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cab building question- hardware

Crockettnj

Crockettnj

Sep 2, 2005
2,552
64
North NJ
#1
For those who have built your own, is there a metallic cab corner that works with 1/2" plywood cabs?

what radius do you use when routing cabs made of 1/2" ply (without removing too much wood!)

I am considering this style
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but am not sure if it is designed for 3/4 or 1/2" wood, or what the radius is.

I am assuming you cant route the same radius on a 1/2" ply cab as you would on a 3/4" ply cab. Wont you run out of wood?

I have used plastic in the past and am going for a different look on this project- zinc/steel.


Thanks for your insight.
 
#2
Crockettnj said:
For those who have built your own, is there a metallic cab corner that works with 1/2" plywood cabs?

what radius do you use when routing cabs made of 1/2" ply (without removing too much wood!)

I am considering this style
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

but am not sure if it is designed for 3/4 or 1/2" wood, or what the radius is.

I am assuming you cant route the same radius on a 1/2" ply cab as you would on a 3/4" ply cab. Wont you run out of wood?

I have used plastic in the past and am going for a different look on this project- zinc/steel.

Thanks for your insight.
Click to expand...

I would not use 1/2" ply to make a speaker cabinet it is simply too flimsy IMO. The standard, if you can call it that, is 3/4" and most cabinet hardware is made to reflect that. I use a 1/2" radius router bit to round off the edges and, once the cabinet is covered, I have not experienced any problems with hardware.

Paul
 
#3
BassmanPaul said:
I would not use 1/2" ply to make a speaker cabinet it is simply too flimsy IMO. The standard, if you can call it that, is 3/4" and most cabinet hardware is made to reflect that. I use a 1/2" radius router bit to round off the edges and, once the cabinet is covered, I have not experienced any problems with hardware.
Click to expand...

Plenty of high output boxes use 11-ply 5/8 or EU equivalent - even subwoofers which create a lot more internal pressure than bass cabs - and some use 9-ply 1/2". 3/4 is the "standard" because it doesn't require much design expertise or a higher quality plywood to get decent results with, and can be quicker to assemble when you don't use much bracing or trick joints.

Crockettnj,

Could use rack corners since you are going for the zinc/steel thing. I've even considered using rack parts all around, aluminum angle runners and the like, and including the outer surface plastic instead of rat fur or industrial paint - except for on the baffle board where I would use rat fur for its decent gasket and absorptive properties. With this external approach and well-planned aircraft bracing you could even go 3/8. possibly even 1/4" if you did your homework.

The link below has the materials - make sure you also look at their PDF on grilles.

http://www.reliablehardware.com/

A pro sound installer/builder and general music store in Portland Oregon has done the rack approach for years; a couple older examples in Bass Northwest's USED section:

Brownell%20Sound%20112%20JBL%20small_179.jpg


Brownell%20Sound%20112%20JBL%20large_199.jpg
 
#4
I'm pretty sure that the 0.51" dimension on the product description would mean that it is ok with 1/2 ply wood but i agree that 5/8 or 3/4 would be a more suitable thickness to use. You can put a 1/2 radius on 1/2 wood but i would experiment with the raidus cutter and only remove as much wood as you need for the corners to fit properly, if you are using carpet covering you may not need to remove as much wood.
 
#5
eeeh gads. That is NOT the look I am after ... not in the least! Thanks for the response and effort though.

This is for a nice little bedroom cab project. I am going for the Fender supersonic type appearance.
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The dimensions/tuning/design work is all done. I do need help with the fine touches like this (thread) though.
All of my other projects have been rough looking DIY's or modifications of existing cabs. Nothing to look at though functional.

Perhaps I should rephrase my question. It was late and upon rereading the OP it's, well, a little jumbled.


To those who have experience with 1/2" plywood DIY cabs:

If you were to use 1/2" ply and duratex-type covering, with the goal of using metallic cab corners only, 1) what (appropriate) router radius would you use? 2) is there a metallic cab corner that would match this radius? 3) do you have a link to it?

Thanks
 
#6
Crockettnj said:
eeeh gads. That is NOT the look I am after ... not in the least! Thanks for the response and effort though.
Click to expand...

Just an example and some ideas. Those saying you need thick plywood spurred it actually. I mean, 1/2" 9-ply Finnish or Russian BB puts a lot of commercially used 3/4" to shame.

In fact I have an old cab that uses 3/8" except for the baffle which is 1/2" and with a high output driver in it it vibrates less than a lot of 3/4" bass cabs with lesser drivers. Bracing is not profuse in it by any means, but it is in the right places and amounts, and gluing was done right.

Anyway back to the radius of corners: on that cab it seems to be around 1/4" and some commercially available plastic stacking corners fit it with no gap. I suggest just buying the corners you want to use and measuring.
 
#8
The part you want is Penn-Elcom, C1824K. These are expressly sized for 1/2" material. I buy them in bags of 100. You can buy smaller quantities, but Penn has a $50 minimum order (last time I looked).

As for building cabs out of 1/2", this is perfectly acceptable. With bracing. Commercial cabs are made from 3/4" and no bracing because it is cheap due to low labor cost. And heavy. Custom cabs can be made from 3/8" or 1/2" baltic birch when properly braced. I have one that will support a Humvee without buckling.

Properly braced cabs run up the labor costs dramatically. They also reduce the weight dramatically. Time is money.
 
#9
For rounding the edges and corners of cabinets made of 1/2" thick plywood, I use a 1/4" radius round-over router bit with a ball bearing guide.

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The 1/4" radius round-over leaves enough plywood material to retain strength on glued corner butt joints, and it looks real nice. ( 3/8" or 1/2" round-overs remove too much material, IMHO.)

However... I have not found any metal corners that have a 1/4" internal radius. The Penn-Elcom 1823 and 1824 have a 1/2" internal radius and don't fit perfectly, but they are what I use as well. I'm still looking.
 
#10
bgavin said:
The part you want is Penn-Elcom, C1824K. These are expressly sized for 1/2" material. I buy them in bags of 100. You can buy smaller quantities, but Penn has a $50 minimum order (last time I looked).

As for building cabs out of 1/2", this is perfectly acceptable. With bracing. Commercial cabs are made from 3/4" and no bracing because it is cheap due to low labor cost. And heavy. Custom cabs can be made from 3/8" or 1/2" baltic birch when properly braced. I have one that will support a Humvee without buckling.

Properly braced cabs run up the labor costs dramatically. They also reduce the weight dramatically. Time is money.
Click to expand...

I found those same Penn-Elcom pieces at Parts Express, BTW.
 
#12
Crockettnj,

Before you order, take a look at these two corners, one's black the other zinc. They're 3/16" radius, but perhaps they'll be an alternative to consider. Both are 65 cents each.

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Lloyd Howard

PS: Your Parts Express link above came up 404, Not Found. Also, a search for the part came up with this link:
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#15
I have my design sheets set up so I can change panel thickness with a single value. There isn't much weight savings dropping from 1/2" down to 3/8" to warrant the significant extra bracing required for those thin panels.

I ran the numbers on a proposed 1x15 + 2x8 project, and it only dropped the total weight by about 9 pounds on a 7 cubic foot (exterior) box.

I am yet unable to find the corners with the retaining hook that grabs the inside angle of the corner. I have a bunch of these in 3/4", but I no longer build anything in 3/4" so they are useless. The corners above work well, but they are still only a two-point retention.
 

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