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Another DIY cab thread. Loud, Small, and Cheap. 22 pounds that pounds.

#121
Thanks very much. I've dry fit and marked the trouble spots. One of my cuts drifted 1/8 inch proud of the mark. I can't figure out why, but that edge will be out on the front lip where the grill frame recesses, and a belt sander will take it down level with the adjoining panel.

The other bad spot was the result of a stupid error. I was standing on the cord and the saw twisted a bit when I suddenly hit the end of the slack. I think the PL will take care of that. Otherwise it's just some annoying tearout, which I'll pre-score next time.

Pretty sure I'll finish this shakeout build this week and be cutting the B&C cabs next weekend, hopefully with improved technique.
 
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#122
Good ply deserves a good cut.
Best to recut to straighten the cut. Trim off a 1/16 inch off both sides. It's not going to affect the cabinet tuning much. You can adjust with the port later.
A hint, get a sheet of rigid foam, put it on the floor, put the ply on top, set the saw to barely cut through the ply and cut right on top of the foam.
All the cuts will be supported. The foam board can be used over and over again. It's very safe to cut this way.
That angle you got, double stick tape it down to a piece of Masonite and cut off the extra masonite. You can them just place the masonite on the cut line and not have to measure an offset.
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Or look into a track saw.
 
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#124
If, like me, you're waiting for the 12cl64 to be back in stock at Parts Express, do not despair. I confirmed with B&C that they shipped this driver last week. It's unfortunate that Parts Express is now saying 12/26 on a restock, but I think they must actually have it by now and are just working on getting it back in the system.

I have my wood cut and parts in hand, including the Mojotone silver matrix grille cloth, which should look great with the Tone Hammer.

EDIT: As of 12/19, the drivers are in transit to me. Due to arrive 12/24.
 
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#125
image-32.jpg

With the drivers due Wednesday, it's time to start the glue-up. Step 1 is gluing the port shelf to the back. Pan-head screws and fender washers ensure that the screw holes remain small and easily back-filled with dowel once the glue is set. Corner clamps help hold the right angle; glad I invested in four of these.
 
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#127
The dowels are simply to fill the screw holes and don't need to contribute anything structural. On my 3012ho project, I countersank the screws, left them in, and filled the holes, but decided to go a different route this time. This pan-head method is just a simple way to end up with very small, clean-edged screw holes that will fill nicely with dowel.
image-33.jpg
 
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#129
Ah, now I understand. I chose instead to clamp while glueing. For some joints it was easier to use a 23gauge pin nailer to hold things while also clamping. The pins just stay in place.

BTW, I used a pair of these cabs again at a gig this past Friday in a fairly large room (about 40-50000 cubic feet). Wonderful. Had to limit the volume on the Aguilar TH500 so we wouldn't have too much stage volume! In another venue, about half the size, one cab works well, especially if I'm in a corner.
 
#131
image-36.jpg


Nobody else seems to have this problem, but I've encountered it on both my builds to date. The metal grille is proud of the front lip. I don't want to make my grille cloth proud of the lip, so for now I'll omit the metal grilles. I'll reassess later. And my next build will recess the baffle 2 inches.

On a happier note, I have both cabs fully enclosed and braced. The pictured unit has been sanded and has passed the leak test, with the other unit in sanding.

image-35.jpg

The rice test verifies cab tuning at 62hz, spot on. That was the first time I had done the test, and my 13 year old son helped me. A very cool example of everyday physics.

I'll have finished photos soon, along with some good build process shots. I have a special stand in the works, but that's a week or two down the line.

Stay tuned!
 
#133
I recommend a 1.5" lip on this one, which throws the cut sheet.

What really sucks is that I've rounded all the edges, so it's not as simple as gluing an extension strip onto the front edge.

I've just applied my second coat of Duratex, and everything is looking good. I prefer using the textured roller for every coat; a plain-nap roller skids too much. I've got a good, pronounced texture going.

I also bought a six of Angry Orchard Cider, per Loactn's advice. Good stuff.
 
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#135
Success!

Stack1B.jpg


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I finished the build last night and tweaked the grill cloth today. (The Mojotone Silver Matrix pattern proved to be a great match with the Aguilar TH500, IMO.)

When my stand comes in, I'm going to break out my last bit of Duratex to coat it, and at that time I'll also dress the front edges of the cabs, which didn't get enough Duratex.

I love these cabs. The tone is thick and smooth, and very EQ-able within the range I like. There's not much Hi-Fi top-end crispiness here, but there is solid midrange all day long, which extends nicely into the lower mids and gives your sound wonderful girth. I especially like what these do with my Rogue VB-100 with LaBella flats (shown). That bass has a nice woodiness, and these cabs just coat that tone in dark chocolate and push it out with ease.

I want to thank Lowactnsatsfctn for developing this design and sharing it with the community, and Rick Auricchio for translating the design into helpful build notes, documentation and patient advice. I learned a great deal about speaker design and about basic cabinetry.

Here are a few build process shots...

BC1.png

LEFT: Top view, with internal bracing. Such an elegant design. RIGHT: Showing the top panel in place, with bracing astride the handle cutout.

BC2.png

LEFT: Corner clamps hold the angle, while glue and screws ensure a tight lockup. RIGHT: Paint the port before installing the bottom panel.

BC3.png

LEFT: Marking the tee nut locations. RIGHT: verifying the tee nut fit before installing the baffle.

BC4.png

LEFT: The rice test verifies cab tuning at 62Hz. RIGHT: Ralph tries to contribute.

BC5.png

LEFT: The Rockwell compact circular saw was a game changer for me - light and precise. RIGHT: Clean cut from the Rockwell.
 
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#137
My first build was a 1-12 with the Eminence Kappalite 3012ho, so my baseline for 1-12 power has been set unusually high. That said, this design provides thicker overall tone along with ample volume. While I like the tightness and punch of the 3012ho, I have to say that this design is overall more useful and a better value for my taste. Someone wanting a brighter voiced cab might still want to check out the Emi, IMO.
 
#138
FerruleCat said:
My first build was a 1-12 with the Eminence Kappalite 3012ho, so my baseline for 1-12 power has been set unusually high. That said, this design provides thicker overall tone along with ample volume. While I like the tightness and punch of the 3012ho, I have to say that this design is overall more useful and a better value for my taste. Someone wanting a brighter voiced cab might still want to check out the Emi, IMO.
Click to expand...
Also sounds interesting. What was the volume and porting of that cab? Just curious.
 

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