You have a good memory Eric. 
I did build a pair of FHXL, but did not end up finishing the cabinets in any veneer or stain; hence no pictures. Before the FHXL, I built a pair of FH3 - I have a pic of those somewhere... After the FHXL I got interested in multiway speakers, and have subsequently built a 2 way and then my own 3 way design.
I also built a pair of Planet10 Mar-Kens for a friend long time back - here you go with a pic of those.
I did build a pair of FHXL, but did not end up finishing the cabinets in any veneer or stain; hence no pictures. Before the FHXL, I built a pair of FH3 - I have a pic of those somewhere... After the FHXL I got interested in multiway speakers, and have subsequently built a 2 way and then my own 3 way design.
I also built a pair of Planet10 Mar-Kens for a friend long time back - here you go with a pic of those.
Last edited by a moderator:
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with veneer and 45 degree cuts? I've not done much veneer work in the past (only two speaker projects have had veneer) and they all had 90 degree edges. So, I'd just iron down the veneer and flush trim with my router, but I can't do that with 45 degree cuts.
My plan was to veneer/trim tops first (router will work well here), then sides, up to the 45 degree chamfer.
Then, veneer/trim the 45 degree chamfer strip, cutting out vent holes
Finally, veneer/trim the front baffle.
My concern is how to cut the edges where the 45 degree angles meet. I guess I'll cut these by hand with a new, sharp razor blade. Is it worth getting a veneer saw? I've never used one before...
If anyone has any tips, I would certainly welcome them.
My plan was to veneer/trim tops first (router will work well here), then sides, up to the 45 degree chamfer.
Then, veneer/trim the 45 degree chamfer strip, cutting out vent holes
Finally, veneer/trim the front baffle.
My concern is how to cut the edges where the 45 degree angles meet. I guess I'll cut these by hand with a new, sharp razor blade. Is it worth getting a veneer saw? I've never used one before...
If anyone has any tips, I would certainly welcome them.
Last edited:
Short answer is - this is DIY, you’ve got all the time it needs, right?
Of course the longer answer is that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, but after a few dozen builds, I settled on the following.
Flexible paper backed veneers are great for the relative ease with which they can be handled - even to the point of folding over a wide bevel or radius in a direction parallel to the wood grain - and application by iron on wood glue for the open working time and precision of alignment.
With enclosures such as the walnut Fonkens in Dave’s post - depending on your personal aesthetic regarding grain pattern matching, and the figuring on individual sheet - the layout and marking can take as long as the actual gluing process. My preference was for a continuous wrapping of the grain pattern around the sides/top & bottom, and applied in a sequence that saw the top and bottom overlay the sides.
When laying up, allow for an overlap of no more than 1/4” at each cut end or side to keep grain pattern interruptions to a minimum. I’m not sure about this particular case, but due to the width of the side chamfers was able to fold the piece from the sides/top & bottom over them without cutting on several of the dozens of pairs of rectangular and trapezoidal ‘kens. Then using the nose of the iron to carefully scorch the veneer, outline the openings of the vent slots, following up with trimming with Olfa utility knife and 150G PSA backed sandpaper stuck to a file or paint stir stick. Same method applies to trimming around driver cutouts.
Once the glue had set /cooled from the iron, trim the overlaps by first sanding through the surface veneer on the edges with 150G on a hard sanding block held at 45dg, then trim with a 2” chisel or plane iron. Use masking tape along the edges of each freshly veneered surfaces to before rolling on the glue to adjacent faces to avoid penetration of the open grain; you can too easily sand through to backing paper trying to remove the glue - which might seem invisible until you apply any type of finish.
Of course the longer answer is that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, but after a few dozen builds, I settled on the following.
Flexible paper backed veneers are great for the relative ease with which they can be handled - even to the point of folding over a wide bevel or radius in a direction parallel to the wood grain - and application by iron on wood glue for the open working time and precision of alignment.
With enclosures such as the walnut Fonkens in Dave’s post - depending on your personal aesthetic regarding grain pattern matching, and the figuring on individual sheet - the layout and marking can take as long as the actual gluing process. My preference was for a continuous wrapping of the grain pattern around the sides/top & bottom, and applied in a sequence that saw the top and bottom overlay the sides.
When laying up, allow for an overlap of no more than 1/4” at each cut end or side to keep grain pattern interruptions to a minimum. I’m not sure about this particular case, but due to the width of the side chamfers was able to fold the piece from the sides/top & bottom over them without cutting on several of the dozens of pairs of rectangular and trapezoidal ‘kens. Then using the nose of the iron to carefully scorch the veneer, outline the openings of the vent slots, following up with trimming with Olfa utility knife and 150G PSA backed sandpaper stuck to a file or paint stir stick. Same method applies to trimming around driver cutouts.
