The Defiants - InDIYana 2019 Build

[KEtheredge87]

BTW Keith, I forgot to mention in my earlier comment, nice job on the facets, it looks like they turned out perfect. Did the taper jig come with the Saw-Stop, or did you pick that up somewhere else, I need one.

Thanks Kevin! The taper jig was a separate purchase from that big ol' rainforesty store. It served the purpose, but I do wish it felt a bit more robust. Upon further inspection it appears the same bits of Chinesium used in this taper jig are packaged and sold under several brand names like Powertec, Woodtek, Big Horn, etc... About the same level of quality one might expect from ye ol' Hazard Fraught.

The angle scale included on it is better than nothing... but just barely. Definitely recommend using a better angle gauge to confirm what you're actually setting as the miter angle. Had I not confirmed, I would have been at nearly 6.5 degrees by eyeballing that scale alone. I'm picky .

[skatz]

Keith

On this demo, it appears you used a laminated 3/4 inch MDF to make the baffle 1.5" How did you determine that that was sufficient thickness to make the facets? I would guess that--depending on the geometry-- you might sometimes need more thickness in the baffle.

[KEtheredge87]

Keith

On this demo, it appears you used a laminated 3/4 inch MDF to make the baffle 1.5" How did you determine that that was sufficient thickness to make the facets? I would guess that--depending on the geometry-- you might sometimes need more thickness in the baffle.

Yessir! You guess correctly that baffle thickness may need to be thicker than the 1.5" that I am using. In fact, back in post 98 for this build thread I posted some pictures I borrowed from another forum where the builder was making an Avalon Acoustics clone shows a baffle made from at least 3 layers of MDF.

The short answer is that I CAD model everything when I initially plan a design. That includes thought experiments on how I will actually manufacture something.

The longer answer goes like this...
Initially my facets were designed by aesthetic preference... I just thought that the facet size I picked looked right for the cabinet. But, you have to check yourself against some practical limits of the method:

1) Tool limitations
- Blade height maxes out at ~3 1/8" on most table saws with a 10" blade
- The tallest part of your facet (from the tablesaw's surface) must be within 3 1/8" for a complete cut.
- Note: you can "start" a facet cut that is taller than 3 1/8" with your table saw, but you'll have to come back with a hand saw to finish the cut.
- One of those Japanese pull saws was recommended for this job.
- Be sure to consider your choice of sled / work fixtures in the decision process for facet size.
- Again... everything has to reference back to the saw's table and be within 3 1/8"
- Bevel angle is usually 45 degrees or less (where lower angles result in shallower / wider facet)
- Going higher than 45 gets closer and closer to a sharp 90 degree edge transition, which is what you're avoiding.
- Miter angle is usually very small. My taper jig maxes out at 15 degrees.
- Higher angles will cut into your baffle much steeper.

2) Design Limits
- Don't create thin sections where your facets get close to your walls / the corners of the cabinets.
- If you take a facet too close to the edge, you end up with a wall thickness less than the nominal thickness of your material.
- This is yet another reason to check these things in CAD.
- Use a "Sectioning Analysis" in Fusion360 (fancy word for cutaway view)
- This will let you observe the transition from cabinet to baffle with facets.
- Watch your minimum wall thickness and be sure you're comfortable with it!

3) Other considerations (not really limits... more personal preference)
You'll want to make sure that your facet doesn't restrict your choices of finish or create difficulty in handling / assembly later on. In my case, I wanted at least 1/4" of flat edge on all sides of my baffle for applying veneer, or paint, or whatever else I do. I suppose you could go thinner, but doing so in MDF seemed like a good way to end up with a dent in that part of the cabinet from hitting an edge on something during handling. Maybe I'm not careful enough!

Hope that helps!

[skatz]

Thanks for that. I don't do any CAD at all, and have no desire to learn it. I have enough software I'm trying to learn already. I was just thinking out loud, but your techniques seem quite solid, just not feasible by me.

[KEtheredge87]

Holy Moly It's been a while. Work has been progressing on the Defiants, but I've only had time for woodwork and not much time for documenting. A much needed vacation was thrown in there too! Let's see what I can catch up on here.

1) The front baffles are coming along nicely. Those are still being handled in the Secret Squirrel department, so no finished pictures at this time. I'm using playing cards as shims in the photo below to center the driver for mounting hole placement.

2) Veneering is 99% done. One more panel to flush trim tonight and we'll be there. I used a quilted plain sawn maple with heavy figure, and did my best to grain match the wrap all around the sides and back.

3) Flush trimming the veneer where the curved sides and top meet up with the back required me to use an actual veneer saw rather than a router flush trim bit. This was the first time I've used one of those veneer saws and I was pretty impressed! The saw is set up for right hand use, and for being used on top of the veneer. This made things a bit tricky when I needed to flush cut from underneath the veneer, so I used some delicate masking tape and a piece of MDF as a backer to cut the veneer while supporting the fibers and avoiding any tear out (tear UP?... if it's coming from below???... anyway).

4) Cabinet B has the driver holes cut into the cabinet proper! It felt a lot like an archaeologist opening a tomb that's been sealed for ages...or maybe just 4 weeks! I still need to cut the hole for the adjustable port on the backside.

