Those look spectacular. How did you apply the veneer around the round-overs without cracking it? This was raw veneer right, not paper backed? You mentioned needing to learn new techniques. Can you elaborate? A whole section on applying the veneer would be welcomed by me.
I have been away for 9 months, and just read this entire thread. I'm a bit confused on the recommended low end below 200 Hz. I saw many options mentioned, including 9 of the LGKs, or multiple 8" or 12" OB servos. Then there is the dual 8" servo "Best Stand ever" thread. So what is the status of a bass section for this speaker? I find the concept/implementation really good, but incomplete without the bass section. The frequency for the single break HP filter (to limit the power to the midrange drivers) is not specified. If you do use a 8" or 12" OB servo, where do you put the filter break frequency?
At any rate, this looks like a marvelous speaker design once its finished.
rak313,
Thanks. You are correct, I used raw wood veneer that was about 5" wide. To get it to fold around the edges I sprayed the pieces with veneer softener, stacked the pieces between paper towels, put a wide board and weight on top and let them sit overnight. The next day they were fairly pliable. Then I put two coats of Heat Lock glue on each piece and on the cabinet. Since I used Heat Lock glue I used a cloths iron with a pillow case between it and the veneer to iron the veneer down.
None of the veneer was wide enough to wrap the front in one piece so I started in the center of the front and applied the first piece wrapping it around one edge then splicing a second piece going the other way and wrapping it around the other edge. I spritzed some more veneer softener on each piece just before I ironed them on.
The big lesson that I learned is not to use the iron on method if my veneer is not wide enough to completely cover the piece I'm veneering without splicing. This is because the heat from the iron causes the veneer to expand and no matter how hard I tried I could not consistently get good tight seams after the veneer cooled off.
From now on, I will only use the iron on method with paper backed veneer, which I can get in large enough sheets to cover the the cabinet in one piece. If I want to use raw wood veneer I will need to use the cold press method and limit it to straight edges since I can't figure out how to press more than one side at a time.
As for how I applied the veneer in general, the process was similar to what I described in my N3TL build thread
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=120896.40 . Scroll down to reply #47.
The difference with the Wedgies was that since I was working with narrow pieces of veneer, I had to apply one piece but have some wax paper under the edge so that it wouldn't glue all the way down. Then I would align the next piece slightly overlapping the first then iron down the middle of the second piece. Then I would clamp a straight edge over the seam and cut through both pieces of veneer. Next I would remove the scrap pieces and the wax paper, then iron down the seam. Then repeat the process until all the veneer is applied.
As for handling the frequencies below 200Hz, there are a lot of options. Since the Wedgies are open baffle, ultimately you want an open baffle solution for the lower frequencies so everything works together in the best way possible. There is more than one way to accomplish this. That is why you saw so many different methods discussed. Danny is working on something specific to match with the Wedgies.
Mike
