Sorry I didn't update this as I built them, but my OCD takes over and I can only do one thing at a time! Then there was the delay for the last few days where all I wanted to do was listen to them because my system sounds so much better now.
Let me start the update by saying that I made some rookie woodworker mistakes.
(Demotivator poster with the caption 'MISTAKES - It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others")
Fortunately, I was able to recover from them without too many problems. I am very happy with the final result.
First, I assembled the first amp box with ratchet band clamps.
Because the ratchet band clamps took a little time to put on the first box, I decided to try standard claps on the second amp box.
Both ways worked out well.
Next, I did a dry fit of the first cabinet. Everything fit perfect.
Here's where I made my first mistake. I should have practiced the assembly sequence with the dry fit, instead of just randomly putting the cabinet pieces together.
The next mistake was my biggest. I did not have strong enough clamps when I glued the box together. After applying the Titebond Original glue in the dados, the fit was much tighter. I couldn't apply enough torque with the clamps to squeeze the pieces all the way together. I was taking so long that I thought the glue was setting too much to keep trying further. I didn't realize that the gap was so large on the one side.
Second gap.
Of course, this caused me problems with fitting the top and bottom pieces. I felt I needed to get those attached as quick as possible because I may not be able to get them lined up later after everything had completely dried.
For the second cabinet, I practiced the assembly sequence with a dry fit and thought I had everything worked out. It all fit perfectly.
I applied the Titebond to a section at a time, instead of doing all the cabinet parts at once like I did on the first cabinet. This went better until I got to the middle pieces. They weren't sliding in place so I had to lift the top (side) to get them in place. After that, I could not get the top back down. My clamps weren't strong enough. I got a hammer and started pounding, using a piece of wood to protect the MDF. It took a lot of hammering but I finally got it together. At that point, no clamps were needed to keep the pieces together. It was solid. If I'd hammered the first cabinet pieces in place, it would have turned out better.
The top and bottoms went on the second cabinet without a problem.
After painting, I hauled them into my home theater to install the servo drivers and wire them.
Next, I cut and installed the No Rez. I haven't decided where I want to install the Neutrik connector housings on the cabinets yet, so they are not 100% done yet.
I was surprised at how much improvement these subs made to the overall sound of my system. Of course the low end sounded great, but everything sounded better. I think the booming, muddy bass in my room with my old sub was affecting the upper frequencies as well.
Soon, I'll be getting the NX-Tremes flat packs from Jay and will make another huge leap in sound.
A request, please. I'd like to hear from the woodworking pros about ways to avoid the mistakes I made. I think it would be helpful to some like me who aren't pros, that will be building these someday.