Once the glue had set /cooled from the iron, trim the overlaps by first sanding through the surface veneer on the edges with 150G on a hard sanding block held at 45dg, then trim with a 2” chisel or plane iron. Use masking tape along the edges of each freshly veneered surfaces to before rolling on the glue to adjacent faces to avoid penetration of the open grain; you can too easily sand through to backing paper trying to remove the glue - which might seem invisible until you apply any type of finish.
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Since the outside shell of the speaker is all 18mm birch ply, I figured the cabinet doesn't really need bracing front to back, so I used a different configuration for bracing the rear of the driver. I cut a piece of wood to length and then used two general carpentry shims to snug the brace against the rear of the driver.
And here is where the brace attaches to the rear baffle with the shims:
These are the two veneers that I'm going to use. The figured veneer will cover the front baffle and the quartersawn veneer will cover the sides and top of the cabinet.
@chrisb, thanks for the details on veneering. The figured veneer is very flexible, but the the quartersawn stuff is not. Both are about 0.75mm thick overall (10mil backing paper). The quartersawn veneer is too rigid to bend over the sharp 45 degree angle from the side to the chamfer corner cut. When I forced it over the cut, the wood grain on the veneer cracked and split open in a number of places, so that's not going to work well.
So, I'm guessing that I'll have to do this piecemeal. I like doing the tops first, so the sides overlap the top layer which keeps the sides cleaner. Then I'll do the sides, followed by the 45 degree chamfer cuts, then the front baffle with the figured veneer.
I don't have a whole lot of extra material to play with, but I'll have to use a scrap of wood cut with a 45 degree angle to practice a little on trimming the veneer to make a nice edge.
And here is where the brace attaches to the rear baffle with the shims:
These are the two veneers that I'm going to use. The figured veneer will cover the front baffle and the quartersawn veneer will cover the sides and top of the cabinet.
@chrisb, thanks for the details on veneering. The figured veneer is very flexible, but the the quartersawn stuff is not. Both are about 0.75mm thick overall (10mil backing paper). The quartersawn veneer is too rigid to bend over the sharp 45 degree angle from the side to the chamfer corner cut. When I forced it over the cut, the wood grain on the veneer cracked and split open in a number of places, so that's not going to work well.
So, I'm guessing that I'll have to do this piecemeal. I like doing the tops first, so the sides overlap the top layer which keeps the sides cleaner. Then I'll do the sides, followed by the 45 degree chamfer cuts, then the front baffle with the figured veneer.
I don't have a whole lot of extra material to play with, but I'll have to use a scrap of wood cut with a 45 degree angle to practice a little on trimming the veneer to make a nice edge.
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Looking for a way to simplify life, I spent a few more minutes with my palm sander and rounded over the 45 degree corner from the chamfer cut to the rest of the side panel (my last image above). Now instead of a sharp 45 degree angle to the side panel, I have a large radius curve with vent holes in it. This will allow me to use one piece of veneer for each side and only have to manage the seam from the front baffle to the sides. So now I have a total of two 45 degree joints to make instead of four for each cabinet.
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Here's an image of the new rounded corner and veneer. The veneer isn't completely happy with this radius, it still creaks and cracks a little bit, even though it's a much softer curve now. The veneer might be a bit more pliable after I apply glue to the back, the moisture should help it relax a little.
The felt sheets arrive tomorrow, so I should be able to glue them in and close up the boxes.
The felt sheets arrive tomorrow, so I should be able to glue them in and close up the boxes.
Last edited:
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Felt has been cut to size, glued in place, and the cabinets are all glued up. That's gotta be the most inert and non-resonant speaker cabinet that I've ever put my hands on! You'll get bruised knuckles before you get any kind of an echo. My compliments on an excellent design, Dave!
My wife says the entrance hole needs a little peg for the birdies to perch on before they go in...
Veneer tomorrow after flush trimming the top and bottom panels.
My wife says the entrance hole needs a little peg for the birdies to perch on before they go in...
Veneer tomorrow after flush trimming the top and bottom panels.
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
After the tops and bottoms were glued up, I veneered the top of the box, then flush trimmed both ends. The flush trim process revealed a number of voids in this so-called "void free" plywood that needed some putty to close up again. After a bit of sanding, then some more sanding, and even a bit more, they were nice and smooth.
