OB-5 Construction by Carlos

Voncarlos · « **Reply #100 on:** 25 Apr 2009, 02:53 pm »

I first drew guide lines on the cabinet to figure out measurements and set the first strip. To start the veneering, I laid down the front center Maple strip first and then worked off to the sides. I got all the way to the back and now have to wait until we get warmer weather. I'm really pleased with the result!

whubbard · « **Reply #101 on:** 25 Apr 2009, 02:58 pm »

Wow

woofersus · « **Reply #102 on:** 25 Apr 2009, 04:17 pm »

Truly unique! I look forward to seeing the finished product.

fcraven · « **Reply #103 on:** 25 Apr 2009, 04:29 pm »

Who can make the sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with glue and a venire or two, or tree, or four, or five, or six...
Carlos can, the Carlos man can....

OK, I know, how about this: Dawg, That's over the top!

Nice work Carlos. It may be too much, but if you are going to go over the top, do it well. Speaking of Tops, what are your plans for the top of the box?

Voncarlos · « **Reply #104 on:** 2 May 2009, 03:19 am »

Hey fcraven, thanks for the jingle

For the top I was thinking about a strip of cherry going from the front to back with maple on the sides, and that would match up with the single cherry strip on the back(and certainly easier to make). But then I thought that might look too much like a racing stripe, so I came up with this.

Here's a picture with the pass-through and bolt holes cut. To find the bolt holes, I inserted a bolt from the inside and ran a small magnet over the area.

And here's a peek of the baffle attached. It really needs to have the speakers in place.

persisting1 · « **Reply #105 on:** 2 May 2009, 08:03 am »

This just keeps getting better

EARGASM · « **Reply #106 on:** 2 May 2009, 01:49 pm »

Removed by member.

fcraven · « **Reply #107 on:** 2 May 2009, 05:19 pm »

Carlos,

I don't like the wiglies, they aren't consistent with the the rest of the design. Originally I thought you might do some sort of sun light pattern, But, I like the idea of a couple of simple stripes (and, dude, Racing stripes? I think you went way beyond that already

) So, I recommend you stick with the simple cherry stripe, but have it (them) taper with the shape of the cabinet. (not that a lot of people will see that. A couple of times I have moved my speakers away from the wall and had the revelation that I painted the backs blue!)

Hank · « **Reply #108 on:** 2 May 2009, 05:49 pm »

Carlos, that is beautiful veneer work! That's an eye-popping look for sure.

ebag4 · « **Reply #109 on:** 2 May 2009, 06:06 pm »

Very nice Carlos. You are an inspiration to the rest of us. My $.02, a cherry top would look nice.

Best,
Ed

Voncarlos · « **Reply #110 on:** 1 Jul 2009, 12:36 am »

I decided to go with a easy top for the box, it matches the back Cherry strip to the Cherry on the baffle. I been having a hard time with the final finishing. I'm spraying a waterbased poly that is just not applying well. I've sprayed lots of finishes in my time and this one is a pain in the arse.
A few pics.

Bob in St. Louis · « **Reply #111 on:** 1 Jul 2009, 01:25 am »

Your quality of workmanship continues to amaze!

Not that my latest build compares to yours, but I had a heckuva time with the final coats on mine. Do you think humidity has anything to do with it?
I noticed your "paint booth" and have thought of doing the same in an attempt to create more of a climate controlled environment. Or was your just to keep bugs and dust out?

Thanks for the pictures.

Bob

poseidonsvoice · « **Reply #112 on:** 1 Jul 2009, 01:45 am »

Carlos.

4 words.

State Of The Art.

Best,
Anand.

Voncarlos · « **Reply #113 on:** 1 Jul 2009, 02:51 am »

Quote from: Bob in St. Louis on 1 Jul 2009, 01:25 am

Not that my latest build compares to yours, but I had a heckuva time with the final coats on mine. Do you think humidity has anything to do with it?
I noticed your "paint booth" and have thought of doing the same in an attempt to create more of a climate controlled environment. Or was your just to keep bugs and dust out?
Thanks for the pictures.
Bob

Thanks again everyone for the kind words.
Bob, humidity has a lot to do with it, so does temperature when spraying. There are work-arounds for humidity depending on the medium. My spray area is just to keep dust down, you might also notice a mop in the corner, I mop the floor just before I spray each time. My preference would have been to just spray some nitro lacquer, but it was too cold when I first started to coat the Cherry strips in the Winter.
I'm using "General Finishes, High Performance Polyurethane Top Coat" and the instructions say to apply with a pad or foam brush, but their website also say's it can be sprayed, it's just not working for me. So, I'm going to sand with 600 grit wet/dry and try the pad brush. I've tested this on some leftover pieces and the results look great, just a little more time consuming.

Carlos

PMAT · « **Reply #114 on:** 1 Jul 2009, 04:59 am »

That veneer is definitely thinking outside the box.........er....

ebag4 · « **Reply #115 on:** 1 Jul 2009, 05:57 am »

WOW Carlos!! Perfect choice on that top veneer work, beautiful. Speaker artistry.

Best,
Ed

TomS · « **Reply #116 on:** 1 Jul 2009, 12:04 pm »

Wow, those are just crazy cool

Voncarlos · « **Reply #117 on:** 14 Jul 2009, 10:09 pm »

I thought you might like to see how crazy one could get with this striping thing when you add a little color.
It's just masking tape.

sl_1800 · « **Reply #118 on:** 15 Jul 2009, 12:34 am »

I'm impressed with your wood working skills.

Voncarlos · « **Reply #119 on:** 13 Oct 2009, 08:16 pm »

I started work on the base about two and a half months ago but also had to redesign it as well.
Here is the original Photoshop mockup that I made before I had bought any wood. I didn't spend much time thinking about the base at that time and just gave the speakers some basic feet.

Original Photoshop mockup

When it was time to start thinking about creating the base I thought it would be good to design something that would also protect the bottom exposed edges of the box veneer. I also wanted to add spikes to the ends of the feet and I don't think MDF will hold the weight of these speakers. They are quite heavy and I think MDF will sag over time so the base would have to be solid Cherry.

I started by creating a rough mockup using 3 pieces of 1/2 inch OSB (oriented strand board) and some rust colored spray paint. I think 1-1/2 inch looks to be a good proportion and should be strong enough to hold the weight.

Frankenstein shoes

I then left this mockup alone and would just stare at it every time I walked by. I wasn't happy with it, it looked too much like Frankenstein shoes on what was otherwise a very elegant looking speaker. It then hit me, "why don't I make the center piece Maple", it would carry the strip theme down to the base.

I liked this look, but it still wasn't there.

In the picture above, it's hard to see but the side edges of the base extend out from the sides of the box by about a 1/4 inch. It was obvious that some cutting would have to take place. I also didn't like the angle of the feet so I cut the base into 6 pieces and that would allow me to adjust any angle or size I wanted.

Okay, I like the angle of the feet now as well as the curve in the front, but I felt that the base still didn't match the elegance of the speaker. So next I incorporated the Norman Arch look into the feet.

My next idea was to cut an opposite curve into the base so that just the feet would be sticking out, while at the same time leaving the top part of the base at it's full dimension of the box perimeter. I thought this looked very nice.

And a few more pics to better see.

Now it's time to clean it up and actually make it out of solid wood.