Woodworking tools for building speakers?

PSP · « **on:** 3 Aug 2005, 02:29 pm »

Gentlemen,
In the last few years I have built a few Aspen amps and preamps, a Bottlehead Foreplay, and put together a couple of speaker "kits"... i.e., soldered up the XO and mounted the drivers in prebuilt boxes. Now I want to start making my own sawdust, and have only the most basic tools.

What tools do I need? What must I have, what would really make life easy, and what don't I need? I intend to do good work. I will start just building boxes (no drivers... this is just to be sure that I can reliably make a box that won't fall over all by itself!), then build a cheap small monitor, and then a better one, and eventually maybe Dave's 3-way.

As soon as the weather cools off a tad, one side of my garage will be rearranged for woodworking. To plan the job, I need to know what's going where. I want to buy good enough tools so that I'm the one making the errors, not the tool. On the other hand, I don't want excessive bells, whistles, and "features".

Thanks in advance for your help and ideas.

Peter

mcgsxr · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Aug 2005, 03:26 pm »

Well, I am far from an authority, but I have built about 5 sets of speakers so far.

Router is indispensible, table saw essential (I will have to buy one of these... I keep having to go over to my friend's house and borrow the use of it!) and I like the drill press too, but that is probably a luxury.

The circle jig for the router is useful, and can replace the drill press for some of the hole creation, and I look forward to using that, as I have just recently bought one.

Good luck, it is a lot of fun.

Watson · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Aug 2005, 08:45 pm »

The most useful tool is a table saw. A table saw lets you cut pieces to reliable sizes that are easily glued together. You can fake this with a circular saw with a sawboard, a radial arm saw, a router with a homemade jig, or by paying the guys at Home Depot to do cuts for you, but none of these is quite as accurate or makes life as easy as a table saw.

You also need a good selection of clamps, for holding the pieces together when gluing. Clamps are relatively inexpensive. There are some assembly techniques that let you get away without using clamps, e.g. screws, certain types of complicated joints, etc., but having a set of clamps is almost essential in practice. (Also, screws and brads can migrate outwards and mar a paint job or make veneering difficult.)

A router is also very useful, since it lets you cut holes, flush mount drivers, and do roundovers. There are ways of faking each of these things without a router, but a router is very versatile. To cut holes, you need some kind of jig for your router. You can make a jig at home out of a piece of scrap wood or acrylic, or you can buy a Jasper jig. I just use a homemade jig myself. You can get by with a regular router (I do); you don't necessarily need a plunge router. The advantages of a plunge router are easier flush-mounting of drivers and usually a larger shank, which lets you do wider roundovers. It's hard to find a conventional, non-plunge router that accepts 1/2 inch shank router bits, and it's impossible to find 3/4 inch and larger roundover bits for smaller shanks. (To save the expense of upgrading to a plunge router and getting new router bits, I've always just done large roundovers using pre-cut mouldings I buy at the hardware store.)

You will need a drill to drill screw pilot holes for driver mounting, as well as for drilling small holes (with a circle cutter) like port holes in bookshelf speakers.

Apart from those tools, you really don't need anything else to build speaker cabinets.

EProvenzano · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Aug 2005, 08:53 pm »

I'd recommend adding a nice Dual Action palm sander to the list.
I use a Makita.

A 3M small particle filtering face mask would be a wise investment too.
I find these indespensible.

Happy building!

jules · « **Reply #4 on:** 4 Aug 2005, 12:21 am »

Hi Peter,

I reckon the above suggestions cover it very well. It's possible to get away with a circular saw as I do but I agree that a table saw would make life much easier. I also support a router as essential with a minimum power of 1500W and a 1/2" chuck. Plunge type is more versatile. For some designs a drill press is essential too.

