It's been a number of years since I've posted anything in the Projects Forum. A quick walk around the house reveals I have no legitimate need for another pair of speakers, but there is the social isolation aspect of the pandemic which in my case must be addressed. My first week of self imposed social distancing made it overwhelmingly clear that I needed something to occupy my thoughts and time. There is only so much yard-work one can do in the Sonoran desert this time of year.
A quick review of available designs and and my stash of drivers determined that all I needed were Vifa NE149's in order to build a pair pf Finalists. Hmm, another highly regarded Jim/Curt design. While I am very happy with my Statements and over the moon with respect to the Statement Monitors, did I want to become fan boy? Ultimately yes, but that's a part of the story for another time.
While reviewing bass reflex and MLTL cabinet drawings I posted a plea for a pair of the Vifa drivers. Much to my surprise I quickly received a couple of offers and ultimately purchased a new pair from a forum member. Name withheld to protect the generous.... Anyway, ultimately the monitor cabinets seemed to provide the requisite bass performance while not taxing my temporary shop space and limited toolbox. A couple of minutes entering panel dimensions into Cutlist Plus and I knew a single sheet of 3/4" MDF combined with a half sheet of 1/2" MDF were all I needed to be in cabinet making mode. So off to the big box store to stand in line to enter.
Just like many others I am increasingly reluctant to fill my shop with MDF dust, breath the dust, wipe it from my glasses and wash it out of my clothes, etc. On a positive note it's cheap, easily found and consistent sheet to sheet. Only the dust and exposed edges are my issues. For years I've made a habit of gluing a piece of door skin or 1/8" material on cabinet tops to eliminate any chance of edges showing through veneer. This time my thought process was, why not spend an extra week gluing 1/8 Baltic Birch to all exterior surfaces? No print through, time and material wasted in the pursuit of mental stimulation, blah, blah, blah.
Let's get to the pictures! As designed and assembled the cabinets need careful fitting with attention to the mid-tunnel placement. The front baffle is thicker than my router bits will cut through from one side, which for me meant cutting the mid-range opening from the backside, assembling the baffle and then cutting through from the front. Careful alignment of the drill bit results in clean openings, front to back. in hindsight there are probably easier ways to assemble the cabinets.
A quick review of available designs and and my stash of drivers determined that all I needed were Vifa NE149's in order to build a pair pf Finalists. Hmm, another highly regarded Jim/Curt design. While I am very happy with my Statements and over the moon with respect to the Statement Monitors, did I want to become fan boy? Ultimately yes, but that's a part of the story for another time.
While reviewing bass reflex and MLTL cabinet drawings I posted a plea for a pair of the Vifa drivers. Much to my surprise I quickly received a couple of offers and ultimately purchased a new pair from a forum member. Name withheld to protect the generous.... Anyway, ultimately the monitor cabinets seemed to provide the requisite bass performance while not taxing my temporary shop space and limited toolbox. A couple of minutes entering panel dimensions into Cutlist Plus and I knew a single sheet of 3/4" MDF combined with a half sheet of 1/2" MDF were all I needed to be in cabinet making mode. So off to the big box store to stand in line to enter.
Just like many others I am increasingly reluctant to fill my shop with MDF dust, breath the dust, wipe it from my glasses and wash it out of my clothes, etc. On a positive note it's cheap, easily found and consistent sheet to sheet. Only the dust and exposed edges are my issues. For years I've made a habit of gluing a piece of door skin or 1/8" material on cabinet tops to eliminate any chance of edges showing through veneer. This time my thought process was, why not spend an extra week gluing 1/8 Baltic Birch to all exterior surfaces? No print through, time and material wasted in the pursuit of mental stimulation, blah, blah, blah.
Let's get to the pictures! As designed and assembled the cabinets need careful fitting with attention to the mid-tunnel placement. The front baffle is thicker than my router bits will cut through from one side, which for me meant cutting the mid-range opening from the backside, assembling the baffle and then cutting through from the front. Careful alignment of the drill bit results in clean openings, front to back. in hindsight there are probably easier ways to assemble the cabinets.
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