Translam Subwoofers with 18" Passive Radiators - The Jedi Mind Tricks

[jhollander]

Sorry John, I'm not following... what are you referring to here?

The Rustoleum ultra cover doesn't spray well in an HVLP spray gun. It's been touted as drying hard for furniture like speakers. I guess people are brushing or rolling.

[KEtheredge87]

Got it. Thank you! I've not invested in an HVLP spray setup yet... maybe one day! I just used the el cheapo foam brush for this job. I even washed it out when I was done. Penny pinching big time over here

[Kevin K.]

Oh yeah... I forgot that detail. I was using a spiral UPCUT bit so that I would clear the sawdust rather than jamming the dust down into the cut. I have a spiral down cut flush trim bit that I used on the outside of the veneer panels, and it behaved very nicely. Seeing how this was my first "veneer then route holes" approach, I forgot to get an appropriate router bit for that order of operations.

Do you think plunge cutting with a spiral down cut bit would cause problems, or am I worrying about nothing?

Thanks for getting me to think!

You're worrying about nothing. What size downcutter do you have? You could try it on the plug you cut out of the woofer opening. Cut a smaller hole using that drop and see how it works.

[KEtheredge87]

You're worrying about nothing. What size downcutter do you have? You could try it on the plug you cut out of the woofer opening. Cut a smaller hole using that drop and see how it works.

Thanks Kevin, My flush trim down cut spiral is 1/4", so it's the right size to work with the Jasper jig without any extra math, but the bearings are obviously in the way. I've got some Lowes gift cards to use, so I'll pick up a Bosch 1/4" down cut spiral tomorrow before I start to cut the other baffles. Luckily the chipping isn't too severe, and it will technically be on the back of the subwoofer. Call it a lesson learned in the right spot!

[KEtheredge87]

Hi Guys,

Today I went to lowes and grabbed that spiral downcut bit for use on my other rear baffle. No surprise, it made a very clean cut on the veneered surfaces! Lesson learned the hard way... don't forget to THINK about what bit you're using! The pictures below show the cut result, and the obvious difference between an UP cut and a DOWN cut bit on the veneer. My plan to fix the chipped places is to use the timbermate wood filler that I used on the rest of the cabinet. In order to color match the Maple / Beech / Pine colored timbermate, I mixed up a small batch using the Behlen Solar Lux NGR dye that I will be using on the rest of the baffles. This darkened the timbermate up nicely. While it probably won't be perfect, it will certainly blend in much better than it would have otherwise. Again, this side of the cabinet will be facing the wall. If there was ever a spot to make a boneheaded mistake, this was certainly it.

Another big part of today was sanding cabinet #2 down to 220 grit. That's my final finish grit, so that portion is ready for finishing work! That means I need to be incredibly careful not to get any PL premium or any other staining materials near the exterior of the cabinets!

The last picture tonight shows a test fit of the rear baffle with the SpeakON connector loose in it's eventual mounting hole. That connector fits perfectly in a 24mm hole, so yes... I bought a 24mm forstner bit. I'm going to have the biggest collection of odd sizes laying around. At least it was only $10 and I'm sure to use it on future SpeakOn connector mounts. I just hate sloppy oversized holes on my projects!

Tomorrow I should be able to apply the stain and get the baffles finished to the point of glueing them on the cabinet. I started this process today by sanding the walnut veneer surfaces to 320 grit before vacuuming off dust and spraying them down with a mist of water to raise the grain. Tomorrow I'll knock down any raised grain with the 320 grit sanding sponge again and be ready for dying. I'm following the red/brown walnut color instructions from woodworker's source that I linked a few pages back. Once the stains have been applied and dried, it will officially be time to glue them in (no more excuses!) I have some ideas on how that whole glue-up will go. I kinda need to hold the baffles in exactly the right place (not too far in... not too far out), so I may use wood shims to strategically block parts of the baffle from sinking in while the adhesive dries. We'll see how successful I am, or whether that happens before MWAF!

[KEtheredge87]

Hey Everyone, good progress to report after today's efforts! I spent today working on the rear baffles and getting the stain(s) applied to all baffles in general.

The rear baffles needed their mounting holes drilled and hurricane nuts installed, so I went engineering overkill and did a 4 step process for the rear baffles.
1) I used one of those hinge installing drill bits (self centering / "Vix" bits) to be as accurate as possible) to drill a 1/8" pilot hole
2) flipped the baffle over and drilled a size F (0.257") blind hole for the shank of the hurricane nut (which measured a 0.253" OD)
3) flipped back to the front and drilled a 7/64" through hole to clear the 10-32 machine screws later on.
4) Used 5 minute epoxy and put a few dabs on the underside of each hurricane nut before hammering it home.

The finishing schedule I am using is from this YouTube video by Woodworkers Source

So far I'm really happy with the color on the baffles I have to let them dry for 24 hours (slow oil based wiping stain), and since I'll be out of town tomorrow night, I won't get to put any more work into these until Tuesday night. I should be able to get baffles glued in to one cabinet in time to take it to MWAF for show and tell, regardless of what state they are in!

Picture order: Hurricane nuts, first coat of dye, fourth coat of dye, glaze coat of wiping stain, final color as it dries.

[KEtheredge87]

Hi Everyone,

I just got home after being out of town last night, and went to check on the baffles that were drying in the garage. Maybe it was too humid in the garage, since I'm not sure the things totally dried. It doesn't photograph very well, but it still looks like there are some slightly oily spots amidst some of the dryer parts. As an experiment, I took a shop towel and buffed a bit of the front baffle that will eventually get cut away. It didn't leave a bunch of color or oily residue on the shop towel, but the baffle does have a different sheen to it in that spot (see the square-ish matte area in the middle of the third picture?)

