[hawkeyejw]

That looks fantastic!

[Hobbsmeerkat]

That looks fantastic!

Thanks! I think so too! Its got the right balance I need.

(Gunna re-share it since we're onto page 3 now. lol)

Okay, I think I've found the color Im going to go with!

It's actually a hybrid of roughly 50/50 Bright & Perfect red for dye & 65/35 for tone coats.

It's the bottom-right sample.
Its got plenty of depth, without being burgundy or too bright..

[Barryg443]

I like it!  These are going to be beautiful!

Barry

[Creative cut designs]

That red is sweet!

[Hobbsmeerkat]

That red is sweet!

Thanks! I'm really happy with it too! It's gunna be absolutely gorgeous once its all stained, toned, & cleared, esp if I can manage to match the colors, thankfully i have these sample strips to make sure I get it down perfectly. 

Still hoping weather clears up this week like its supposed to so I can cut & flatten the veneer to start making progress again.
The gulf & atlantic have been incredibly active with storms the last few weeks, hopefully this week we'll finally get some good weather soon. *crosses fingers*

[Hobbsmeerkat]

FINALLY!  A day without 100% humidity and rain!

Got the first 2 sheets of veneer flattening under plenty of clamps & pressure. Ill check them tomorrow to change the paper towels and hopefully finish drying it out perfectly flat.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Between weather and life in general, I haven't been able to get far with the veneer, and flattening hasn't been a particularly fruitful endeavour..

The outsides look good, but the middle has tight ripples I cant get rid of, so I'm trying one more time, but I don't really expect much to go any different. I suspect I just can't apply enough pressure esp in the center to prevent the ripples.

I may have to call around & see if a carpenter in the area can flatten it for me, or even apply it to the cabinet..

But in the meantime, I got the flush bit Peter recommended in his XLS veneer video, and trimmed/sanded down the ledges/edges.


I'm only planning to paint the front in a matte or satin black, so I rounded over the top front edge & it honestly looks really nice.



Ill check the progress on the veneer again tomorrow but I'm not particularly hopeful, but only time will tell.

[WarmColors]

Between weather and life in general, I haven't been able to get far with the veneer, and flattening hasn't been a particularly fruitful endeavour..

The outsides look good, but the middle has tight ripples I cant get rid of, so I'm trying one more time, but I don't really expect much to go any different. I suspect I just can't apply enough pressure esp in the center to prevent the ripples.

I may have to call around & see if a carpenter in the area can flatten it for me, or even apply it to the cabinet..

But in the meantime, I got the flush bit Peter recommended in his XLS veneer video, and trimmed/sanded down the ledges/edges.


I'm only planning to paint the front in a matte or satin black, so I rounded over the top front edge & it honestly looks really nice.



Ill check the progress on the veneer again tomorrow but I'm not particularly hopeful, but only time will tell.

What brand/kind of veneer will you be using?

I hope it goes well with your build!!! I will check in tomorrow night. I will start my build this weekend. Did you purchase Danny's speaker wire? I purchased 9 feet minus the six inches on both ends for the terminals. I'm hoping 8 feet will be enough. I will mostly do near field listening, but just to be safe I bought a couple feet extra in length if I ever do move my system to a bigger room.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

What brand/kind of veneer will you be using?

I hope it goes well with your build!!! I will check in tomorrow night. I will start my build this weekend. Did you purchase Danny's speaker wire? I purchased 9 feet minus the six inches on both ends for the terminals. I'm hoping 8 feet will be enough. I will mostly do near field listening, but just to be safe I bought a couple feet extra in length if I ever do move my system to a bigger room.

Its a raw quilted maple veneer. Probably should have spent a little more for some paper backed maple instead..

Thanks! Ill try to write up an update sometime in the morning tomorrow.

I did! Im currently using them on my X-LS.
I ordered 12-ft of the 16-strand cable which when the rope is inserted made both lengths roughly 5'4" which is just long enough for my current desk set up. When I get ready to work on building a longer pair, i plan to order about 22 ft or so, which should give me closer to 10ft per side.

[WarmColors]

Its a raw quilted maple veneer. Probably should have spent a little more for some paper backed maple instead..

Thanks! Ill try to write up an update sometime in the morning tomorrow.

I did! Im currently using them on my X-LS.
I ordered 12-ft of the 16-strand cable which when the rope is inserted made both lengths roughly 5'4" which is just long enough for my current desk set up. When I get ready to work on building a longer pair, i plan to order about 22 ft or so, which should give me closer to 10ft per side.

