Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

[Cajun Jeff]

I've been a lurker here for quite some time and finally got everything together to built my first set of speakers. I have been a long time member of photography forums online and have a deep appreciation for the breadth of knowledge that can be gleaned and shared among the members of such communities. With that in mind, I'd like to express my thanks to Paul Carmody for publishing this design online for others to use, as well as the many builders of this design who have published their own builds in the forum here.

Paul Carmody has kindly published his design HERE.

I ordered all of my parts last week. Everything has been here for a day or two with the exception of a pair of inductors that are on back order. I am VERY anxious to get those here as well. I also made a new order today at Parts Express to obtain some Acousta-Stuf, and a Lepai amplifier(for kicks!).

-Here are the goods...

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

I decided to keep near the original design and construct the enclosures from 1/2" MDF. The rear panel will be 3/4" MDF, and will be recessed 1/2" into the rear of the box with a 1/4" overlap (via a dado'ed edge) around the rear edges. That is not my only deviation from the originals, as I also plan to recess the drivers.

My first order of business had little to do with wood or electronics, and more to do with "preparing" my tools for the job ahead. I recently learned of an inexpensive thin kerf saw blade that I could use on my tablesaw. It is a Freud "Demo Demon" 7 1/4 inch blade. A pair of them sell for under $20, and I couldn't resist. I've installed one on the tablesaw, and plan to use the other on my circular saw. On the tablesaw, the reduced diameter will still allow for cuts on 1 1/2" material with ease. It cuts like butter...REALLY.

-


Here it is installed, but you may notice I now have a problem. There are wide gaps surrounding the sawblade. This can lead to debris falling through, and also blowout on my materials due to insufficient support below the workpiece during cutting. To remedy, I cobbled together a zero clearance insert out of 1/4" MDF specifically for this new blade.

I used my original insert as a guide to construct a template on the router table. Once a suitable template is made it is a simple matter to make a duplicate with a router trim bit.



I used allen screws to adjust the height. The large hole is a finger hole to assist in removal. After installing and leveling over a fully retracted blade, I simply ran the fence out over the edge of the new insert and then raised the blade to cut the new kerf in it. Now my workpiece will have good support from below as it is cut.



Not perfect, but a real improvement for this blade over the original insert.

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Here is a fresh cut front baffle. I used a Jasper Jig and 1/4 " spiral cut router bit to do the recesses and through holes. I have left approximately 1/8" all the way around the baffle to be trimmed with a flush trim bit after glue up.



The nearest size for the tweeter's through hole is 1 5/16. This is still just a hair too small to press the tweeter through. My remedy was to use a bit of sand paper on a drill bit in the drill press to enlarge the hole just enough for a good fit.

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

While at the drill press, I also drilled the holes for the "T" nuts prior to pressing them into the backside of the baffles.






And lastly, this is how I left things at the end of the day. The sides and tops glued up with the front baffles lying ( unglued ) each atop a box. Save for cosmetics, the enclosures are very near built. There is still the matter of a rear panel to be cut and fit.

...but that will have to wait until tommorrow!...along with the crossover construction!

[mikejennens]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Your photo sequence is really nice. I'm guessing your speakers are going to look great. Are you going to run them off the Lepai or do you have another amp?
Mike

[greywarden]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Those are some of the most beautiful pictures I've seen in a build thread, and I noticed that the color is - if not perfectly - very close to perfectly matched.

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Your photo sequence is really nice. I'm guessing your speakers are going to look great. Are you going to run them off the Lepai or do you have another amp?
Mike

I'd like to try the Lepai, but really only bought since it was on sale....and with the possibility of a future project in mind. Depending on how these turn out cosmetically will determine where they go. I currently have an older Sony audio/video reciever that I bought on craigslist in my workshop. It is paired up with some older....as in about 16 years old sony speakers I had from another day and time. Those speakers were once part of a stero system I had in my living room, but prior to moving into our new home they spent about 10 years duty under the eave of the carport for outdoor entertainment. They are warped and coming apart. Sound like crapola!

So, I'd surely like to replace the speakers in my workshop, however...I currently have no type of home theatre audio in my living room or bedroom set ups. I let everything I once had go as part of the sale of my old house. If they turn out nice they might live inside!

They will be far from perfect though. And this really eats at me as I am a perfectionist. I realize though, that as a craft, fine woodworking is very new to me. I am learning as I go. I cut the tweeter recesses here too deep....and the woofer recesses not deep enough....I bumped a box side against a tablesaw blade....the list will go on. But. I am learning and will no doubt be better off on my next project for having made these mistakes.

