[dB Cooper]

Gotcha.


Have you asked her what she wants to play through them first?

That was always an important consideration with a new component. Gotta "christen" 'em with something special. Hey, sounds like a live Justin Bieber appearance at Bob's house!?!?!! 

[Bob in St. Louis]

. Hey, sounds like a live Justin Bieber appearance at Bob's house!?!?!! 

Nope. Zero chance of that. She is still "mine", and I still have the power to veto.

I was thinking something along the lines of these folks, she digs them quite a bit:
http://youtu.be/K4CDekxqKaw

[kevin360]

Hey Bob,

This is a great thread, but I hope several of the photos were staged. What on earth is she doing with that drilling hammer? I have a little 8oz hammer for such purposes – it's a lot gentler on the wood. It's a nice thing to involve her in the project and I hope she enjoys it and learns from it. There is a special joy one gets from building things. Her speakers will certainly mean more to her than if you just ordered her a pair, but I fear she may desire a sub as a subsequent project – based upon your linked music example (there's quite a bit of deep bass in that).

She'll soon be 31, but my daughter (will murder me in my sleep if she discovers this) listened to New Kids on the Block and Debbie Gibson at one point in her life. You have to let them explore. Justin Bieber isn't much worse, is he? It's a familiar tale of progression – she followed my lead, she resisted my lead, she countered my lead, she found her own path, the path she found parallels mine in many ways. She has introduced me to quite a bit of music – some of which I quite like and some for which I don't really care. It's not for me to decide what she likes. I'm just glad our paths cross here and there.

When I was about your daughter's age, I undertook a DIY project involving a turntable (Perpetuum Ebner with a broken plinth) and a nightstand – much to my mother's dismay. That was one smile that simply couldn't be whipped off my face (of course, I didn't ask for permission to 'destroy' a perfectly good piece of furniture - a deed which turned my rear-end a bit red). I was one proud kid. I wish I had a photo, but I can see it clearly in my head. I think I have an idea how your daughter is going to feel about her speakers when they are done. She'll feel pretty darn good about you, as well – and she should, because this is really cool!

[ctviggen]

Nope. Zero chance of that. She is still "mine", and I still have the power to veto.

I was thinking something along the lines of these folks, she digs them quite a bit:
http://youtu.be/K4CDekxqKaw

Hmm...I like that song.  Any help as to what the "best" CD from them is? 

[ctviggen]

Unless I'm building a deck, I don't like using the circular saw, even with the edge guide for most things. I use it mainly when accuracy doesn't matter, but a reasonably straight line does. When you're making repeated cuts, you can have as much as 1/8" variance between several boards. I guess it's due to the guide flexing. Admittedly, this is a cheap guide. I used it in this case to make the pieces a more manageable size to feed through the table saw. Hefting a 5'x5' sheet of 3/4" voidless Baltic Birch through a small contractor grade table saw and only cutting a 6" swath is impossible when you're alone. And "no"....a six year old girl can't help with the outfeed of lumber that big. haha

I'm not afraid of any of my tools, but the table saw is the one I find myself clenching my jaw while I'm using, if that tells you anything. 

I agree with you on all accounts.  I bought all kinds of extensions for my contractor table saw, but it's still not possible to put large pieces up there.  I watch This Old House, and they use plunge saws all the time, but then they have tons of cool equipment (case in point, an electronic device for cutting trim with a , where you just put in the length you want, and it automatically adjusts to the exact length

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey Kevin,
The only photo that was staged was the circular saw photo. The hammer pic was very real indeed. I've got a little hammer I thought using, but it wouldn't have been enough mass to push the nail down with her dainty 'tapping'.

I was teasing about not letting her listen to Justen Beiber. That only music I won't allow her to have is explicit type music.
That being said, the music she owns is the music I've given her, so I can personally guarantee that Mr. Beiber will not be the first song played. 

Bob

[TomS]

Bob,

Thanks for sharing. This is my favorite thread in a long time 

Fwiw I am lucky enough to have a terrific Festool plunge cut track saw that makes perfect cuts every time, but I still treat it with total respect every time I use it. I completely get that clenching thing, having removed part of my thumb in a table saw once 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hmm...I like that song.  Any help as to what the "best" CD from them is?

Not sure. I just discovered them in the past couple weeks and don't own any of their music. All of my exposure has been random mixed of YouTube songs. So far, I haven't heard anything I don't like. I did a quick search for you for full albums on Youtube and found a couple.
I will say that the album cover I see pop up the most is their album called "Contraption".
So far, I've liked all of the songs on that album. The above song I linked to is one of them.

- >> "A Thousand Faces" Act 1 <<
- >> "Collide" <<
- >> Tribal Derivations <<

Enjoy, and have a Happy Thanksgiving Folks!
Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

Tom - Wow....  Thank you man.
That "favorite comment" means a lot, especially coming from a fellow like you. Much appreciated. 

