# Help with recessing speakers that are not round



## Usil (May 19, 2008)

I am finishing a pair of bookshelf 2-way speakers based on 'The Ego' by Dillon Acoustics and am using 2 Focal 5 W 33211B speakers (along with Hiquphon OW2 Tweaters). http://www.ellisaudio.com/hiqcomments.htm Recessing the Focal speakers were a real pain and not done well. http://www.zalytron.com/Specs/5W3211B.pdf
They are round on the corners and flat on the sides. See better what I mean in the picture. 

What is the trick to recessing these so that they look professionally done. I had a friend simply route a circle and I am left with the flat areas that I will now have to fill in somehow and then refinish the surface of the baffle which I scratched up doing some hand tooling. 

I do not have any real tools and had a friend do this for me. Round holes are easy but anything that is not round - what is the trick. I may go ahead and buy some tools in a few months if I get serious about all this as my first DIY came out very well except for the speaker cut out hole. Acoustically, these are tremendous speakers and I placed them in a PE speaker kit. http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=302-711

Also, for a small shop, what is best to buy for making speaker holes and recessing them. Yeah, I am getting the bug - center unit is next.

Thanks,

Usil


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## Guest (Jun 16, 2008)

I can think of two options, although I confess I have not used either!

1 - with a suitable router bit you could route an outline of the driver chassis after tracing the edge on your wood/MDF

2 - consider creating a circular recess on the reverse of the cabinet front, and rear-mount the driver. However, you would probably need to chamfer (is that the correct word?) the front of the resulting hole to aid off-axis sound propagation if you did this. You may not like the look of doing this though (see attached pics)!!

p.s. I can heartily recommend Alibre Design Xpress for playing with 3D models of cabinets before making them, it's lots of fun (espscially for those of us without sufficient time or resources to be making cabients as much as we'd like!).

Judah.


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## Anthony (Oct 5, 2006)

If you search, there's a thread here all about tool recommendations for speaker building.

Essentials are a circular saw or table saw to cut the stock, a router for cutting the holes, and a circle template (like the Jasper jig) to guide the router. Oh and a drill for drilling the center pilot holes for the router jig.

But I made my first sub with just an old circular saw, jigsaw, and a drill. It wasn't recessed and the cabinet wasn't as pretty as I wanted, but it sounded great -- so you don't need a huge shop of tools to get started.


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## Usil (May 19, 2008)

I saw the thread on the equipment but was wondering if there was one particular make or model of the router that would make this easy. Hand router or table router? The table saw looks like a must but not sure of the router as I have never used one - and 'lots of clamps' looks like a must too.

I did have my friend chamfer the back of the main holes for the Focal speakers to let them 'breath' but routing the back does not look like it would work as it would leave a very thin piece of MDF to mount the speaker too. 

So still looking for someone who has done this to learn the tricks. 

Usil


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## drumdude (Aug 26, 2007)

A decent router is the best for the recesses, plunge router is even better. I have had the best luck with odd shapes by making a template guide out of masonite or 1/4 plywood of some sort. First trace the driver basket onto the template. Then measure the distance from the edge your cutting bit to the edge of your router base. now add that distance to the outside of the tracing on your template. Cut this out with a jigsaw, sand or file it a bit to get the lines more accurate. Then clamp it down on your baffle and run the router around the inside of the hole in the template. I would try to post some pics but I am at work at the moment.


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## solid7 (Jan 31, 2008)

If I'm seeing that picture correctly, I would make a template that straddles the entire curved feature. Cut 2 blocks that are the same height, and make a flat plate that goes across them, but that also touches the "high point" of the curvature. Take the recommendation to use 3D CAD software for design and pre-cut analysis.

If you want to send me a PM, I would be more than happy to suggest ways to make templates or tooling for routing non-conventional enclosures. (as well as show you what I have done/am working on)


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## HionHiFi (Feb 18, 2007)

Usil, 
Is using different drivers and option? The reason I ask, is because, I myself, would look for different drivers if I did not have: 

*A:* The correct tools to cut a proper odd shaped hole, or:
*B:* I did not have the expertise, or a combo of the two. 

Start, and get good at cutting circles, then move to different shaped holes.

I use a jig saw, a circular saw, a Sears Multi Tool with router attachment. That's my "workshop."


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## Usil (May 19, 2008)

The drivers I selected were from a proven project that was tested over 100 hours including trying different drivers and tweaking the crossover so I simply kept to the proven plan to get the optimal results. I bought a very nice speaker cabinet from PR and found a person to cut the hole circular which I thought I could get by with but after I saw it I realized that it detracted from the overall finished look. I can get new front baffels from PR so that is not really an issue so I can do it over. 

I am in the transition of moving from a too small house to a larger one with some extra room in the garage and will be there in 3 weeks. I am ready to set up a small wood working shop designed to facilitate making speakers as I will have the time when I retire in about 1.5 years. That is why I am asking for makes and models of tools that others use and found optimal for their speaker projects. 

Strangely enough the house is wired already for 5.1 sound in the family room. :bigsmile:

Usil


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## HionHiFi (Feb 18, 2007)

OIC. Now it all comes together. Good luck with the speakers, and let us know how they sound when complete.


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