# Woodworking and cabinet making



## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

Hi Guys,

I received permission from Sonnie to post a link to a new woodworking site that was born just a short time ago. I figured it might be a good resource for those who wish to learn a bit more about the woodworking aspect of speaker building. You can learn more about all the possible jointery, tips and tricks for wood veneer etc... The site is new so the content is fairly thin right now but there are several experts with many years of experience that can answer questions. If you do decide to give it a peek and learn something I encourage you to bring that knowledge here and share the new techique with other builders on the Shack. 

Also, I'm here to answer any woodworking questions you may have. I'm not well versed in the technical aspects of speaker design but I can build a cabinet and finish it with the best of em  I've been woodworking for more than 25 years and have picked up a trick or two along the way. Either way I think woodworking and DIY speaker building go hand in hand. 

This is a referrer ID link. It lets the forum owners know who sent you. You may use it or just use the first portion of the URL if you prefer.
http://www.woodworkingbuzz.com/forums/index.php?referrerid=18

Darren


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## no. 5 (Jul 4, 2007)

Thanks Darren!

I have been getting the itch to build my own speakers (and subs!), so informational resources are appreciated. :bigsmile:


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

No problem, it is really fairly simple to build speaker cabinets if you have a few key tools and someone to help get you pointed in the right direction.


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

I've definitely found that making the cabinents is, while not a piece of cake, is easy enough with the right tools and patience. Making them look pretty -- that's the hard park IMO.

JCD


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## thekl0wn (Jul 5, 2007)

Looks like the forum is divided up appropriately... Almost like they've been around woodworking for some time or something... I'll be anxious to see what kind of info comes out of it.


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

Yes, I imagine it will be a great resource. They should have lots of advice on finishes. There are a lot of fool proof methods of finishing a speaker cabinet that have beautiful, professional results.


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2007)

Darren,
I received a nice message from JohnM asking me to take another look around the Shack and I came across this post that directed me to your website - your work looks great.

And talk about PERFECT TIMING! I received the parts for a GR-Research center channel A/V-3s just today. I will be starting on the cabinet this Friday. Do you have any specific tips for the A/V-2? Or grill suggestions?

This is the start of a small system I am putting together for my father-in-law. 

beck01


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## Tiny (Oct 17, 2007)

The level building experience differs quite a bit for most of us who are making speakers. There are people like me who have worked as a cabinetmaker, bunches of hobbiest woodworkers, and even more who are just clueless when it comes to building boxes. I was wondering what anyone else had in the way of advice for these novice speaker builders on tools, what do you think are the most important?

Since I moved I haven't had the opportunity to fully put my shop back together the way I would like so I have been limited in my building and found that while I can't make everything I want the way I want I get by pretty well. Here is a list of my basics and prices as best I can remember.

1) Circular Saw - any cheap saw will do, unless you are a serious woodworker. The blades are what matter most. Getting a couple of good ones is far preferable to getting a bunch of cheap ones. Saws can be had for less than $30 and a good blade will run $10 to to $15

2) For accurate panel cutting I like the Acu-Rip jig on my Circular saw. The are about $30 and will allow you to make repeatable accurate cuts every time. I have had mine for years and it is well worth the $25 or $30 it goes for now. It is available at Lowes and Sears for sure

3) Router with circle jig of some kind. A good router can be had for under a $150 at most home stores, adequate ones under a hundred and unless you will never use it for cutting something other than speaker holes you should avoid getting a new one for less than fifty. Pawn shops though are a place to find pretty good ones (or any tools) at reasonable prices if you can get a warranty on them. Both my dealt circular saws and my porter cable router were purchased this way for a 1/3 of their new price or less.

4) Trim router and multitools zip type rotary cutters get quite a workout from me too. I bought a generic package from Big Lots for $40 when my other one was still in storage. Three months later the good one is still in storage and must say this was all I needed in the first place since all it gets used for is plunging screw holes and tiny tweeter cutouts.

5) A cordless drill with a square drive bit. Square drive screws are my preference because you know you will never strip the head or slide off the screw and ruin a finish. I use a cheap $10 cordless drill from Harbor Freight It is an okay drill for around the house, but no match for my dewalt cordless, but it is just as good as any cordless screw driver I have ever owned and holds a decent charge over a couple of days if you forget to charge it up.

6) Lastly one can never have too many clamps close at hand. I have clamps from everywhere price range and most of the major stores and will say if you are only building speakers there is no reason to get a bunch of really expensive clamps. I hardly ever use anything but c clamps and thin bar clamps which can all be had at places like harbor freight for considerably less than they can anywhere else. You can also find Pony brand clamps in the stores for cheap too.


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2007)

Thanks for the link!

I've been a woodworking hobbyist for 15 years.
I've designed and built custom kitchen cabinets and 5 custom rifle stocks, among many other less ambitious projects.

Some of the things I've found to be true for me:

Have the wood supplier do as much of the milling as possible on a large table saw; the results are always squarer and cleaner than can be done on a smaller saw, and the fee is usually reasonable.
Use woods that are close to the color you want, instead of staining maple or birch darker. One particularly nice combination I've found is to use mahogany and stain it with Minwax "Sedona Red" woodstain; the resulting color is very even and pleasingly warm. YMMV
Wipe the wood surfaces with alcohol and let it dry prior to sanding. Sand in one direction only; against the grain, to remove "whiskers" that create air pockets under the finish and soften the surface of the wood.
Wet-sand the surface along the grain with a 50/50 mix of mineral spirits and polyurathane. Let the resulting wood fiber and urathane "mud" dry completely on/in the surface for 48 hours, then carefully dry-sand it smooth with sanding block and 600 grit, then remove all sanding dust with a tack cloth. The top coats will be smoother with minimal grain pattern, and the surface will be more durable. In my experience, you cannot achieve a finish as smooth and durable without resorting to a catalyzed epoxy spray finish.
cheers


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

beck01 said:


> Darren,
> I received a nice message from JohnM asking me to take another look around the Shack and I came across this post that directed me to your website - your work looks great.
> 
> And talk about PERFECT TIMING! I received the parts for a GR-Research center channel A/V-3s just today. I will be starting on the cabinet this Friday. Do you have any specific tips for the A/V-2? Or grill suggestions?
> ...


