[robwm]

Thank you for the picture!

I had an idea to mask off my speaker in a similar way but on the inside. After thinking about it some more, the front baffle is so narrow near the subwoofer that any masking would become part of the glue line. I opted not to mask this way on the inside.

The face of my speaker can't be covered because I need to sand and paint it. So far, masking the holes with tape seems like a reasonable method. I had a friend suggest using some rigid foam to cut plugs that fit in the holes. Cut the plugs oversized slightly so they fit tightly. I'm not sure how I feel about this approach. I've spent an obscene amount of money building these so far and I really don't want to spend any more if I can avoid it.

-Rob

[Tyson]

I just used painter's tape:

[robwm]

I think the painter's tape worked out alright. I'm using 2" tape to close up these holes. I haven't taped the amplifier openings yet since it isn't quite needed yet.
After this, I won't have much to post until I start applying finishes. It's pretty hard to show off any sanding that is completed.

[robwm]

If I put 4 coats of oil-based satin polyurethane on the veneer, how long does it have to cure before the finish can support the weight of the speakers without imprinting what they are sitting on? Such as Herbie's Big Fat Dots, for example. After all of this work, I don't want to imprint something foreign into the finish.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

A quick google search says ~30 days before an oil-based poly is fully cured.
But also being oil-based, you will want to wait at least 8-12 hours between each coat, as the fresher each coat is before the next the longer it will likely take for the initial layers to fully cure if done too quickly.

[Peter J]

If I put 4 coats of oil-based satin polyurethane on the veneer, how long does it have to cure before the finish can support the weight of the speakers without imprinting what they are sitting on? Such as Herbie's Big Fat Dots, for example. After all of this work, I don't want to imprint something foreign into the finish.

You're wise to ask. Oil-base anything takes a long time to fully cure. A month to support weight wouldn't be too long. Recently I used Ben Moore Command, a water-base urethane, and I'd say this stuff was fully cured in two or three days. This is the realm of catalyzed solvent finishes. I was impressed. Also, you can sand and recoat in 2-3 hours.

[robwm]

It sounds like I would be best off by applying only one coat of polyurethane per day and then wait 30 days for the full cure. 

[Peter J]

It sounds like I would be best off by applying only one coat of polyurethane per day and then wait 30 days for the full cure. 

Don't know why I was thinking front which is getting painted, right? Carry on.

[Tyson]

Why not use a water based coating that dries faster?

[robwm]

It's all good. It is what it is.

I didn't calculate the time it would take to build these. I have so much time in now, what's another month? Besides, I have great speakers to listen to now while I'm building my new set. I'll just keep going low and slow to get the best result I can produce.

[nlitworld]

I'll just keep going low and slow to get the best result I can produce.

Just like good barbecue, slow and steady is the key.  Really looking forward to how these turn out and your impressions of the new Bully vs your current speakers. Let them fight to the death in a cage match for speaker supremacy. Lol.

[robwm]

Well, this weekend, I discovered that the 1/2" router bit doesn't fit my palm router. It didn't even occur to me that I should watch out for that.

I'm pretty resistant to spending money for the sake of spending money. I decided that I'm not going to go buy another router (that I don't really need). I ended up executing a 1/2" roundover by hand sanding only. The whole process took about 12 hours of sanding, but it turned out so well that I'm not sure you could rule out that I used power tools. Can you tell it's rounded over?

I used Bondo Wood Filler on the front side of both speakers so far. I need to finish up with wood filler on all sides next so I can begin painting.







-Rob

[robwm]

This past weekend I did a little sanding. All of the wood putty is applied and sanded except for the bottom (my hand truck caused some damage to the bottom). I also spent a little time dialing in the back of the right speaker. It's no longer curved and when you site down the edge from the top, you can see it is straight now. I'm sure the back is sloped or angled now, but you would need a square and straight-edge to see the issue now. If you look back in this thread, you will see how much body glaze was present before I arrived at this stage.



I spent most of the weekend clearing sawdust out of my two-car garage. If I don't reduce the dust in that space, for sure it will be in my finish when I get started. The slightest breeze from outside was kicking up dust inside of my garage. I couldn't get it all 100%, but it is significantly better than doing nothing. All of the dust you see in this picture is long gone until I begin again.

I should begin painting next weekend or possibly sooner.

[BrandonB]

It's a process it took me about a year to get my Otticas and subs complete life got in the way foot surgery etc.  I still need to put the no-rez on.  Be-carefull when putting in the drivers.  I had a blanket on the  work bench so I wouldn't ding the speakers up and a small screw had dropped on the blanket that I didn't notice and when I turned the speaker over it scratched one up.  I still haven't touched it up.  I will when I install the no-rez. 

[robwm]

I'm at the point where I realized that it will take as long as it takes. Every time I rushed the process, it has produced bad results. It's better to accept that this will take some time and roll with it. Don't be in a rush if you're not really experienced in cabinet making.

[robwm]

This past weekend, I completed the painting process on the front baffles. I used Zinsser 123 primer and then coated that with Duratex. I know the primer is not really necessary, but I wanted to go the extra mile. I don't think the primer really helped with the process though. I'm not going to primer my stands and put Duratex straight on the untreated MDF.