I am new to speaker building but have been building and finishing furniture for nearly 30 years and have used many different products in the process. Here is my over view of some of them
Varnish/ I don,t use varnish directly out of the can much any more for a few reasons
1 the time it takes to dry means every piece of dust that comes in contact with it in the first hour or so will stick.
2 I don,t like the look or feel of a plastic film finishes
If you plan on using varnish a first coat of sanding sealer is better I use shellac about a 11/2-2lb cut works well let dry,sand, tack rag then gently stir and remove some varnish out of the original container, about as much as you think you will need, I discard what ever is left when I am done because small bits of dust and so on will contaminate the original can. Let dry 24 hours, sand, tack and repeat.
If you let your varnish cure for about a week you can then rub out and wax your finish for a super slick finish I use 4 ot steel wool and wool lube.
3/ Althow this is probably one of the hardest and most protective of the finishes standing water left on it will still penetrate through the finish and leave a mark that can only be removed by stripping the finish.
If varnish is my choice I will usually use a wipe-on type so not to build as heavy of a finish, this product can be purchased or made by mixing half/half clear varnish and mineral spirits, you can use satin varnish but it dosent last long mixed.
Oils/ most oils can be purchased as raw also called 100%pure or with drying agents to make them cure.
Raw oils never cure and the rule is 1 coat a day for a week one coat a week for a month and once a year for life. This is the nicest finish on some woods, figured sherry for example . Any scratches or dings can usually be fixed with another coat.
Never use a raw oil under any other finish
Oils that cure are a great substitute, I also use boiled linseed as a first coat under other products varnish included to bring out the figure in figured woods. They can also be used on there own , 6 or 8 coats topped with a coat of wax.
I typicaly would not use oil on a thin veneer, oil can penetrate the veneer to the glue surface and possibly cause some adherence problems. Not for sure just my thought.
Shellac/ probably one of my favourite go to products as a sealer,on its own or topped with wax .I buy it in flake form and dissolve it in denatured alcohol so I know it is fresh(1lb of flake to 1 gallon of alcohol= 1lb cut)there are various types amber,white,etc some more refined then others most have a % of wax in them which is why varnish manufacturers recommend you not apply varnish over shellac but one coat 11/2-2lb cut sanded works fine.
The latest product that I just finished my speaker stands with is “tried&true” original wood finish which is a blend of linseed oil and bees wax it gives a very natural look and feel and can be reaplied later if so desired to refresh the finish.
In my work lately I prefer not to use stains rather chose beautiful woods that don,t need color enhancing .
For those of you why like to use figured wood such as curly maple here,s a little trick to make the curly jump out : take some brownish water base dye stain add 5x the recommended water apply like stain let dry sand off until only a little remains in the figure apply 1 coat of boiled linseed let dry top coat normally with varnish or wiping varnish to see the figure come alive
http://paulburchellwoodworking.com/
Varnish/ I don,t use varnish directly out of the can much any more for a few reasons
1 the time it takes to dry means every piece of dust that comes in contact with it in the first hour or so will stick.
2 I don,t like the look or feel of a plastic film finishes
If you plan on using varnish a first coat of sanding sealer is better I use shellac about a 11/2-2lb cut works well let dry,sand, tack rag then gently stir and remove some varnish out of the original container, about as much as you think you will need, I discard what ever is left when I am done because small bits of dust and so on will contaminate the original can. Let dry 24 hours, sand, tack and repeat.
If you let your varnish cure for about a week you can then rub out and wax your finish for a super slick finish I use 4 ot steel wool and wool lube.
3/ Althow this is probably one of the hardest and most protective of the finishes standing water left on it will still penetrate through the finish and leave a mark that can only be removed by stripping the finish.
If varnish is my choice I will usually use a wipe-on type so not to build as heavy of a finish, this product can be purchased or made by mixing half/half clear varnish and mineral spirits, you can use satin varnish but it dosent last long mixed.
Oils/ most oils can be purchased as raw also called 100%pure or with drying agents to make them cure.
Raw oils never cure and the rule is 1 coat a day for a week one coat a week for a month and once a year for life. This is the nicest finish on some woods, figured sherry for example . Any scratches or dings can usually be fixed with another coat.
Never use a raw oil under any other finish
Oils that cure are a great substitute, I also use boiled linseed as a first coat under other products varnish included to bring out the figure in figured woods. They can also be used on there own , 6 or 8 coats topped with a coat of wax.
I typicaly would not use oil on a thin veneer, oil can penetrate the veneer to the glue surface and possibly cause some adherence problems. Not for sure just my thought.
Shellac/ probably one of my favourite go to products as a sealer,on its own or topped with wax .I buy it in flake form and dissolve it in denatured alcohol so I know it is fresh(1lb of flake to 1 gallon of alcohol= 1lb cut)there are various types amber,white,etc some more refined then others most have a % of wax in them which is why varnish manufacturers recommend you not apply varnish over shellac but one coat 11/2-2lb cut sanded works fine.
