Faux leather on baffle

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After searching the forums have come across one technique that has been recommended: make the cabinet with a frame for fixing the (leather clad) front baffle on to, and fix the baffle from inside of the cabinet with screws and threaded inserts.

Any other ways to approach this?
 
Hi Pygmy,

You got nice results there, congratulations.

The challenges that I am foreseeing:

- If I fix the faux leather only on the front like a single sheet of veneer, then I am worried about the material peeling off from the sides eventually

- If I wrap the leather around the sides of the front baffle and thus conceal the edges of the material, It might impeded on the glue joint with the cabinet side pieces? (assuming the side pieces will be glued from the sides to the left and right edges of the front baffle)

- If I plan to wrap the veneer around all the edges, how to avoid wrinkles around corners? Use a heat-gun while fixing the material?
 
Hi PRR,

Thank you for the pointer. I did look at a video earlier, and looked up a few more after your post... folks who've mastered the art of fixing tolex on plywood seem to get nice tight corners, and the slit/cut they make to fit the pieces at the corner is hardly visible (at least in the videos). Worth trying out their way.
 
Hi Pygmy,
- If I wrap the leather around the sides of the front baffle and thus conceal the edges of the material, It might impeded on the glue joint with the cabinet side pieces? (assuming the side pieces will be glued from the sides to the left and right edges of the front baffle)

I've rounded the edges of my baffle.

I wrapped the leather around the baffle, gluing front and side, and when the glue had dried I cut the leather on the sides off again (first a big straight vertical cut, then peel the stuff on the side off) to reveal the mdf again so I could glue the sides of the speaker to the mdf again.

I used 2 types of glue - I used standard white wood glue, and after I applied that I did a *very *very* thin line of pu glue on the inside edge of the mdf (so that when it would expand, it would only go *in* to the speaker cabinet, not outside ruining the looks).
I did that because I was using slate and I wasn't sure which glue would be best, so I hoped using both would be a safe shot :)

I did apply a ton of pressure during gluing - as much clamps and heavy object on the sides as I could possibly find / fit.

All I can say is they're still standing, the leather hasn't come off yet and neither have the sides :)
 
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