[nlitworld]

Yeah the Dolphin Glaze will be best for two reasons. First off, it's runny enough to somewhat "self-level" and make your application easier. Secondly having it that thin will mean you can have a smooth feathered edge rather than a thick lip from regular body filler. Even sanding most fillers as smooth as possible on the edge will still translate to a little mapping to the next layer. Slow and steady wins the race. Keep us posted on progress, and don't hesitate to reach out with more questions/concerns.

[robwm]

Should the MDF be coated with shellac or something before applying the filler? Some people seem to think that the filler may not stick well without treating the wood with something. I've never tried any of this so I'm completely winging it.

[nlitworld]

The mdf just needs to be sanded before filler is all. The main concern with coating it is how absorbent  it is if you were to primer or paint straight away. When I'm painting speakers, I usually use filler on all seams, then prime it twice, then finally get to paint. That first coat of primer absolutely soaks in and leaves almost nothing for a "coating" over the top.

[Peter J]

Don't despair, Rob, it can be fixed, I'm sure.

I'm a little unclear on where the dip is. If it's in the middle of panel, the high edges can be used as a screed to apply filler.  If the edge itself is falling off, then I'd recommend a curb of sorts to contain the initial filling. As simple as a 1x2 temporarily attached and level with high edges would suffice. Wax paper on face of curb will prevent filler from adhering to curb itself.  There is another possibility and that would be planing the surface to level of the lowest spot. Much more involved, but the process would be similar to how live edge slabs are being surfaced so you could get an idea of jig setup from a Googled video. I wish you were close, I'd help.

[robwm]

I'm pretty sure I have changed the outer dimensions by at least 1/8" inch. I can't bring myself to measure it at the moment.

I can post a picture of the back once I'm home.

I'd love to have your help! I'm in Seattle, come on! 

[robwm]

Peter,

I really like your idea of setting up a guide. That could be a huge help in figuring out where it needs to be at all times. A guide would be useful in preventing further damage as well. I'm pretty sure I have enough scrap to set something up.

-Rob

[robwm]

I took some measurements to see how it looks from top to bottom. You can see the edges are a bit wavy.

The original dimensions are 14" w x 14" deep x 33.5" tall.

I measured the depth on the left and right panels in 8 places that are roughly equidistant from top to bottom.
L1/R1 = top edge
L8/R8 = bottom edge
L/R = left/right

[robwm]

Back panel - above the cutout is where I sanded it too much. I sanded below the cutout too but not nearly as much. I realized what I was doing above so I used it sparingly below the cutout.




Sight line looking at the left edge. You can see light between the straight edge and the cabinet.




Sight line looking at the right edge. You can see light between the straight edge and the cabinet once again.

[robwm]

I bought some U-Pol Dolphin Glaze and a Durablock AF4403 as suggested. It might not be realistic to bring this back to square, but I could level it better than it is at the very least.

What I learned: Using a belt sander (project wrecker) leads to a $120 repair without sufficient experience.

I emailed Danny about this, and he suggested I was getting a bit worked up over a cosmetic issue. Most of you have spent a good deal of time to try to calm me down as well. 

Danny thought maybe some no-rez got pinched somewhere along the way which I have to agree.

A woodworking forum recommended two things. Veneer it as is or start over. 

[tremrej65]

It doesn't look that bad. I think you can veneer as is. Another option would be to go with Duratex which is more forgiving. But I thing veneer would be good.

[robwm]

I'll follow nlitworld and peter's suggestions to level it out better. If I take it slow, I should be able to improve it some. It isn't quite as bad as I first thought but I wish I would have quit what I was doing an hour sooner. I used the belt sander "slowly over time", but the main issue is I used it for too long overall.

Duratex is definitely an option, but I did buy a $200 4'x8' sheet of wood veneer that I intended to use.

I'm not giving up yet, but this has definitely rocked my confidence.

[Tyson]

I'd say veneer it and it'll be fine. 

If you don't like how the veneer looks you can always use the Duratex on top of it. 

IME, the natural variance in wood actually helps to cover up these types of imperfections.  A painted cabinet will telegraph a non-square joint more, because paint isn't visually textured in the way that wood is.

[robwm]

Ok, I will not go overboard with the filler. Just enough to smooth it out a bit. I still have a concern of the veneer lifting off the low spots. It might work to just veneer it as is, but I could make it look a bit better than it does without too much effort.