Has anyone else ever used these wiping stains as a glaze coat before and seen this kind of behavior? I used this process on my Swope towers a few years back, but I don't recall seeing things like this. I'd like to start gluing up the baffles unless I'd risk marring the finish with a clamp somehow!

[KEtheredge87]

The internet is my savior! Well... more technically, Mark from Woodworkers Source is my savior. He responded to my post on the youtube video within 20 minutes of me posting my question and had this to say:

I took a look at your pictures. The spots are the oil in the stain rising to the top - why it's happening could be any number of reasons, but it's not normal. Fortunately, it's not a disaster, either.

Is it dry to the touch? If so, I wouldn't be alarmed. I'd try rubbing it with a finishing pad (or possibly a towel like you did) to knock down the shine and even it out. If they're wet, or tacky, that's a little worse. I would try wiping it down with mineral spirits. And that might remove all of the oil stain, or it might do nothing, or it might do something inbetween. Do a small area and give it a feel. Call me if you need a little more info 480-344-1020 ext 110

Fortunately, the panels were dry to the touch, so I went back with my 3M finishing pads and buffed all the dried oil puddles off the surface. The overall color did lighten just a bit, but I still really like it. I'm also confident the color and grain will pop back out once the polyurethane coats start going on.

What really impressed me the most about all this, is that I have not bought a single thing from Mark's store. The guy just seems to care for the craft and enjoy spreading his knowledge! Not to mention kinda gutsy for posting his phone number on a youtube comment! I think I need to buy a T-shirt or something now just to say thanks! The left-most picture is a before / after showing the effect of the 3M synthetic finishing pads. Major improvement over the bits of oil that pooled up!
Progress can now continue unfettered!

[JavadS]

Glad to hear it was fixable, never used that stuff, what is it, maybe I missed it? Thanks!

[KEtheredge87]

Glad to hear it was fixable, never used that stuff, what is it, maybe I missed it? Thanks!

Hey Javad, The stuff in question was Old Masters Wiping Stain - Spanish Oak color. I was using it as a glaze coat to add a bit of depth to the grain pattern in the quartersawn walnut. The stuff was applied after 3-4 coats of 50/50 diluted dye and a coat of zinsser seal coat dewaxed shellac. Apparently the oil base isn't supposed to stick around after this process. The idea is to lay down a complete coverage coat (good and thick) and work it into the grain with a brush. After 20 minutes, you start wiping off the stain gently until the color you're looking for is left behind. Then let it dry overnight. I figured something was up after 48 hours and the stuff was still mottled on the surface!

[KEtheredge87]

Alright guys... we've officially crossed the point of no return! PL Premium has been applied and baffles are glued in place on one cabinet

I did the big front baffle first and only applied the glue to the cabinet to make absolutely sure that I was biasing any squeeze out to the interior. The last thing I wanted was a line of glue squeezing out and staining my cabinet or my baffle. I'm fairly confident that I have a good glue line all around the baffle, but I didn't see any squeeze out at all.

When I went for the back baffle, I made sure to get some squeeze out just by being a bit more liberal with my application. I also put a very thin line on the baffle inside edges themselves for extra insurance.

The alignment of both baffles with the edges of the cabinets is pretty good. Not perfect, but certainly not visible unless your right up on it. I'm referring mostly to the corners where it's tough to get the edges to sit flush on both sides at the same time. These little things just highlight the importance of careful sanding and cutting!

I'm supposed to give these baffles 24 hours according to the tube (maybe more if it's too humid). If I don't run into any issues I may actually get to cut the front baffle and install drivers before MWAF! Thinking through that... my next challenge may be cutting the 18" PR recess with that baffle glued in. The cutter will be fine, but I wonder if the 3" more of router base that extends past that point will cut goofy if it rides on the edge of the cabinet (on an ever-so-slightly different plane than the baffle).

However it turns out, final finishing will have to wait until next week though. No way I'd get any appreciable amount of poly on before Friday.

Thanks for following along!

[KEtheredge87]

Good Morning...or Evening? It's midnight Eastern time... aww heck. Good <<Insert time of day>>!

Last night's PL premium glue up went off without a hitch, and I am happy to report things look good. I took the plunge (router pun) and cut my 18" PR cutout in the front baffle! I used the router until I had 1/8" of MDF left in my cutout, then used the jigsaw to finish it off. I knew the 18" plug would fall out if I went any further, and I wasn't about to do that with my jasper jig still pinned to it! I used a pattern bit in my router after removing that plug to clean up the ragged 1/8" lip that was left over.

After a quick shop vac cleanup, I FINALLY HAVE A PR SITTING IN THE CABINET!!!! Holy cow this thing looks awesome. I can't wait to get the mounting holes drilled out and get this thing ready for mounting! The cabinet still needs a bit of silicone on the baffle interior edges as an extra bit of insurance against gaps in my PL premium glue line, but I think I will wait until after MWAF to deal with that. Also need to get some egg crate mattress topper to put a slight lining on the cabinet walls.

It feels so strange to see this actually coming together! That Omnimic and MiniDSP that I plan to buy are going to have their work cut out for them once I get them home!

[JavadS]

Nice job Keith! Always feels good to clear a hurdle like this! =) Javad

[marvin]

Wow you called it close on the side edges of the veneer!! Almost no veneer left! Still, looks like you centered it perfectly!

[KEtheredge87]

Wow you called it close on the side edges of the veneer!! Almost no veneer left! Still, looks like you centered it perfectly!

Thanks Marvin! Yeah... that was SUPER close. It's a bit funny how you can design something in CAD and think it looks OK, then when you get to the construction phase you start wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea .

Cutting the PR recess after glue-up and veneer finishing was absolutely the right move though. No way I'd be able to move that thing into place with that crazy thin section without it breaking and me having two sections of baffle!