5) My Blacked-Out Binding Posts are complete, and looking pretty dang good at this point! More details and photos in my next post.

Next steps - Get my butt in gear and race toward a properly setup cabinet for measurements and lightning fast XO development. Just under 1 month until InDIYana!

[skatz]

Keith, just found myself wondering if you have ever used bending plywood, and how it would compare with using the HDF you have in this project? I have not worked with it, but some of the specialty wood suppliers have it in a variety of thicknesses. I would assume you would still need to laminate it.

[KEtheredge87]

Keith, just found myself wondering if you have ever used bending plywood, and how it would compare with using the HDF you have in this project? I have not worked with it, but some of the specialty wood suppliers have it in a variety of thicknesses. I would assume you would still need to laminate it.

Hey bud! I have not seen that material before... pretty nifty! I found some quick info googling for "flexible plywood" and I'd guess this stuff could be used in a similar manner to the HDF. The strength in these composite designs lies in the layering effect, so that effect should be similar whether you're forming HDF or bending plywood. The only difference I would guess might be in the resonance / acoustic properties if the density of the plywood is lower than the HDF... might give you more of a hollow sound unless you increase the number of layers vs. HDF. I'll have to keep this in mind as an option for future projects!

[skatz]

Yes, agree with you. It wouldn't need to be forced into a curve, so might be easier to work with.

[4thtry]

Nice card trick for centering the speaker in the recess

[KEtheredge87]

Blacked Out Binding Posts - Part 1

When your design just SCREAMS for some tricked-out black binding posts and you don't want any gold trim poking out ruining the aesthetic, you have to take matters into your own hands. Starting with a set of Dayton Audio Satin Nickel HD Binding Posts, I used the following method to paint the exposed areas a nice satin black color. These binding posts are nickel plated (likely plated over brass), so they won't take a coat of paint fresh out of the box. We need to get aggressive and attack that nickel coating to give the paint something to key into.

NOTE: AVOID any paint contact on the threads, or any internal surfaces where electrical contact will be made.

Prep
00) Remove red and black colored rubber bands from the caps. Save them for later.
01) Use 120 grit sandpaper to rough up all the flat surfaces of the binding posts that you want to paint. I used a 120 grit flap wheel on low speed from Dremel.
02) Use 180 grit buff to rough up all the surfaces of the binding posts you want to paint. Again... low speed Dremel tools are your friend.
03) Blast any leftover sanding debris from the caps and posts with compressed air.
04) Soak all components in a mineral spirits bath for 15 minutes to degrease / clean away any solvents or materials lurking in the crevices.

Optional - use an oven to bake the parts for 15 minutes at ~150 deg F to thoroughly dry / evaporate any leftover cleaning materials

05) Prep the posts - 1/4" dowel rod through the post, masking tape on the threads, use a bit of sticky tack to plug the hole where a banana plug gets inserted.
06) Prep the caps - I used an oversize dowel rod and sanded it down until the cap just barely fit on top. This sufficiently protected the threads inside the cap from any paint.

Prime
07) Prime - Use an automotive self etch primer to attack the nickel coating and leave a good surface for paint, 3 light layers - Let dry for 24 hours
It HAS to be self etch primer. The acid attacks the nickel coating and allows for proper adhesion of the primer and paint to follow.
08) De-nib - Use a white synthetic finishing pad to knock down any high spots on the primer.

Paint
09) Paint - Use your color coat paint to spray 3 thin layers following can instructions. I used Krylon lacquer gloss black. - let dry for 24 hours.
10) De-nib - Use a white synthetic finishing pad to knock down any high spots on the paint.

Protect
11) Protect - I followed up with 3 light coats of Krylon satin clear finishing spray to add a protective layer - let dry at least 24 hours (I went on vacation, so it dried for 5 days before I touched it again)
12) De-nib - Use a white synthetic finishing pad to knock down any high spots on the protective layer.

1st Set of Pictures from the Prep Stage

[KEtheredge87]

Blacked Out Binding Posts - Part 2

When your design just SCREAMS for some tricked-out black binding posts...

2nd Set of Pictures from the Prep / Prime Stage

[KEtheredge87]

Blacked Out Binding Posts - Part 3

When your design just SCREAMS for some tricked-out black binding posts...

3rd and Final Set of Pictures from the Paint / Protect Stage

[Wolf]

Nicely done! I've thought of just spraying the satin posts with VHT tint spray to get a black-chrome look before, but probably would not have done this thorough of a job.
Later,
Wolf

[KEtheredge87]

Nice card trick for centering the speaker in the recess

Thanks Bill! I don't know many magic tricks... so at least this one's useful!

Nicely done! I've thought of just spraying the satin posts with VHT tint spray to get a black-chrome look before, but probably would not have done this thorough of a job.

Thanks Ben! I had considered having a friend sandblast the areas I wanted to paint, but decided against it. Not sure how anyone could selectively sandblast the same way I can mask off and use etching primer.

[wogg]

Holy attention to detail!

I'm going to use you as an example when my wife thinks I'm being to anal retentive about a project.