New guy, building Statements

[cowtown]

Hi Guys,

I just joined and wanted to introduce myself.... The DIY speaker bug bit me about 5 years ago, and after building some subs and easy stereo pairs I've decided to try my first "high-end" (in my mind) build. Yesterday I ordered all the PartsExpress parts to build a pair of Statements Monitors (http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=29605).

I just came in from the yard after cutting all the pieces for the Statements. I don't know why using a table saw is so therapeutic. I'm going with 3/4 birch ply, just to try something other than MDF, and I haven't decided on finish yet.

Previous projects include a big ported 12" Madisound SWAN sub, and recently an Infinite Baffle attic manifold with four 15" Acoustic Elegance IB15 subs - it's more like an earthquake than a speaker.

My toughest build so far has been a pair of cherry-veneered Recession Buster mark I kits. They were tough because I wanted them to look presentable . I'm using them with a bedroom TV and my wife doesn't seem to mind.

This seems like a great group of people and I'm looking forward to more reading.

cowtown

[brianpowers27]

Welcome!

3/4" Birch is a good choice. It is much nicer to work with than MDF. Be careful when routing not to tear it out. I find that skip cutting/reverse routing minimizes tear out. For finish I enjoy a mix of zinser poly high gloss with minwax cherry stain. You can build the color coat by caot.

[mzisserson]

I love 3/4" birch. One of my faves all around. I am lucky enough to have a decent source of 13 layer 5'x5' tock around here.

One of the best finishes I have ever put on it was 2 coats of Fromby's Tung Oil, high gloss, and 5 layers of minwax gloss floor-grade poly. Looks wonderful if you like the light look.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[brianpowers27]

I love 3/4" birch. One of my faves all around. I am lucky enough to have a decent source of 13 layer 5'x5' tock around here.

One of the best finishes I have ever put on it was 2 coats of Fromby's Tung Oil, high gloss, and 5 layers of minwax gloss floor-grade poly. Looks wonderful if you like the light look.

Good luck and keep us posted!

That sounds like a good combination. I have to say that I hate the smell of minwax poly. I switched to Zinser for the smell.