[gregcss]

After more than a year I'm ready to re-attach the plinths to make them even. I'm looking for best practices to make them straight/even. Any suggestions other than trial and error. Thanks!

[Big Red Machine]

You don't have much play there since the holes in the plinth are only slightly larger in diameter than the wood screw. So don't overthink it.

[PSB Guy]

Were the holes for the plinths not straight in the first place? I don't quite understand...the plinths on my Songbirds went on perfectly straight when I attached them out of the box.

Cornelis

[gregcss]

Were the holes for the plinths not straight in the first place? I don't quite understand...the plinths on my Songbirds went on perfectly straight when I attached them out of the box.

Cornelis

There's a bit of give when the bolt is in. In other words I can vastly change how the plinth fits on. I did my 'best' in hurry when i first got them but they are not on straight. My OCD is getting the best of me....

[sunnydaze]

Take a ruler.  Measure the the overlap, plinth to cabinet.   Make it equal on both sides,  and front vs back.

Do same to other speaker.

Is that hard?

If especially obsessive, use a caliper.       

[gregcss]

Take a ruler.  Measure the the overlap, plinth to cabinet.   Make it equal on both sides,  and front vs back.

Do same to other speaker.

Is that hard?

Imagine this.. The speaker is laying long ways on a recliner. I need to magically make sure the plinth is straight before securing the bolt/nut. How do you measure for human intervention? 

PS gravity forces are at work

[gregcss]

For reference see below. It's a bit off, not much.

[sunnydaze]

Tighten lightly -- only 2 diagonal screws to hold plinth in place.  Measure.  If not equal, loosen 2 diagonal screws.  Adjust plinth as necessary.  Tighten 2 diagonal screws lightly.  Measure again.  Loosen and adjust plinth again, if necessary.  Tighten.

Keep repeating till right.  When good, securely fasten ALL screws.

The whole thing -- both speakers -- should take less than 5 mins.  Seriously.

(I'm assuming it's done with speaker laying on it's side for entire process, propped up on milk crates or similar.)

[PSB Guy]

Tighten lightly -- only 2 diagonal screws to hold plinth in place.  Measure.  If not equal, loosen 2 diagonal screws.  Adjust plinth as necessary.  Tighten 2 diagonal screws lightly.  Measure again.  Loosen and adjust plinth again, if necessary.  Tighten.

Keep repeating till right.  When good, securely fasten ALL screws.

The whole thing -- both speakers -- should take less than 5 mins.  Seriously.

(I'm assuming it's done with speaker laying on it's side for entire process, propped up on milk crates or similar.)

This is exactly what I did, except that to be honest, I didn't really do much measuring. I guess I got lucky in that regard. I laid the speaker on its side on my sturdy coffee table, on top of a blanket for protecting the finish.

Cornelis

[sunnydaze]

Agreed about the measuring.   Just suggested it as OP is apparently having problems squaring things up.

For things like this I usually just use my eyes.   The human eye is quite accurate to w/in fractions of an inch.  But hard to see around entire cabinet when lying on side, I guess.

Or I just do it by feel -- fingertip as measuring device on plinth at each cabinet corner.  Also very accurate, and quick.

No need for nth degree precision in this endeavor.

[gregcss]

Thank you all for the reply. Maybe i'm a big dummy and making this out harder than it should be. I'll leave them as is for now. 

[billmcc]

Thank you all for the reply. Maybe i'm a big dummy and making this out harder than it should be. I'll leave them as is for now. 

You're not a dummy at all. Looking at your picture the plinths are definitely off and that would bother me too. Whenever I attach or remove the plinths I lay the speaker on it's back and prop up the bottom of the speaker with a couple of pillows so the plinth is not on the floor. Then you could loosen the screws enough so you can move the plinth. You could do it by eye or measure them to be more accurate. I'd use a wooden ruler as a metal tape measure could scratch the plinths or the speaker.

Bill

[JLM]

Just chill. 

Turn the lights down lower.

Think about starving kids around the world, global warming, or the doomsday clock if you want to worry about something meaningful.

[Saturn94]

How about turning the speakers upside down the install to plinths.  That should help eliminate the fight with gravity making it crooked.

[charmerci]

You're not a dummy at all.

Well, I'm not so sure then that you're familiar with his avatar.... 


[/size]

[gregcss]

Well, I'm not so sure then that you're familiar with his avatar.... 


[/size]

No i'm isn't 

[Paul K.]

That's exactly what I did today when reinstalling the base assemblies, which house the crossover assemblies, to my home brew speakers.  I sight down the bottom edges with my eyeballs to make sure everything lines up squarely all around the bottoms of the cabinets.  Works every time.
Paul

How about turning the speakers upside down the install to plinths.  That should help eliminate the fight with gravity making it crooked.

[rocker9999]

[RDavidson]

Agree with placing the speakers on their tops (upside down) on a soft cloth. This makes attaching plinths and small alignment adjustments of the plinths SUPER easy.

[jsalk]

Agree with placing the speakers on their tops (upside down) on a soft cloth. This makes attaching plinths and small alignment adjustments of the plinths SUPER easy.

This is exactly how we do it.

- Jim