Making a cabinet lighter.

[whatisacup]

I'm currently thinking out loud, so this might be the stupidest idea of all time, please be nice.

It seems using 1/2" as opposed to 3/4" plywood with good bracing is becoming very popular.

Has anyone ever tried getting an old heavy cabinet that they love and using a tool like this to get rid of some weight?

Filing down areas that don't need the support, keeping important areas then adding bracing?

I'm not asking about how difficult it would be to do, but has anyone done something similar then adding bracing and neo drivers?

I know buying a cabinet is more practical, but this is a hypothetical.

Again thinking out loud.

[Hapa]

re covering with tolex or carpet would be a trick. But to answer you post I don't know of anybody doing that for weight. For aesthetics like Bergantino and BNA designs logo. The cabinet should have bracing of some sort and you are weakening the weakest area of the cabinet that keeps if from resonating. The idea that the more the cabinet vibrates the more energy is lost from the drivers. removing wood just makes it less strong/stiff to combat resonating.

[Mr. Foxen]

More effort that making the cab right to start with.

[Codger]

JohnK did a bit of that on the 3/4" baffle of his Streamliner.

[Russell L]

Originally Posted by Mr. Foxen

More effort that making the cab right to start with.

That's correct. Besides, you'd have to miss fasteners along the joints, or leave it thick there. Then, replacing the drivers might not work, as what was in it was designed to work with the cab. If the new ones aren't compatible the sound would be bad. After all that you'd still have to recover it, or just paint it. Personally I'd rather buy a new cab.

[basscooker]

beyond the above mentioned stuff, i'm not even sure you'd be removing more weight than the bracing you mentioned adding afterward would have.

[rpsands]

Braced 1/2 is a lot lighter than unbraced 3/4.

[Jaco who?]

I think with some of the older Peavey tvx cabs it would be a great idea. The problem would be getting a router to fit next to the corners where the thinner wood wouldn't matter. Is that Norm Abrahms dude still around?

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by whatisacup

Has anyone ever tried getting an old heavy cabinet that they love and using a tool like this to get rid of some weight?

Filing down areas that don't need the support, keeping important areas then adding bracing?

I have thought about it, but haven't done it.

The problem is that in order to really shave off serious weight, You have to route deep. And as said before, You'd want to route close to the edges, which is impossible on a finished cab.

The easiest and cheapest way of reducing the panel weight without compromising the structural integrity that badly would be to cut brazing grooves and use a simple forstner bit to remove some material.

A lot of work for no real weight saving if You ask me though, empty cabs don't weigh that much.
Except the concrete, granite and soupstone ones, but then You usually don't need to worry about moving 'em either .

It becomes entirely different scenario if You're building the cab.
The panels can then be routed precisely and for the best weight/stifness ratio.

Regards
Sam

[wounded horse]

Waste of effort. You'd be better off getting one of these.

[sawzalot]

Most of the weight of a cab is in the drivers, not the case. So the best way to reduce weight is to reduce the weight of the drivers, which is why Neodymium drivers gained so much popularity (until Neodymium became so expensive).

Tom

[Mr. Foxen]

The weight saving from neos is also from the cab wood, since the magnet is lighter, you can have a thinner baffle since there is less stress on it.

[will33]

It's kind of like doing sculpture. Just fire up the router and remove everything that's not a light cabinet.