Ugh, just spent $100 on sub box building supplies

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CZ Eddie

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Joined 2003
#1
You know, you think your box will cost about $50 to build, but with just one shopping trip you spend $100 and you're not even done with buying supplies yet! :xeye: 😀

I'm building a Q=0.707 sealed enclosure for a 15" Tempest.

Just picked up most of the wood needed. It'll be 21.5" x 21.5" by 21.5" (plus 4" more for feet).

Meant to get MDF which is half as much as the $50 sheet of Birch Plywood I bought, but Do-It-Center was all out. That's alright though, I hear Birch is better?

Also got screws, glue, sandpaper and had Do-It-Center cut all my wood ($0.25 per cut). I'll have to borrow a sander and jig saw as I sold my tools a couple of years ago when I thought I'd move out of the country. 🙁

So what's the best way to get this birch looking good for the box? The guy left all sorts of nasty looking razzles along the edges when he cut it. It didn't cut nearly as nicely as I thought it would. 🙄

Also, since until 2PM this afternoon I thougth I'd be going with a sonotube enclosure, what do you all recommend for finishing this birchwood?

Thanks!
 
#2
Next time make up a bill of materials, and price everything out, including glue fastners and othe incedentals. That way there are no suprises. You'd also be suprised how often you come up with different solutions when you know how much things cost. 🙂

As to smooth edges, they should also be sqare! I assume you don't have access to a jointer. The next best option is a router mounted in a table. See various woodworking sites. Look for plans for shop jigs and fixtures. Lacking power tools, you can glue some sandpaper to a board and rig it square to another board, leaving space for sawdust to fall through. Sometimes I design as I build but usually I work everything out on paper first.

good luck.
 
#4
It's quite possible that he didn't use screws. Probably just glued and clamped. Birch plywood is fine I'm sure, however you'd want to get void free (baltic) birch plywood, generally. His seams are 45 degree miters in the corners(including the top, which is rather unusual, imo). Probably used wood putty to finish off the joints. If you're using birch, I wouldn't try to stain it. His looks fine in the pictures, but it's undoubtly blotchy as birch(along with maple and pine, among others) don't stain well. You can use an anti-blotchy compound but those really seem to amplify chipout/cross-grain stratches. I'd personally pay someone to clear spray, which would run $40-$80 I'd say. It would give a (very) smooth and clean finish.

Also for the smooth edges, he didn't use a jointer, I'm quite sure, as it's plywood and a jointer would annilated it as you have grain running in two directions. I'd say he just used a fine ripping blade in his table saw and made his cuts. If you had the cuts made at the lumber yard, I hope they used a two-bladed saw as if they didn't the side that was facing down will have chipout from the blade pushing through. As for the milling marks from cutting there isn't much you can do that I can think of to smooth themout without making an uneven edge. If you had access to a stroke sander it'd be easy enough. With enough care and good belt sander you could do it also, although you're better off just glueing it up and using some wood putty, as long as your gaps are small enough nobody will notice.
 
#6
The plywood you got is better than MDF for a sub. But at a cost!
that's why I like using quality drivers and parts. These projects always end up costing a lot so you need to attempt something towards the high end to make the effort and materials cost work out IMHO.

So I think you are on your way and doing things right. I have used cleats on the inside of plywood enclosures fastened in place with screws from the inside that are short enough that they don't
come out through the outside. If you use plenty of glue on the cleats, you can even remove the screws after the glue sets up if you want.
 
#7
Does anyone know how this guy (see link) got such a smooth finish? I'm trying to see where the seams and screws are, but don't see anything.

http://my.starstream.net/mk/tempest...ges/020_jpg.htm



I looked at the picture of this guys woodshop. To begin with he invested big money in serious stationary tools. You probably won't be able to match this w/ handtools. I work as a mechanical designer on special machines and one of the first things you learn is to design to the capabilities of the build shop. I'm not trying to be discouraging just giving some advice on how to manage a design/build project.
 
#8
I've gotten very professional looking results from virtually no tools, it just took me a rediculous amount of time. One thing i would suggest as far as stain and finish goes, take small pieces of what you are working with and expiriement on how its stains and stuff, you might like the results, some stains out now are so slow in penetration that you have plenty of time to get it smooth. BTW, you sure you dont want to do a sonotube sub? you could use youre plywood for endcaps.
 
#11
kevyjo said:
Have you looked into building a sonotube sub?
Click to expand...


Yep, and that was my original plan. Not really sure why i changed my mind, it was a last minute thing, I believe. Believe it or not, a square sealed box is actually very easy to build. The sonotube would have required more wood cutting on my part.

Anyway, I just looked over the cuts and not only are the edges poor looking, but the cuts are all off by as much as 1/2". :whazzat:
Do-It-Center said to bring all the wood back in and they would replace it as well as correct the cuts.
 
#14
Sounds like you're building the same enclosure I'm building (the mid Q design recommended by Adire)? MDF is tough to beat for the price for an enclosure material because it's heavy and very stiff. I'm building mine out of 3/4" MDF, then covering it with 1/4" oak veneer. I'm going to make the enclosure match the other oak furnature we have in our living room. What amp are you using to power yours?
 
#15
Jointers and plywood.

:dead: Using a jointer on plywood not only ruins the wood and knives it can throw or twist the wood in such a way and with such violence that it can force your hand into the knives. Don't even think about doing it. :dead:
 
#18
moses said:
Oak vineered MDF is also easier to work with then oak vineered plywood as MDF doesn't chipout, but plywood can, taking the oak vineer with it. MDF is also planable, which can be convient.
Click to expand...

Oak veneered MDF? Wow, I've never even heard of that. That would make things much easier. Is that a special order item, or do places like Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. carry it?
 
#20
Pretty much every lumberyard of decent size will carry plywood(7-ply fir, usually) and MDF with (red)oak vineer, probably cherry, birch, maple, and hickory too. You can get lots of others too on special order, avoid cheap pre-vineered MDF however(such as sheets from menards) as the vineer is very thin. Generally speaking 1/4" vineered plywood also has a very thin vineer, I wouldn't do much more then handsand it at 120, definitally not random orbital it. On a side note, I'd avoid buying any sheet lumber products from menards, if you have one in your area.
 
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