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Seeing as this is my first post on here even though I've been floating around the forum for a long time now... Hello all!
So I actually completed this build 3 or 4 months ago and just never got around to posting them on here. I know there have been a ton of OS MT/MTM build threads on here already but here's my take.
For those interested these are veneered in curly maple, dyed with TransTint Vintage Maple, and finished with waterlox. The baffles are the Dupli-Color truck bed liner from the spray can.
I'm in Buffalo working on Computer Info. Systems degree so I built these in my off-campus apartment. Right in my bedroom/bathroom
It was less than ideal but I have been wanting to build a set of speakers for years so I pulled the trigger on a flat pack kit from diysoundgroup. I wish I had a picture to show you guys some of the process because it was worth a few laughs. My bedroom floor was covered in saw dust, sandpaper, clamps, veneer scraps, etc. The funny part was really my bathroom. I have about 10 different stains, two different cans of danish oil, two different cans of poly, a can of waterlox, gloves and a bunch more piled around my toilet: I did a lot of testing on scrap veneer to find the right finish for these. Especially the right color that really played well with the woofer color, which if I might say, nailed it! Also, seeing as it was the middle of winter in Buffalo, I spray painted and finished my cabs in the tub, HA! The bathtub I filled with boxes and scraps but even still the whole thing was covered in black dust. I laughed quite a bit during the process just reflecting on what I was doing.
Some things I had issues with that may help others:
Paint the baffle after you finish the cab. It's a lot easier. I tried the other way first and had to repaint my baffle.
Maple veneer is apparently not easy to work with! Like many new guys to this I did tons of research prepping for my build and nothing prepped me for the issues different types of wood veneers have when adhering them and finishing them. I had two issues working with my curly maple:
1) The seams of the veneer widen after ironing onto the cabinet. After some research I've settled on the cause being not only the moisture being removed from the wood during the ironing causing the panel to shrink a bit, but also maple veneer is apparently very hit or miss. I found many posts elsewhere on the net stating this. Personally, I'd agree as this didn't even happen to all of my panels! One thing I will try next time is purchasing a good veneer softener to flatten out the panels after the wood glue has been applied and dried. They tend to curl up a lot during that process. Also, I think I'm going to try out the special iron-on veneer glue sold at veneersupplies.com which is where I got all of my veneer supplies.
2) After my first coat or two of waterlox the veneer sprouted some cracks. I don't think they are visible in my pictures but they are noticeable in person if looking closely. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist so this leaves a bad feeling in my stomach. This issue I'm still somewhat unclear of what caused it. My belief is that I may not have let the water/dye mixture dry long enough before applying my first coat of waterlox. Some research and common sense says to me that the water trying to evaporate from underneath the waterlox caused the veneer to crack. What I take away from this and from what I've read maple veneer is not easy to work with. It is very dependent on it's moisture levels to stay nice. Definitely allow more than enough time for moisture levels to return to normal after ironing and staining/dying. Anyone have any input on why this happened?
Finally, thanks to everyone on this board and to Paul and Erich for the design and the awesome kit! This board is great community of people interested in the hobby and there is a HUGE wealth of knowledge available here. I officially have the bug! I've been thinking constantly about what I can do next. Very soon I think I'll be ordering the parts to build a set of Speedsters. My brother just moved into his first house, is getting married in a few months and is the person that got me into audio and the existence of DIY audio. He's got a really nice pair of DIY speakers that 'I think' are an imitation of a set of Focal MTMs based on a very highly regarded set form the mid 90s (?). Not sure exactly. Anyway, I was originally planning on another set of OS MTs for him but seeing as it will be a house warming/wedding gift for someone so important to me I want to go more high end. It's between Lou C's Piccolatas or the Speedsters but I'm leaning towards the Speedsters because I've never heard a ribbon tweeter and it's cool design.
Expect to see me around these parts more often!
So I actually completed this build 3 or 4 months ago and just never got around to posting them on here. I know there have been a ton of OS MT/MTM build threads on here already but here's my take.
For those interested these are veneered in curly maple, dyed with TransTint Vintage Maple, and finished with waterlox. The baffles are the Dupli-Color truck bed liner from the spray can.
I'm in Buffalo working on Computer Info. Systems degree so I built these in my off-campus apartment. Right in my bedroom/bathroom
It was less than ideal but I have been wanting to build a set of speakers for years so I pulled the trigger on a flat pack kit from diysoundgroup. I wish I had a picture to show you guys some of the process because it was worth a few laughs. My bedroom floor was covered in saw dust, sandpaper, clamps, veneer scraps, etc. The funny part was really my bathroom. I have about 10 different stains, two different cans of danish oil, two different cans of poly, a can of waterlox, gloves and a bunch more piled around my toilet: I did a lot of testing on scrap veneer to find the right finish for these. Especially the right color that really played well with the woofer color, which if I might say, nailed it! Also, seeing as it was the middle of winter in Buffalo, I spray painted and finished my cabs in the tub, HA! The bathtub I filled with boxes and scraps but even still the whole thing was covered in black dust. I laughed quite a bit during the process just reflecting on what I was doing. Some things I had issues with that may help others:
Paint the baffle after you finish the cab. It's a lot easier. I tried the other way first and had to repaint my baffle.
Maple veneer is apparently not easy to work with! Like many new guys to this I did tons of research prepping for my build and nothing prepped me for the issues different types of wood veneers have when adhering them and finishing them. I had two issues working with my curly maple:
1) The seams of the veneer widen after ironing onto the cabinet. After some research I've settled on the cause being not only the moisture being removed from the wood during the ironing causing the panel to shrink a bit, but also maple veneer is apparently very hit or miss. I found many posts elsewhere on the net stating this. Personally, I'd agree as this didn't even happen to all of my panels! One thing I will try next time is purchasing a good veneer softener to flatten out the panels after the wood glue has been applied and dried. They tend to curl up a lot during that process. Also, I think I'm going to try out the special iron-on veneer glue sold at veneersupplies.com which is where I got all of my veneer supplies.
2) After my first coat or two of waterlox the veneer sprouted some cracks. I don't think they are visible in my pictures but they are noticeable in person if looking closely. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist so this leaves a bad feeling in my stomach. This issue I'm still somewhat unclear of what caused it. My belief is that I may not have let the water/dye mixture dry long enough before applying my first coat of waterlox. Some research and common sense says to me that the water trying to evaporate from underneath the waterlox caused the veneer to crack. What I take away from this and from what I've read maple veneer is not easy to work with. It is very dependent on it's moisture levels to stay nice. Definitely allow more than enough time for moisture levels to return to normal after ironing and staining/dying. Anyone have any input on why this happened?
Finally, thanks to everyone on this board and to Paul and Erich for the design and the awesome kit! This board is great community of people interested in the hobby and there is a HUGE wealth of knowledge available here. I officially have the bug! I've been thinking constantly about what I can do next. Very soon I think I'll be ordering the parts to build a set of Speedsters. My brother just moved into his first house, is getting married in a few months and is the person that got me into audio and the existence of DIY audio. He's got a really nice pair of DIY speakers that 'I think' are an imitation of a set of Focal MTMs based on a very highly regarded set form the mid 90s (?). Not sure exactly. Anyway, I was originally planning on another set of OS MTs for him but seeing as it will be a house warming/wedding gift for someone so important to me I want to go more high end. It's between Lou C's Piccolatas or the Speedsters but I'm leaning towards the Speedsters because I've never heard a ribbon tweeter and it's cool design.
Expect to see me around these parts more often!
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