[lacro]

I am cutting out the pieces for X-CS center even though I don't have the kit yet. but I am really confused with the plans. Has anybody built these and can clarify? It looks like the outside dimensions are 20" wide X 15.5" deep X 8.5" high. There is no dimension shown in the drawing for the top/bottom cut size. If I look at the front view, it looks like the top/bottom should be 18.5" X 14" I think the sides should be 8.5" X 15.5" The side view has me a little confused
 I think in my haste to dodge raindrops I may have made my cuts wrong, but I think they can work anyway. I cut my top/bottom the same length as front/back at 20" but my sides are cut at 7" X 14" to inset the ends rather the being on the outside which I now think the plans show. My inside/outside dimensions should still be correct. Anybody see a problem doing it my way.

 I have one more question: The B Braces have a 10" long leg and a 3.5" short leg. I assume this brace gets glued against the back baffle? and does the long 10" leg go to top or bottom of the cabinet?

Thanks,
Larry

[Danny Richie]

I think in my haste to dodge raindrops I may have made my cuts wrong, but I think they can work anyway. I cut my top/bottom the same length as front/back at 20" but my sides are cut at 7" X 14" to inset the ends rather the being on the outside which I now think the plans show. My inside/outside dimensions should still be correct. Anybody see a problem doing it my way.

That's okay. You can do that. Some people cut everything to the outside dimensions then put a 45 degree angle cut on everything so all of their joints are at 45's.

The B Braces have a 10" long leg and a 3.5" short leg. I assume this brace gets glued against the back baffle? and does the long 10" leg go to top or bottom of the cabinet?

The long leg goes in the top of the cabinet. The short leg goes on the bottom to leave room for mounting the crossover in the floor of the cabinet.

[mlundy57]

Check out this build thread  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=100369.msg1012494#msg1012494

Scroll down to Reply #6. Peter has some good step by step pictures of his CS build. It really helped me figure out the CS plans.

Mike

[lacro]

That's okay. You can do that. Some people cut everything to the outside dimensions then put a 45 degree angle cut on everything so all of their joints are at 45's.

The long leg goes in the top of the cabinet. The short leg goes on the bottom to leave room for mounting the crossover in the floor of the cabinet.

Thanks Danny.....

[lacro]

Check out this build thread  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=100369.msg1012494#msg1012494

Scroll down to Reply #6. Peter has some good step by step pictures of his CS build. It really helped me figure out the CS plans.

Mike

Mike, Thanks for the link to Peter's build. It does help clarify the process. Actually it looks like Peter cut his sides to be   inset just as I had cut mine. I guess it can work either way This looks like it's going to be fun gluing all the pieces without using biscuits!

Larry

[mlundy57]

Larry,

Good luck. I don't have a biscuit cutter so I tried using 1/4" dowels. No matter how careful I was using a drill press and drill guide I still ended up with some edges not matching up and had to use a rasp and sanding block to even things up.

I also had a devil of a time getting clamping pressure on the short sections and the center of the braces. I still need to get the brace A's cut and installed into my CS Encore cabinet. 

Mike

[lacro]

Larry,

Good luck. I don't have a biscuit cutter so I tried using 1/4" dowels. No matter how careful I was using a drill press and drill guide I still ended up with some edges not matching up and had to use a rasp and sanding block to even things up.

I also had a devil of a time getting clamping pressure on the short sections and the center of the braces. I still need to get the brace A's cut and installed into my CS Encore cabinet. 

Mike

 Mike,
 Did you use dowel centers for alignment? They work pretty good. I think I will try using spline joints. I have plenty of wood strips left over from boat building, and I can either use my table saw and or my router to cut the spline grooves. I want to use epoxy for glue to help eliminate seam print through so I won't need heavy clamping. I just need the splines for alignment.

Larry

[mlundy57]

Larry,

Cut the groves a little oversize so the splines have some play. This will help you align the parts easier.

That was the problem with the dowels, no wiggle room. Mating the individual pieces to the bottom worked fine, it was when I put the top on and had to align all the dowels up that I had the problem. Getting all those dowel holes exactly perfect in a 14" x 20" piece (too big for my drill press) is next to impossible. If even one of them is slightly off something won't lone up perfectly. Thankfully wood is forgiving. A rasp, sanding block and some elbow grease and everything even.

[lacro]

 I cut the pieces for my X-CS Encore build. I am using splines to help align everything during glue-up. I layed out the top and bottom together so I could use my router and strait edge to simultaneously cut the spline grooves accurately. It worked good

 I got the plunge router base for my birthday, and It sure makes life easier with the little Bosch trim router. All spline groves are cut and have been dry fitted. My splines will be a loose fit to help get everything lined up and square. I will be using thickened epoxy for glue which will take up spline looseness.

 I am going to try a different look for the front baffle, but I am making a regular one as a back up in case it fails.