The latest product that I just finished my speaker stands with is “tried&true” original wood finish which is a blend of linseed oil and bees wax it gives a very natural look and feel and can be reaplied later if so desired to refresh the finish.
In my work lately I prefer not to use stains rather chose beautiful woods that don,t need color enhancing .
For those of you why like to use figured wood such as curly maple here,s a little trick to make the curly jump out : take some brownish water base dye stain add 5x the recommended water apply like stain let dry sand off until only a little remains in the figure apply 1 coat of boiled linseed let dry top coat normally with varnish or wiping varnish to see the figure come alive
http://paulburchellwoodworking.com/
Last edited:
I actually prefer this layout, it's so comfortable, I genuinely like modern design.
_____________
san jose painters - san jose painting contractor - painters san jose
_____________
san jose painters - san jose painting contractor - painters san jose
I'm building a 2.1 system atm.
18mm MDF cabs with an outer veneer of 12mm hi-grade birch ply, edged machined to a 45 so all the layers can be seen.
The sub has been made in it's MDF base for some time, while I cut the ply, and has been in place in the living room.
My adorable 4 year old has taken to using it has her food and drinks stand, so it constantly has "stuff" poured, splashed, smeared all over it - so my original plan of waxing it is looking like a bad one.
What tough, child resistant, varnishes would you recommend?
I'd prefer it not to colour the wood too much and would like a matt/satin finish.
Any pictures of your varnished ply enclosures much appreciated!
As is in MDF (KEF B139 are now fitted and sounding great!)
18mm MDF cabs with an outer veneer of 12mm hi-grade birch ply, edged machined to a 45 so all the layers can be seen.
The sub has been made in it's MDF base for some time, while I cut the ply, and has been in place in the living room.
My adorable 4 year old has taken to using it has her food and drinks stand, so it constantly has "stuff" poured, splashed, smeared all over it - so my original plan of waxing it is looking like a bad one.
What tough, child resistant, varnishes would you recommend?
I'd prefer it not to colour the wood too much and would like a matt/satin finish.
Any pictures of your varnished ply enclosures much appreciated!
As is in MDF (KEF B139 are now fitted and sounding great!)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Last edited:
Member
Joined 2009
Paid Member
My view is that the "sparkle" and "life" is the job of the people producing the recording: the speaker should reproduce the recording as accurately as possible. I don't believe speaker colouration is a route to significantly improving a bad recording, but I do believe it can spoil a good one.
I know others feel differently, but given my perspective above, and given that for various reasons (cost, simplicity etc.) I'm probably committed to using 18mm plywood (with a double thickness for the baffle), is there a consensus as to whether it's better to use a ply with fewer thicker layers or many thinner ones? My local specialist timber merchant has good quality Malaysian ply and poorer quality Chinese ply, which they say tends to delaminate and is presumably for temporary use for formwork etc. I have no intention of using the Chinese stuff, however the Malaysian ply has only 5 layers (for a 18mm thickness), which is fewer than the Chinese stuff or the generic hardwood ply you can get in B&Q. Does that matter at all?
I know others feel differently, but given my perspective above, and given that for various reasons (cost, simplicity etc.) I'm probably committed to using 18mm plywood (with a double thickness for the baffle), is there a consensus as to whether it's better to use a ply with fewer thicker layers or many thinner ones? My local specialist timber merchant has good quality Malaysian ply and poorer quality Chinese ply, which they say tends to delaminate and is presumably for temporary use for formwork etc. I have no intention of using the Chinese stuff, however the Malaysian ply has only 5 layers (for a 18mm thickness), which is fewer than the Chinese stuff or the generic hardwood ply you can get in B&Q. Does that matter at all?
Missed the editing time limit on above post - should have made clear that even the Oriental and South American imports with higher ply counts are vastly inferior to Euro sourced (Baltic and otherwise) plywoods. This is based on over 25 yrs in the commercial cabinet trade, and not something I read on the internet.
Steve, did you have to increase the cavity or add more stuffing to make up for the smaller cavity?
Yeah, it's not just the number of plys, but the quality of them and the binder, pressure/temperature applied, so always look at its MOE spec, which for ~3/4" quality ply preferred for most speaker cabs to push the cab's summed Fs above the speaker's intended pass band will be > ~1.8m psi whereas the average 3/4" MDF is only ~527k psi, so must be much thicker to match [1.25" IIRC].
GM
Quick newbie question on Walnut or Burwood with higher temperatures. The plan - to make a valve amp in a wood block, the area near/under the tubes will be shielded with metal (as will the actual guts of the amp under the wood). The inside of the block will be milled out and the metal shielding box of the amp itself will sit inside. Base of the amp will be raised as the wood block will not cover the metal box completely (allowing for airflow).
So how would you condition/prep and do this to bring out the pattern - just a little concerned with heat/cooling effect on the wood and the treatment above it.
For shotguns you oil the wood to bring out the pattern - would the same approach be done here?
So how would you condition/prep and do this to bring out the pattern - just a little concerned with heat/cooling effect on the wood and the treatment above it.
For shotguns you oil the wood to bring out the pattern - would the same approach be done here?