The best part is that the veneer withstood a little bit of hyper extension without any cracking or splitting to make it around the curves on each side of the cabinet. Tomorrow's task is to trim and sand the existing veneer, then add the figured veneer for the face. The part I'm absolutely not looking forward to is trying to re-open the vents on each side. I made some careful measurements before they were covered up so I'd know where to find them again.
The best part is that the veneer withstood a little bit of hyper extension without any cracking or splitting to make it around the curves on each side of the cabinet. Tomorrow's task is to trim and sand the existing veneer, then add the figured veneer for the face. The part I'm absolutely not looking forward to is trying to re-open the vents on each side. I made some careful measurements before they were covered up so I'd know where to find them again.
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Thanks, guys!
My new DIY router table came in handy for trimming the edges of the veneer on the tops and bottoms of the cabinet. I flush sanded the front and rear veneer overhang by hand and then applied the veneer to the front baffle. Before doing this, I took a scrap piece of wood and cut it at 45 degrees and tested how the veneer seam from the baffle to the sides would work out. It was easy to sand it and made a nice looking seam between the different veneers.
Cutting out the baffle for the driver worked really well with a Dremel and a small sanding drum. I put the driver on the baffle and traced out the circle, rough cut a smaller hole by hand with a utility knife, and finished enlarging the hole with my dremel. I was really pleased how nice and smooth it turned out. Cutting this veneer with a utility knife is anything but precise, especially if you are crossing the grain at an angle. It really wants to splinter in places you don't want it to.
Trimming those vent, though, holes was an exercise in patience and tedium for sure! It took me most of the afternoon to get them all done. I messed up the first one (held my knife at too sharp of an angle) so I needed to repair the veneer a little with some glue and saw dust. It's not perfect, but it hides the yellow wood under the Bubinga veneer.
Here is what they look like now. More sanding and the first coat of oil goes on tomorrow.
And a little closer view of the veneer seam on the front edge. I'm really pleased how nice it turned out. A little more sanding will help it blend better.
After they get a few coats of oil, I'll touch up the black paint on the inside of the vents with a narrow brush. Working in there with a utility knife scraped them up, revealing the lighter wood that I painted before I glued the side together. I'm pretty excited to have made these mostly with left over scraps from previous projects. The only new purchases were the drivers, the felt, and a bottle of glue. Everything else was laying in the garage or in my parts box.
My new DIY router table came in handy for trimming the edges of the veneer on the tops and bottoms of the cabinet. I flush sanded the front and rear veneer overhang by hand and then applied the veneer to the front baffle. Before doing this, I took a scrap piece of wood and cut it at 45 degrees and tested how the veneer seam from the baffle to the sides would work out. It was easy to sand it and made a nice looking seam between the different veneers.
Cutting out the baffle for the driver worked really well with a Dremel and a small sanding drum. I put the driver on the baffle and traced out the circle, rough cut a smaller hole by hand with a utility knife, and finished enlarging the hole with my dremel. I was really pleased how nice and smooth it turned out. Cutting this veneer with a utility knife is anything but precise, especially if you are crossing the grain at an angle. It really wants to splinter in places you don't want it to.
Trimming those vent, though, holes was an exercise in patience and tedium for sure! It took me most of the afternoon to get them all done. I messed up the first one (held my knife at too sharp of an angle) so I needed to repair the veneer a little with some glue and saw dust. It's not perfect, but it hides the yellow wood under the Bubinga veneer.
Here is what they look like now. More sanding and the first coat of oil goes on tomorrow.
And a little closer view of the veneer seam on the front edge. I'm really pleased how nice it turned out. A little more sanding will help it blend better.
After they get a few coats of oil, I'll touch up the black paint on the inside of the vents with a narrow brush. Working in there with a utility knife scraped them up, revealing the lighter wood that I painted before I glued the side together. I'm pretty excited to have made these mostly with left over scraps from previous projects. The only new purchases were the drivers, the felt, and a bottle of glue. Everything else was laying in the garage or in my parts box.
Last edited:
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Pass DIY Addict
Joined 2000
Paid Member
Cabinets have five coats of oil on them. The figured grain in the baffle has a much more open grain structure than the quartersawn veneer used for the sides, so that took a bit more work to get a smoother final finish. I used black paint to touch up the insides of the vents as well as the perimeter of the driver recess. Now I just need them to dry and finish out-gassing for a few more days before they come into the house. There are still a few little bits of cloth stuck to them from the final coat of oil that I'll have to rub off once they dry.
Perhaps Tom Petty said it best: "The waiting is the hardest part..."
Perhaps Tom Petty said it best: "The waiting is the hardest part..."