My latest CHR-70 build

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Long time no see!

Still having fun with the CHR-70s. They're addictive! This time it's a gen. 3.

There's a few things here that I've been wanting to try for a long time. overall the design is similar to the last pair I built, a light veneer, big beveled edges, and a walnut inlay. These ones are designed to work with a standard amp, though, and are ported instead of sealed, which gets to the fun!

The port flares are built from the same walnut that's used for the inlay, laminated 3 layers thick (3/4") routed into a cylinder and then "rounded over" on the inside to make for a port flare. The port itself will be PVC and I'll probably just hot-glue the pvc to the inside of the flares, painting them black on the inside so they're invisible.

The other thing I did here was apply the veneer myself instead of using pre-veneered stock. I like having the selection of veneer handy but the method I'm using (contact cement) is a huge pain in the butt and I definitely need to rethink now I'm going to do this kind of thing in the future. I'm thinking of cutting and shaping all my boards first, then applying the veneer with standard veneer glue and a press, and then assembling them.

Finally, these are wall-mount speakers for his living room TV. He has all his equipment mounted in a walk-in closed on the other side of the wall, so there's not a single box or wire showing, and all his remotes (including a little keyboard/touchpad for his home theater PC) are RF and don't require line of sight. I'll post pictures of my wall-mount design later. It's crude but i think it'll work nicely!
 

Attachments

  • veneering-done.jpg
    veneering-done.jpg
    106.3 KB · Views: 473
tresch - very pretty

For veneering I've been pretty happy with results of using paper backed sheets (available from some suppliers in up to 4x10' sheets) and the DIY iron on method.

The paper backed products are flexible enough to wrap around radii and chamfered edges, with the iron on method you've got much more adjustment than contact cement, and it's faster than cold press or vacuum bagging.
 
Yeah, that's a nice thought, but from what I've seen the paper backed stuff is like ten times the prices of the raw stuff!

A vacuum press would sure be nice but I don't have the money or space for one.

Everything here has been done with a table saw and a router! Though I built myself a little router table that sits on the table saw extension which helped a lot with doing the port flares.
 
Yeah, that's a nice thought, but from what I've seen the paper backed stuff is like ten times the prices of the raw stuff!

A vacuum press would sure be nice but I don't have the money or space for one.

Everything here has been done with a table saw and a router! Though I built myself a little router table that sits on the table saw extension which helped a lot with doing the port flares.


Maybe I get the advantage of commercial jobber pricing, but a 4x8 sheet of cherry paper back is less than $50 (~$1.50/ft^2 )and a 4x10 around $90 ($2.25/ft^2) Laid out carefully, 40 sq ft of veneer is enough for several pairs of smaller enclosures, and very convenient. The iron on glue method just takes a large enough work surface to fully roll out the veneer sheet for conditioning and pattern layout.

Anyways, there is no single right way to get there. Your speakers look great
 
Steve: All the vertical faces are separate pieces miter cut on the table saw (yay for digital angle guage!) 22.5 degree edges on each.

Chris: Damn... I gotta find a deal like that! You get them in flat sheets, or rolls? How the heck would I look for something like that?


Paper or 2-ply wood backed is supplied like plastic laminate ( Formica, Arborite, etc) in flat sheets, but unlike p-lam, almost always stored and definitely shipped rolled - so you definitely need to relax / flatten it for a least a few hours, regardless of the chosen adhesive method. The easiest way is to sandwich between 2 sheets of plywood or MDF (see - still good for some things) overnight.

Check with local commercial suppliers to the cabinet / millwork trade, as well as on-line veneer suppliers. Being in the trade myself, I don't need to search very far unless a particularly exotic species has been opted by the customer. Some of the burls, etc can easily run $400 /500 a sheet.
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.