[Tyson]

Ok, I will not go overboard with the filler. Just enough to smooth it out a bit. I still have a concern of the veneer lifting off the low spots. It might work to just veneer it as is, but I could make it look a bit better than it does without too much effort.

Veneer can wrap around rounded edges on cabinets and that's a much sharper angle and a lot more pressure to lift off the side/front of the speaker but I've done it and it's just fine.  Once you heat it, the veneer is much more flexible than you think.  It will conform easily/nicely to your very minor dip here.

[robwm]

I have paper-backed veneer which I understand is even more forgiving. I'm hoping the paper doesn't show at the edges. I've heard that this issue can exist.

[Tyson]

I have paper-backed veneer which I understand is even more forgiving. I'm hoping the paper doesn't show at the edges. I've heard that this issue can exist.

Yes that happened to me, the paper showed at the edges.  I was able to fix it by using my fingernails and just pulling out the paper edges out with my fingernail.  It wasn't everywhere, but there were a couple of spots.  Luckily it was an easy fix.

[nlitworld]

Yeah Rob, you're on the right path. Flush things up a little bit and go to town with veneer. Shake off the frustration and dread and just go slow and enjoy the process. That's half the fun of the DIY is the process, the challenge, and the sweet new skills you learn. Trust me, your Bully build is going easier than my NX-Studios. I dropped one at your current stage, right on a back corner and had to rebuild a triple square edge with filler. Not my proudest moment, but it all turned out great. Also a testament to Jay's flatpacks being tough as nails.  I'm excited to see how these come together, cause they're going to look awesome.

-Lloyd

[Peter J]

I think with a combo of filling low spots and planing high spots this can work out fine. You could always veneer sides and front and paint back or use some textured coat and paint flat black. Take that straight edge and place it corner to corner and here and there to determine highs and lows. Mark the high areas with pencil or chalk and work them down a bit with the long board, then fill. You could also use a little guide coat to define the low spots instead.

A word about belt sanders in general. They are an aggressive tool that requires a deft touch that's developed over time and even then I don't consider them a finishing tool. The best ones are somewhat balanced front to rear so they will "float" on the platen, and don't require a lot of heel or toe pressure. The worst ones don't seem to consider balance at all and tend to dig on one end or the other. Applying pressure just makes things worse in my experience. In a perfect world, your hands are there to guide the tool, but the tool itself does the work. In many respects their utility has been replaced by random orbit sanders (or dual action, aka DA) in the woodworking world. DAs have been around forever in the auto body world. Weirdly, I have two good belt sanders and can't remember the last time I used either, but given the scenario at hand, I imagine it was the best choice.

One step at a time and we'll get you there, Rob. Bring them to Boise and I'll help, I really will.

 

[robwm]

Oh man! I can't pick mine up to drop them. They are way too heavy for lifting now.  I had to buy a hand truck to move them around.

I'm starting to get past the dread. I honestly don't feel like working on these anymore. I've lost trust in myself, but you guys are a huge help to keep me in the game. I'll be back at it this weekend and report on my progress here.

[robwm]

I was reading about U-Pol Dolphin Glaze and apparently it is not recommended to build up past 2mm. I need more build up than that. In addition, the glaze is only recommended to use on metal, steel, aluminum, galvanized SMC and fiberglass. Wood is not mentioned as something this can be used on.

Does anyone know if DAP Plastic Wood All Purpose Wood Filler would be worth using? I might be able to build it up a bit closer to what I sanded away.

A high performance, solvent based wood filler that hardens to give a repair that is 3x stronger than the wood itself. This professional grade, heavy duty wood filler contains real wood fibers so it looks and acts like real wood. It can be sanded, cut, drilled, screwed, planed, stained, varnished, painted or lacquered. It provides strong nail and screw anchoring without splitting. Dap plastic wood professional wood filler dries fast and hard and is shrink and crack resistant. For use on furniture, doors, paneling, molding, plywood and other wood surfaces. Available in several popular wood shades, this high-performance wood filler can also be stained to match any wood shade. For interior/exterior use.

• Heavy-duty, solvent-based formula
• Contains real wood fibers to simulate original wood characteristics
• Looks and acts like real wood
• Can be sanded, planed, cut, drilled, screwed & nailed
• Easy handling spreads smoothly and evenly
• Thick, knife grade formula can be molded & sculpted and is ideal for corners and vertical surfaces
• Shrink, crack and crumble resistant
• Strong nail & screw anchoring

There is also Minwax High Performance Wood Filler that might work.