 
I personally don't like grills on my speakers, I like the look of the drivers but if you prefer them I'd attach them with rare earth magnets. Just countersink the magenets in the back of the baffle and do the same for the grill cover in the same spots. Be sure to test your alignment thoroughly before assembling the speakers. If your magnets are in crooked then the grill will be crooked. You could also use the plastic snaps that are on PE. I prefer the magnets because when you remove the grill you have a perfect baffle with no holes showing.

As far as tips building the AV-2's. Pretty much the same tips I have for most speakers. Take your time and cut true and square. Don't compensate for poor cuts with clamping pressure, the joint will eventually fail. Make your cuts slightly longer than needed for overlapping panels and then sand or trim flush for a perfectly flush joint.

For a nice veneered speaker route a nice rounded edge on the vertical corners of the speaker, wrap the veneer all the way around with the seam in the back. I use contact adhesive for my veneer, this is something you want to practice. Use wax paper on the portions of the cabinet you don't want it to stick to while you do the baffle, then remove the wax paper on one side and proceed there. Next the other side, then the back. Make sure the veneer overlapps in the middle of the back, whil the wax paper is still on the back and the overlap is laid flat, use a straight edge and box knife or exacto to cut through both layers, then remove the wax paper and adhere the veneer for a perfect seam. Trim the top and bottom, apply the contact adhesive to the top, veneer it, trim and repeat on the bottom.

I cut all my driver holes first, then veneer, then if the design calls for it I rabbet the drivers in (recess them) with a router bit.


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

Tiny said:


> I was wondering what anyone else had in the way of advice for these novice speaker builders on tools, what do you think are the most important?


 
All of your suggestions are great ones. I'd add that if one has a keen interest in woodworking or building many speakers one should consider a good contractor style table saw or cabinet saw. There is no substitute for a table saw when accuracy and repeatability are the goal. You can come close with a circular saw and jigs / straight edges. Do NOT buy a direct drive table top type table saw. For a little more you can buy a Jet or Delta contractor style saw and it is way way way way better. The fence alone is worth the extra $$

A good drill press is a great addition with adjustable circle cutting bits like this one: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2393&filter=circle%20cutter









Adjustable circle cutters like the above one are infinitely adjustable. You might think the initial hole is more important as a guide for the router as you cut the recess than for driver clearance but that is a mistake. You must get the initial hole the correct size for the size rabbet bit you'll be using so the end result is a tight fit on the driver with no slop when recessed.


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2007)

Thanks Darren. I was planning on going the magnet route for the grills. I do not care for them either, but this will not be my install.

Also, while this will be my first GR Research speaker to build, I have been around woodworking for a little while, and my father-in-law has been making furniture and such for several decades. The one tool I would add to everyones list is a panel saw if the space and budget allows - it really makes handling 4' x 8' x 3/4" sheets of MDF manageable.

beck01


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

beck01 said:


> Thanks Darren. I was planning on going the magnet route for the grills. I do not care for them either, but this will not be my install.
> 
> Also, while this will be my first GR Research speaker to build, I have been around woodworking for a little while, and my father-in-law has been making furniture and such for several decades. The one tool I would add to everyones list is a panel saw if the space and budget allows - it really makes handling 4' x 8' x 3/4" sheets of MDF manageable.
> 
> beck01


I'll second the panel saw. I build one actually and it is worth it's weight in gold for cutting down MDF panels to more manageable sizes.


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## Tiny (Oct 17, 2007)

panel saws are the way to go if you build lots of speakers and have the room. Mine is actually a kit from rockler.com and has a base for my router too. The big thing is cost and space, because even a kit will run 350 to 400. The reason I like my circular saw with the acu-rip jig is I can just pull the sheet part way out the back of my truck and never have to lift a hundred pounds of MDF by myself.


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## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

A pricey alternative to the panel saw is the Festool plunge saw system. With the table, guide, and saw it breaks down panesl very easily. It was designed so that Euro cabinet makers could build them on-site and basically take their shops with them.

Great design, but pricey.

The other alternative for those who don't have the room: make a small H frame out of scrap 2x4s (basically a torsion box, but cheap). Use the straightest ones you can, but it's not necessary that they be precise. Then cover the top with a really cheap sheet of luan or pressboard. Lay across sawhorses or the floor of your shop if you have good knees. Put the MDF on it and set your circular saw to just deeper than the MDF.

buy or make a straightedge for the rips.

You never have to worry about cutting into the face of this disposable table, and it usually tucks away on a wall a bit smaller than a panel saw.

Just throwing some ideas out there.


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Thanks for the link Darren. I've been thinking about building a frame for my bed, and although I have no idea what I really want, I think one that I saw in a custom furniture store that I liked a lot was about $2 grand. That's probably a good place to start asking questions about a DIY four-poster project.


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## Darren (Apr 20, 2006)

No problem, yes...there are some very skilled craftsmen that can help you out with the bed. I gave in and bought my wife one she was looking at. I just don't know where my time goes. No time for building, no time for much but I'm finally seeing the end of the tunnel and may actually have some spare time for fun stuff like home theater and sitting on the couch!


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