I also bought the 16 strand. Where did you buy the rope?

[Hobbsmeerkat]

I also bought the 16 strand. Where did you buy the rope?

Hope Depot. Tho I should have gone with 3/8" or 1/2" rope instead of 5/8" just to make it a little easier on myself, its a little tight for the 16-strand cable.

[WarmColors]

Hope Depot. Tho I should have gone with 3/8" or 1/2" rope instead of 5/8" just to make it a little easier on myself, its a little tight for the 16-strand cable.

Hope depot? You mean home depot? If it's not too much to ask could you send me a link of the rope you bought? Thank you for the advice!! I was actually thinking last night how much length I would lose if I bought something too thick.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Hope depot? You mean home depot? If it's not too much to ask could you send me a link of the rope you bought? Thank you for the advice!! I was actually thinking last night how much length I would lose if I bought something too thick.

Ye, Home Depot. My bad. lol
Uhh... I bought it in store so I didn't need to buy a 200' spool. I just got 10" and trimmed down the excess.
Here's the specific item tho: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-5-8-in-x-200-ft-Polypropylene-Solid-Braid-Rope-Black-72650/206094558

You loose a little over 2" of cable length for every foot of 5/8" rope.
If you use something a little smaller like 3/8" or 1/2" rope you'll probably be closer to under 2" per foot.

--

Checked on the veneer again and its still got that heavy center ripple..
So I guess ill start calling around to seeing what my options are. 

[WarmColors]

Ye, Home Depot. My bad. lol
Uhh... I bought it in store so I didn't need to buy a 200' spool. I just got 10" and trimmed down the excess.
Here's the specific item tho: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-5-8-in-x-200-ft-Polypropylene-Solid-Braid-Rope-Black-72650/206094558

You loose a little over 2" of cable length for every foot of 5/8" rope.
If you use something a little smaller like 3/8" or 1/2" rope you'll probably be closer to under 2" per foot.

--

Checked on the veneer again and its still got that heavy center ripple..
So I guess ill start calling around to seeing what my options are. 

Thanks for the advice! I ended up purchasing 1/2.
I kept looking through your journey and noticed your using just wood glue to assemble everything? Or do you use a nail gun at some points?

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Thanks for the advice! I ended up purchasing 1/2.
I kept looking through your journey and noticed your using just wood glue to assemble everything? Or do you use a nail gun at some points?

Just glue and lots of clamps! 

[WarmColors]

Just glue and lots of clamps! 

For anybody reading this with the speaker wire don't get 5/8. Get the 1/2 like I did. It's easy to run it through. Though the cord may come untangled at first due to the ends of the speaker wire poking at the cord. Make sure you isolate the ends from the cord when feeding the cord.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

For anybody reading this with the speaker wire don't get 5/8. Get the 1/2 like I did. It's easy to run it through. Though the cord may come untangled at first due to the ends of the speaker wire poking at the cord. Make sure you isolate the ends from the cord when feeding the cord.

I actually put electrical tape around both the ends to prevent it from unraveling. It worked prefectly for me, & made sliding  the rope thru a little easier, despite it's tight fit.

But I'll definitely plan on using 1/2" rope once i make a 2nd pair for a more dedicated listening space.

[WarmColors]

I actually put electrical tape around both the ends to prevent it from unraveling. It worked prefectly for me, & made sliding  the rope thru a little easier, despite it's tight fit.

But I'll definitely plan on using 1/2" rope once i make a 2nd pair for a more dedicated listening space.

Hobbs, thank you for the advice in regards to the speaker wire.
Again I originally purchased 9 feet from Danny 16 strand. I purchased 1/2" cord and I "lost" 1.5 feet. I have 7'5" feet to work with which is enough for my room. I did use masking tape on each end and it did help.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Hobbs, thank you for the advice in regards to the speaker wire.
Again I originally purchased 9 feet from Danny 16 strand. I purchased 1/2" cord and I "lost" 1.5 feet. I have 7'5" feet to work with which is enough for my room. I did use masking tape on each end and it did help.

You're most welcome!
Always happy to help!

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Good news on the veneer!
I changed up how I clamp the veneer, mostly removing the outer clamps to focusing on just the center, and that has really helped flatten those ripples out.
Now I'll focus getting a 2nd set of veneer flattened so I can work on gluing it to the sides of the cabinets.