Bob

[Captainhemo]

Hmm...I like that song.  Any help as to what the "best" CD from them is?

had a quick peak on Rdio  ( they list artist's albums by popularity/plays)  .   They had :

1. Elektrafone
2. Collide
3. Blindthreshold
4. Tribal Derivations
5.Contraption Vol II
6. A Thousand Faces - Act 1

They only  had those 6 available .

Might give you an idea  of where to start  ....

-jay

[pumpkinman]

had a quick peak on Rdio  ( they list artist's albums by popularity/plays)  .   They had :

1. Elektrafone
2. Collide
3. Blindthreshold
4. Tribal Derivations
5.Contraption Vol II
6. A Thousand Faces - Act 1

They only  had those 6 available .

Might give you an idea  of where to start  ....

-jay

My wife is a real big fan and has several CD's by them just not sure which ones

[Bob in St. Louis]

Got quite a few photos today. More than usual, as I had a hard time deleting the bad ones. Must have been the cute factor, I suppose.
Regardless, this post will be "picture rich".

She likes the router, but DOES NOT like the dust it creates.
Despite my best efforts to keep the dust down (notice the 4" vacuum pipe and funnel to her left side), it still kicked up too much dust in her face.









Too much dust. She's had quite enough. Time to clean the work area, and herself.
Unfortunately, the long hair doesn't bid well being sucked into a 4" vacuum hose.
It got the saw dust out, but......





After routing the holes for the drivers, one of them had the wire connections in very close proximity to the driver magnet, which required some careful chiseling to accommodate the wire terminals;



An action shot;



Another action shot.....



Chisels make rough holes, she sands the area.
Notice the stare of determination;











While she sands the second piece, I test fit the drivers into the first piece;







....and while this was happening, I had a 21 pound turkey on the smoker I was keeping an eye on.
Both projects turned out great.
More tomorrow. Have a great night.

Abbie (and Bob)

[navin]

...Speaking of "good aim", she loves shooting your .22 pistol.
Ryan, Thanks for the loaner. 

I know she is still a bit young, but one day she will grow up,  and from that day on I will pity her boyfriend(s). 

It's so nice to see kids doing something constructive instead of Wii, PS3, or whatever else it is kids are into today. Great job Bob.

We live in a small apartment (big city constraints) and I built the speakers (about a year back) a little further from home so my son (now 11) did not see much of the process (he visited a few times). His speakers are a pair of JBL 4312s and a JBL sub driven by a Yamaha S2000 Amp.

[Captainhemo]

Awesome Bob and Abbie   
never too many pics man.  Keep em coming

Don't take this wrong,  just something I feel worth mentioning...  Good habits are easier to maintain when started early  ,  long sleeves and non tied back  long hair can be  a problem around power tools.   usually  notihing ever happens but it only takes   once.

BTW,  have my  neice  following along  somewhat  now too, she thinks  this is  cool

-jay

[Bob in St. Louis]

I know she is still a bit young, but one day she will grow up,  and from that day on I will pity her boyfriend(s). 

That's my plan. 

Don't take this wrong,  just something I feel worth mentioning...  Good habits are easier to maintain when started early  ,  long sleeves and non tied back  long hair can be  a problem around power tools.

Yes indeed. The hair gets tied back, in a way, when the tools that contain spinning blades (like the router) by use of the elastic band from the dust mask. The long sleeves are tight enough to not get into the router bit, but yes...I am very aware thank you for the reminder. Can't be too careful.
When each tool comes out I give her a slightly morbid demonstration (with the tool unplugged) of what can happen when things go wrong. That's lesson number one before it even gets plugged in.

Glad to hear we've got a young follower Jay, that's great. I'll tell Abbe she's got another member of her fan club.   

Thanks for the comments fellas, Abbie loves reading them!
Bob

[Captainhemo]

Yes indeed. The hair gets tied back, in a way, when the tools that contain spinning blades (like the router) by use of the elastic band from the dust mask. The long sleeves are tight enough to not get into the router bit, but yes...I am very aware thank you for the reminder. Can't be too careful.
When each tool comes out I give her a slightly morbid demonstration (with the tool unplugged) of what can happen when things go wrong. That's lesson number one before it even gets plugged in.

good stuff man   

-jay

[Don_S]

My favorite pic is "little girl with the big hammer".   

[jtwrace]

With a wood shop like that and speakers as she's building, she might enjoy woodworking and music like never before. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Jay - Thank you!

Don - Maybe that'll be her moniker; "Little Girl With A Big Hammer" 

jtwrace - Thank you, not that it's my goal, but I'd be a real happy fella if that was the outcome.

=========
Break time for lunch.

Sanding the driver opening ;
(actually yesterdays photo I missed)



Drilling the holes for the driver screws;









Putting a roundover on the edges of the wood;

















Wow...that's a bunch of pictures for just one morning.
Ok....back at it. Break time is over!

[jtwrace]

Ok....back at it. Break time is over!