The only thing I can add to the above is a builders square. I'm thinking here of one of the very simple flat steel devices with one arm about 2' long and the other 15". I presume these break down international barriers. A good tape and an accuarate ruler probably go without saying but getting the measurements right is half the battle.

jules

David Ellis · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Aug 2005, 11:14 am »

This is very solid advice. The only thing I have to add is that I really enjoy having a good sanding block.

My flush trim bit on my router leaves the cut material protruding about 1/64". I have tried many methods with power sanders, but they all seem to re-contour the flat surface. A big flat ergonomic sanding block is a bit more work, but the results are much better - a nice flat seam.

I use a 4x24 60 grit blue sanding belt tightly wrapped around a fitted 1x4.

Hopefully this helps.

Dave

StevieM · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Aug 2005, 11:46 am »

Hi Peter

can I be a bit of a boring old fart and talk about what's really important in woodwork? Sorry if this is stating the obvious but I've worked for too long in shipbuilding and seen some bad accidents.

1/ A stable, well lit work bench

2/ Some ventilation

3/ Good housekeeping - clear away litter, don't have leads you can trip over, store materials so that they don't fall down

4/ Measure twice, cut once

5/ Get in the habit, so that every time you press a trigger or switch of a power tool of pausing and thinking where your fingers are relative to the sharp bits.

6/ don't rush - it leads to accidents

7/ Invest in some goggles, and use them

8/ Use an RCD on all power tools

Steve

PSP · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Aug 2005, 12:48 pm »

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to hear.

Steve,
Thanks. I'm in a very early stage, so "stating the obvious" is a good thing. RCD = what?

Any more suggestions?

Peter

DeadFish · « **Reply #8 on:** 4 Aug 2005, 01:06 pm »

Peter,

It looks like you have a terrific list here to help you out, but if I might, I'd like to impress the ones that underline *safety*
Before turning on any power tool, figure out where your fingers, hair, and the family critters are at. These things can yank you hankless if you have a ponytail like me. Remember that power tools won't care enough to even say 'Sorry!' when you get damaged from hurrying.
Ah and remember EAR PROTECTION. You wouldn't want self-induced tinitus to get in the way of your listening when you are done.
All that stuff Steve said, again.
I've kept the mantra of 'Measure twice, cut once' from the old fellar that blessed me with it a long time ago, and pretty much applied it as a life philosophy of 'Think twice, cut once.'
Good luck, and I hope you find the joy of constructing something yourself as rewarding as some of the rest of us have.
Regards,
DeadFish

PS And of course, come back and flash us some pictures when you get something built!

StevieM · « **Reply #9 on:** 4 Aug 2005, 02:34 pm »

RCD = residual current device
also known as
ELCB = earth leakage circuit breaker.

But if your mains voltage is 110 perhaps you don't need it - I don't know enough say - but I'm sure there is some-one reading this who can help out here?

Steve

PSP · « **Reply #10 on:** 4 Aug 2005, 04:53 pm »

Sounds like GFCI = ground fault currrent interrupt, yes? I will be sure to add that to the list.

Peter

jules · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Aug 2005, 03:09 am »

Peter,

this isn't exactly OT but if you are making speaker boxes of MDF can I suggest that you use a minimum thickness of 1". There's a lot of designs around that use 3/4" but the extra 1/4" makes the wall something like twice the strength in relation to in-out movement [the strength being proportional to the square of the thickness]. It aso makes construction easier in some ways as the wider joints tend to make the whole thing stand up by itself during assembly. the extra cost is peanuts.

This has nothing to do with reducing bracing. Bracing is essential of course.

jules

wildfire99 · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 Aug 2005, 07:18 am »

Something I really have wanted to do, with several DIY projects under my belt (and an ever-growing array of tools at my disposal) is to concentrate on the art itself of (speaker) cabinet making.

I would love to see a discourse on the actual methods of doing things like, cutting straight lines, gluing things up, clamp methods and times, glues, etc. I find that no matter what I do, something ends up being off here or there, and I know that my kung-fu in this arena is weak (as in, nobody ever told me how to cut wood

).