Larry







 

[Captainhemo]

Looking good Larry,  anxious to see what you  have planned for the front baffle

-jay

[lacro]

 I got some more work done over this weekend. When  I built my X-LS Encores I didn't do any upgrades including No-Rez. I used thick floor tiles for dampening, and fiberglass insulation. I figured it didn't make much sense to use No-Rez for the center only. However, I am going to upgrade the cross overs for both the X-LS Encores, and The X-CS Encores.
 
So.. I decided to again use the thick floor tiles in this quite complex X-CS speaker box.
My idea to use splines to align everything has so far worked great.
 
 My original splines were too loose a fit, and the grain orientation was not very strong, so I ripped some strips (splines) from 3MM Baltic Birch plywood, but they were a bit tight. I ran them through my planer and got a nice fit.

 My decision to use the floor tiles presented the same problem using No-Rez, too many things in the way, requiring a lot of cuts/fits. Because I had cut all my spline grooves for the top and bottom at the same time which worked great! I decided to try applying the floor tiles to all surfaces before gluing the cabinets together.

 This method took a bit of thinking/measuring, but so far has worked out very well. I don't have to try and fit all the pieces into tight spaces. I used contact cement to glue the tiles, so working on flat panels was much easier. 

 I now have to decide what to use for the foam layer. being a non ported enclosure, I am no sure what is the best choice.





My X-LS Encores:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=108371.140




 

[mlundy57]

Larry,

Moving right along there. I wouldn't have the nerve to install the damping material before glue up. No matter how hard I'd try I would never get everything to line up. Plus, I didn't know exactly where the crossover board would go or how much room it would take up since I hadn't built it when I glued the cabinet up. 

Yes it was a lot of pieces but NoRez is very easy to cut with a table saw and pair of shop scissors and it's peel and stick nature make it really easy to install.

Mike

[Captainhemo]

Have to  go with Mike  here,  I could never   put the dampening material in before gluing up  the cabinets,  I'd have a  mess on  my  hands   

When I did my N3's Larry,  I used this  stuff for foam
http://www.thefoamfactory.com/opencellfoam/acoustic.html

It is very similar to the no rez foam layer and it was pretty cheap

Coming along nicely 

-jay

[bdp24]

Is it a good idea to but braces over floor tiles, or is braces against the cabinet walls with floor tiles in between a better idea?

[Captainhemo]

I'd make  sure the braces were glued wood  to wood..

-jsy

[lacro]

Larry,

 I wouldn't have the nerve to install the damping material before glue up. No matter how hard I'd try I would never get everything to line up.
Mike

Mike,
 I don't know why you say that . I think it makes a lot of sense . Trying to get all the damping material into the box with all the braces in the way would be a nightmare for me . Doing it the way I am will make life easier. If I was using No-Rez I would do it the same way.

 What doesn't show well in my photos is the spline groves in the top and bottom, all mating braces, and sides. The spline slots and the glue surfaces were protected with masking tape when I glued in the floor tiles with contact cement. The only thing I have left to do with the floor tiles is make a template, and route out the locations for the diagonal braces so they will be glued to the MDF, not the floor tiles.

 Whatever I use for foam will also be glued in before final cabinet assembly. My goal is to have everything done so I don't have to work in the tight spaces of this complex box design.

Larry

[lacro]

Is it a good idea to but braces over floor tiles, or is braces against the cabinet walls with floor tiles in between a better idea?

All braces will be epoxy glued to the raw MDF, not the tiles.

[mlundy57]

Larry,

You don't know me. The more things I try to do at the same time the more likely I am to screw it up. I even tried measuring out all the pieces of NoRez with the idea of cutting everything out first then just sticking them in. I quickly gave up and went back to installing them one piece at a time. I'd find a number of pieces that had one dimension in common, cut out a strip to that size on the band saw then measure and cut individual pieces off the strip one at a time. That way I didn't waste any of the NoRez.

The braces are an issue. The B's and C's weren't bad to work around, a lot of straight cuts, except for where I put the crossover. It was the Brace A's that were a pain on the LS's so for the CS I put the damping material in from the back up to where the Brace A's were going to go then glued in the brace A's then added the rest of the NoRez.

Mike

[mlundy57]

Larry,

What's that you're using for a straight edge, a piece of aluminum channel?

Also, nice looking kayak, what I can see of it. I've thought about building a kit boat from Pygmy or CLC for a few years. A kit would be the height of my ambition though. Nice as a strip boat looks I wouldn't want to tackle it.

Mike

[lacro]

Larry,

What's that you're using for a straight edge, a piece of aluminum channel?

Also, nice looking kayak, what I can see of it. I've thought about building a kit boat from Pygmy or CLC for a few years. A kit would be the height of my ambition though. Nice as a strip boat looks I wouldn't want to tackle it.

Mike

 Mike, Actually its an aluminum 4' long clamp/straight edge thingy.

 Thanks for the boat comment. It was my passion for several years, having built SEVERAL strip built kayaks. However, my first kayak build was a S&G Pygmy. I know it's off topic for this forum so I won't post any photos. You can PM me if you want photos or more boat building info including first build suggestions.

Larry