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fEARful 12/6 Flatpack Deluxe Kit From Speaker Hardware Build Thread & Review

#21
wcriley said:
I’ll not be able to get anything done on the cab until Thursday evening at the earliest, but here are some random thoughts. (Typed at work this morning.)

If I had it to do over again, I’d weight down the pack of wood for several days before unwrapping it. I scattered the pieces in my basement as soon as they arrived and started gluing the next morning, which probably contributed to the warping I experienced.

PL Premium gets discussed a lot in BFM’s forum; not so much here on TB. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up:
WEAR GLOVES! I’m yet to find anything that gets it off my fingers, other than letting it wear off.
The higher the temperature and humidity, the quicker it sets. I dampen the joint with water before applying the glue, which seems to speed things up.
Be careful where you put the caulking gun when you’re not using it. PL oozes out of the nozzle long after you release the pressure.
The easiest way to neaten things up where the PL squeezes out of joints is to let it cure and then scrape it off with a paint scraper or wood chisel. (I picked up that tip from BFM’s plans.) Trying to wipe it off while its wet just makes more of a mess.
Because PL expands, it wants to be under pressure while it cures. For the strongest results you’ll want to clamp/nail/screw each joint.

Most of us building from one of Leland’s flatpacks don’t have a brad nailer or a bunch of clamps in various sizes at our disposal. I’ve had success with the method BFM outlines in the plans for his DIY cabs: Drill pilot holes and use drywall screws every 4 to 6 inches along the joints. After the glue cures, remove the screws and fill the holes with putty before applying the finish. The pilot holes are necessary to keep the wood from splitting and (as I learned the hard way) it’s important to use the right size drill bit. I’ll try to remember to take and post pics demonstrating this procedure.

Had I gotten a “production” kit rather than an early prototype, the only tools I’d have needed would have been a drill (with appropriate bits) and a few clamps. You need at least 2 clamps to use the piece that Leland thoughtfully provides for keeping the panels square. One could maybe use a hammer and nails instead of a drill and screws, but I’m not sure nails would grip well enough to pull out any bows in the plywood.
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You probably weren't watching back in the 'early' fEarful days of the first couple threads, where PL was discussed in detail as well as the pros and cons of other glues. ;)

For those less prone to work with 30lb weights to do their builds, you could probably go here:

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...and buy a handful of cheap clamps for your build. 25 or 30 bucks later you'll have a lot less frustration in your build. You may find you can use them for follow up projects, etc. Otherwise, I think I'd be willing to spend a few extra dollars to make sure everything came out straight as well as keeping my frustration level to a minimum.
 
#24
greenboy said:
I think you can load up on clamps that'll do the job at Harbor Freight for considerably less. But I've often used screws or made "hold-in-place" pieces out of scrap plywood.
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Yeah, you could get away with just a few of the cheaper ones, but I always see guys building with about 10 of the bar clamps on their boxes...so I figured the more the merrier. ;)
 
#28
I go to harbor freight weekly.

For those who dont have clamps who plan on doing this, start checking their website or your newspaper saturday or sunday coupon circulars. There are always 20% off harbor freight coupons and they usually put clamps on special coupons. Ive bought all my clamps from there for all under 10 bucks each. The 12 inch ones I even got a pile of them for 1.99 each during a sale.

Heres their selection of clamps:
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The plastic tipped C clamps get the job done, but their aluminum bar clamps are wonderful.
 
#30
Clamps work but I'll never use'em again myself - brad nailer is just easier. It does cost more, but I think it's worth it once you've built more than one cabinet. I saved probably 2 hours of physical labor on my last cab which paid for the brad nailer ;)
 
#31
philter25 said:
I go to harbor freight weekly.

For those who dont have clamps who plan on doing this, start checking their website or your newspaper saturday or sunday coupon circulars. There are always 20% off harbor freight coupons and they usually put clamps on special coupons. Ive bought all my clamps from there for all under 10 bucks each. The 12 inch ones I even got a pile of them for 1.99 each during a sale.

Heres their selection of clamps:
Invalid Link Removed

The plastic tipped C clamps get the job done, but their aluminum bar clamps are wonderful.
Click to expand...
just avaoid the ratchet bar clamps made out of plastic handles, they snap with even the slightest amount of pressure :/ i broke 4 of em within a 1 week time period just from trying to tighten it enough to put a side board flush with a back board on a box :/
 
#32
rpsands said:
Clamps work but I'll never use'em again myself - brad nailer is just easier. It does cost more, but I think it's worth it once you've built more than one cabinet. I saved probably 2 hours of physical labor on my last cab which paid for the brad nailer ;)
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Yeah, and they are great for interior work at home too.
 
#33
greenboy said:
Yeah, and they are great for interior work at home too.
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yep. I put up some window screen, fixed the siding on my shed, put up a ton of siding on my old place, built a couple cabs, etc. etc.

Honestly, a lot of people would still recommend clamps in addition to brads, and I would not gainsay that advice. I'm just lazy. When I build a cab from now on it will be all done and drying with brad nails in a day or bust ;)
 
#36
BurningSkies said:
You probably weren't watching back in the 'early' fEarful days of the first couple threads, where PL was discussed in detail as well as the pros and cons of other glues. ;)
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True, I wasn't around back then. (I joined TB a year ago when Davio suggested in another forum that I check out the fEARful threads.)

My comments were intended to help people who don't have the time or ambition to read through 1,000,000 posts.;)
 
#37
wcriley said:
True, I wasn't around back then. (I joined TB a year ago when Davio suggested in another that I check out the fEARful threads.)

My comments were intended to help people who don't have the time or ambition to read through 1,000,000 posts.;)
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They're all lightweights then, and probably don't deserve a fEARful.
 

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