[joeybutts]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

They will be far from perfect though. And this reallt eats at me as I am a perfectionist.

Really? Hmmm..couldn't tell....:D

These are going to be beautiful if your current preparation, efforts, and photography are any sign of things to come.

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Those are some of the most beautiful pictures I've seen in a build thread, and I noticed that the color is - if not perfectly - very close to perfectly matched.

Thank you.

I do on location portrait and event photography as a side business. I have been an avid photographer since the mid 80's. I have the gear, software, and skillset to create passable photographs

I shoot RAW files and process them in Adobe Lightroom before rendering jpeg files from them. Adobe Lightroom allows for batch operations/edits. This lets me edit/process one image and then apply that same processing to ALL images I select.

I wish I knew half as much about DIY Audio!

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Really? Hmmm..couldn't tell....:D

These are going to be beautiful if your current preparation, efforts, and photography are any sign of things to come.

Thank you for your kind remarks. Let's hope you are right!

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Today I planned to get the front baffles glued on and construct the rear panel. I had originally wanted to construct the rear panel from 3/4" mdf and route the edges so it could slip inside the box by 1/2"....leaving a 1/4" overhang for screwing it to the rear of the enclosure. I realized that maybe I was making it over complicated, and when finished, the rear panel would be visible from the sides of the speakers. Instead, I cut the rear panels from 1/2 mdf, as per the original design, and then ripped and cut thin (3/8") strips of 1/2" mdf to glue inside the enclosure as a stop for the rear panel. I will use screws to attach the rear panel to these braces.

-Here is a shot of one of the braces glued and clamped.


Opposing ends clamped. I used a 1/2" thick scrap to ensure that I was glueing these in and leaving just enough room to flush up the rear panel.



Before I glued on the front panel, I decided to run a bead of silicone caulking around all the inside seams. This will dry clear.



Lastly, I will share my method for ensuring my paired parts are cut to the exact same lengths.

After completing my rips, I set my miter saw up on the tablesaw top. This is right out the front of my tiny workshop, and being able to do the cut work outdoors REALLY helps out with the mess!



A closer look allows a peek at the wooden block that is clamped to the saw fence to act as a positive stop for the workpieces. I usually make the first cut a tad long and then"sneak up" on my desired length...adjusting the position of the block/clamp as needed. Once I have the exact length needed, it is a simple matter to create exact copies. I used this same saw and method to cut the enclosure panels to length. The trick is to make sure that you cut every piece that you will need of a given length before changing the "stop" position. If you combine this with using a single set up to rip all the pieces you need of a given width on the tablesaw, then your enclosure parts will be very uniform.



Tommorrow I hope to trim the front baffles and begin looking at the crossovers. The crossovers, in my eyes, are pretty intimidating. Wish me luck!

[Soundslike]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Things are looking good with your build. I suspect you've got a little more experience with woodworking than you're letting on -- either that, or you're really going to be good at this. :D

Nice job on the string, and the photography is very well done. Looking forward to the end result. I think you're going to love the Overnight Sensations...

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

Things are looking good with your build. I suspect you've got a little more experience with woodworking than you're letting on -- either that, or you're really going to be good at this. :D

Nice job on the string, and the photography is very well done. Looking forward to the end result. I think you're going to love the Overnight Sensations...

Thank you for the vote of confidence!

I am pouring over photos that yourself and others have posted of the crossovers for the ONS. Still not sure how I will approach this part of the project.

After a phone call to PE I have learned that the missing inductors are in, and should be on the way next week. That wont stop me from getting started on them though.

[Cajun Jeff]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

I was able to gain a little more progress on Sunday evening. I had made the front baffles slightly oversized so they could be cut flush with a trim bit.

Before trimming on the router table.


After trimming....


Then I put the fence on the router table, installed a roundover bit, and cut the roundovers.


I did a mock up of the tweeter crossover. I may wait until I have the inductor for the woofer on hand to try and make it all go on one board.


Then I slipped the drivers in one enclosure. I wanted to have one somewhat assembled to ensure adequate space was available for whatever I needed as far as the crossover was concerned. I still need to bore holes in the rear panels and install the ports.



...and for scale....

[lostboy77]

Re: Overnight Sensations - Jeff's 1st Build

What an excellent combination of my two favorite hobbies, photography and speaker building. I know its a little OT, but what do you shoot with?