My BIGGEST problem thus far is with what has to be one of the cheapest tools I have: my tape measure. What's the most optimum way of marking off a length to 1/32" or so? Or, do you just cut wide and cheat with a sander or flush-trim bit all the time?

Watson · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 Aug 2005, 10:10 am »

Quote from: wildfire99

I would love to see a discourse on the actual methods of doing things like, cutting straight lines, gluing things up, clamp methods and times, glues, etc.

Check out "Fine Woodworking" magazine. It's a really great resource for this kind of information. The articles are well-written with a lot of pictures and illustrations, and the project pictures are inspiring.

Quote

My BIGGEST problem thus far is with what has to be one of the cheapest tools I have: my tape measure. What's the most optimum way of marking off a length to 1/32" or so? Or, do you just cut wide and cheat with a sander or flush-trim bit all the time?

If you adjust your table saw accurately and plan your cut list in advance to minimize the number of adjustments (this is probably the most important part), I find that everything tends to come out pretty accurately. I haven't had to use a flush-trim bit (except for veneer, of course) on my last two projects. After gluing with butt joints there is sometimes a very small amount of overhang, but nothing that can't be taken off quickly with a sander. One tip: if you need to readjust your table saw at any time to a length you've previously cut, don't measure that length again, just place the previously cut piece against the blade and move the fence against the cut piece. Another thing: I find that radial arm saws are not as accurate as table saws and try to avoid using them if possible.

David Ellis · « **Reply #14 on:** 12 Aug 2005, 12:30 pm »

Quote

My BIGGEST problem thus far is with what has to be one of the cheapest tools I have: my tape measure. What's the most optimum way of marking off a length to 1/32" or so? Or, do you just cut wide and cheat with a sander or flush-trim bit all the time?

Yep, I totally agree. Tape measures make life difficult. The heads move slightly. they are fine for carpenters, but less than ideal for a good workshop.

I use a good metal ruler quite often.

Also, yes I use the flush trim bit method whenever possible. My flush trim bit requires some block sanding afterward, but this is minimal.

Dave

jules · « **Reply #15 on:** 14 Aug 2005, 09:22 am »

dunno if I'm being too basic here but one tip with tapes is not to use the end of the tape [and that angled end-thingy] but rather to start from say 100mm [metric where I am] and go from there. The only problem here is that you have to remember to add 100mm to your measurement. So, if you are going to cut something 200mm long, you put the 100mm mark of your tape in the start point and mark the finish at 300mm. I use a steel measure when I can but for longer stuff a tape is necessary. Australia changed to metric many years back and I find it a hell of a lot easier to use in that 32"s 64"s and so on are a real pain when it comes to dividing them up.

If you're making speaker boxes the edge left by a saw is usually fine for a concealed joint but it's not going to be good enough for a very fine finish ... in which case it's going to have to be a case of cut oversize and reduce to the right size by more precise methods.

jules

jules · « **Reply #16 on:** 14 Aug 2005, 09:22 am »

duplicate deleted ... !!

jules · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 Aug 2005, 09:22 am »

triplicate deleted ... !!!

StevieM · « **Reply #18 on:** 22 Sep 2005, 02:47 pm »

Peter

looking for something completely unrelated on the net and stumbled across this

http://www.sdinfo.com/volume_5_4/diy9toolsoctober98.html#safety

woodworking tools for speaker builders

Steve

thayerg · « **Reply #19 on:** 22 Sep 2005, 04:14 pm »

If you haven't already made a huge investment in tools, check out the 'festool' line of tools from Germany, now imported. These are brilliant--they actually remove the need for a table saw because they have a superb worktable system which integrates with the router and the saw to give you the ability and precision to do stuff with handheld tools you previously needed stationary tools for. Not cheap, but neither is a table saw worthy of the name, and you'll be spared that expense.