and glued 4" wide strips, and verified flatness with some large flat Tri-squares.
To the platform I attached adhesive backed 120 grit sandpaper
And then it was like an hour in the gym, definitely a good workout!
Really thrilled with how well this worked out, I was able to create perfectly flat interfaces between the sub-modules for what should be a gap free glue up, will glue up Cab B in the morning.
And I have a huge flat sanding platform I can use in the future whenever I need it.
Javad
😀 I lucked up and scored some megabuck solid core fire rated entry doors ages ago that are flat, rigid as a billiard table, so done similar as it's easier, quicker than trying to get perfect 'anything' with most wood products without way more patience than I have and/or a serious investment in pro woodworking tools. Even with the tools, no way I would spend the time required to build speakers one layer at a time, just envy anyone who can/does. Hope all the work winds up being worth the time/effort performance wise.
GM
Good idea on the sanding platform, and with all the hard work put in, cab #2 glue up should be better. Keep us posted!
Cabinet B glued up this morning before work and man it's perfect, wish I had done this with Cabinet A!
This was almost a 1/16" gap before sanding
This was almost a 1/16" gap before sanding
Wow, threw some 80 grit in the Dewalt ROS and after an hour Cabinet B is smooth and starting to shape up! Really pleased with this result.
Had a play with some Fatial Pro bass/mids a while back and I must say they offered standout impressive performance for the money. That is one SERIOUS cabinet design. Can't wait to see the completed project.
Ok some high stakes work today, more and more "no turning back" steps to the build =)
Both cabinets sanded with 60 grit and smooth.
I decided to tackle the port openings before routering out the front baffle.
I realized recently that ther work I did to locate the port module put the port openings right inline with the alignment dowels, meaning dowels would be visible in the port opening. After mulling over some solutions, I decided to redo the port module components to locate the ports further outboard of the dowels. Was about an hour of work and I was back in business:
The port tubes will be separate and held in place with a threaded rod and some fasteners, that way swapping out port tube length is trivial.tue port module attaches to the enclosure with 4 screws.
With that work done, it's time to router the port openings, I made some small port tubes to press tightly into the module plate to act as a guide for the router bearing.
And wala. Things started out with a 1/2" hole to feed the router but through then slowly hogging out the hole.
Turned out very nice, I'll be finishing the port openings off with a 3/4" round over once I glue on the bottom plate.
Tomorrow I router the drivers in.
Thanks!
Javad
Both cabinets sanded with 60 grit and smooth.
I decided to tackle the port openings before routering out the front baffle.
I realized recently that ther work I did to locate the port module put the port openings right inline with the alignment dowels, meaning dowels would be visible in the port opening. After mulling over some solutions, I decided to redo the port module components to locate the ports further outboard of the dowels. Was about an hour of work and I was back in business:
The port tubes will be separate and held in place with a threaded rod and some fasteners, that way swapping out port tube length is trivial.tue port module attaches to the enclosure with 4 screws.
With that work done, it's time to router the port openings, I made some small port tubes to press tightly into the module plate to act as a guide for the router bearing.
And wala. Things started out with a 1/2" hole to feed the router but through then slowly hogging out the hole.
Turned out very nice, I'll be finishing the port openings off with a 3/4" round over once I glue on the bottom plate.
Tomorrow I router the drivers in.
Thanks!
Javad
Big progress today, pumped!
Started with the discs that will tie the dowel spine to each brace layer, the top layer cap doesn't go all the way through as the horn is too deep to allow the spine to go all the way to the top, this will tie that in separately with a flat brace that will also support the horn.
I've been pretty anxious about the driver cutouts, it's amazing how much vacuuming in the shop you can do as you put off the inevitable! =)
I used tape to hold the template down, but the usual wood working/carpet tape was too thin and weak, last thing I could afford would be the template moving at all. I ended up using high strength 3M foam tape, which was very secure
I used the following router setup
I ended up cutting out the driver openings with a jigsaw, plunge routing through 1.25" of Mahogany just didn't work out, but the aluminum insert was a very accurate template to trace them cut from
And where things left off, things will go relatively quick from here, I should have drivers mounted and playing by the end of the week so I can start doing measurements.
Thanks!
Javad
Started with the discs that will tie the dowel spine to each brace layer, the top layer cap doesn't go all the way through as the horn is too deep to allow the spine to go all the way to the top, this will tie that in separately with a flat brace that will also support the horn.
I've been pretty anxious about the driver cutouts, it's amazing how much vacuuming in the shop you can do as you put off the inevitable! =)
I used tape to hold the template down, but the usual wood working/carpet tape was too thin and weak, last thing I could afford would be the template moving at all. I ended up using high strength 3M foam tape, which was very secure
I used the following router setup
I ended up cutting out the driver openings with a jigsaw, plunge routing through 1.25" of Mahogany just didn't work out, but the aluminum insert was a very accurate template to trace them cut from
And where things left off, things will go relatively quick from here, I should have drivers mounted and playing by the end of the week so I can start doing measurements.
Thanks!
Javad
Javad,
Great progress - probably you've got the trickiest and most painful parts of the build done. And that too with flying colors!
Every step you take, every piece you make, I think the gang is watching you! 😀
Great progress - probably you've got the trickiest and most painful parts of the build done. And that too with flying colors!
Every step you take, every piece you make, I think the gang is watching you! 😀
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