Curved Statements

[bigjohn]

I've been a long time lurker and learned a lot, and I've finally decided to get a little more active and show my curved statements build, realistically this will probably take me the next 6-8 months to complete.

Here are my current sealed statements, with 12'' sub base, while I love how they sound I want to do something to improve the aesthetics.



Here's is model for the new curved version, this is without the sides or front face. as of right now I plan on using some solid Bubinga as the front baffle, and painting the sides a matte black. In addition to these I plan on building a aluminum base, that I will design later.



Any and all comments welcome, thank you for looking

[Mark_1042]

Are those Dayton HF-12 subs? I've got the HF-10 and I love it, nice punchy bass and it goes pretty deep. I've always wondered how the 10" would sound when compared to the 12". Some awesome subs.

The plan looks great, should be a great build to watch.

[bigjohn]

That is correct, those are Dayton HF-12's, and they are freakin sweet, though after I finish the new Statements I'm going to upgrade the subs as well to a pair of SI 15's (http://stereointegrity.com/index.php?id=60) and the 12's will be going to my parents along with some Statements Monitors that are on my list of things to build.

There's a CNC shop next to my work and got a quote from them to do the pieces for the curved Statements and it was surprisingly reasonable, I think I'm going to go with them for that part of the build, it'll save me time and be a lot more precise then I can do.

[JonMarsh]

That is correct, those are Dayton HF-12's, and they are freakin sweet, though after I finish the new Statements I'm going to upgrade the subs as well to a pair of SI 15's (http://stereointegrity.com/index.php?id=60) and the 12's will be going to my parents along with some Statements Monitors that are on my list of things to build.

There's a CNC shop next to my work and got a quote from them to do the pieces for the curved Statements and it was surprisingly reasonable, I think I'm going to go with them for that part of the build, it'll save me time and be a lot more precise then I can do.

Major time saving and precision is something worth paying a bit for! :T

[dsrviola]

Mark_1042, I've used both the 10" and the 12" drivers. I have a definite preference for the 10" drivers: they go down deep enough (maybe not LOUD enough for some people...) and they play up high (into woofer territory) with more grace than the 12's.

[bigjohn]

I know its been a while, I was distracted by my new car a 2010 Mini Cooper S, I found one without a sunroof a must for me as I am 6'8''



Now back to the speakers,
Got the parts in from the CNC shop and overall everything was spot on, there were a few of the inner hole sizes that were off but nothing I cant live with:
Dry fit:





Camped and gluing up:



First skeleton done:

[BobEllis]

At 6'8" I would have gone for a sunroof with a pair of goggles.

Nice looking build so far. I'm always impressed by people who take the time to put that much craftsmanship in areas that won't show.

[BeerParty]

Here are my current sealed statements, with 12'' sub base, while I love how they sound I want to do something to improve the aesthetics.

And what, may I ask, is wrong with the aesthetics of these?

Excellent project, I love the curved design you are creating. Keep the pictures coming!

[bigjohn]

At 6'8" I would have gone for a sunroof with a pair of goggles.

Nice looking build so far. I'm always impressed by people who take the time to put that much craftsmanship in areas that won't show.

When I was in college I was a valet and loved driving the little convertible with the tops down so I could stick my head out over the windshield, it was tons of fun, though I would get the weirdest looks from people on the street.

Thank you, doing the design in solidworks and having the CNC cut it, lets me get pretty creative and do things that I would never get close too on my own.

[bigjohn]

And what, may I ask, is wrong with the aesthetics of these?

Excellent project, I love the curved design you are creating. Keep the pictures coming!

I know not much, but I see all the places that I could have done better at, and wanted try something new, and a pair of Jon's Isiris wasn't quite in the budget at least not this year. I'll get as many pics as I can coming, just might take awhile.

[bigjohn]

Quick update, been busy building a closet organizer but have found time to get the first 2 layers on one side:

[Steve Manning]

Bigjohn ....... the build is looking very nice so far, love the curves on the cabinet, one of these days I'm going to have to give that a try. Even though your method for getting the curves seems to be working very well I thought you might get a kick out of this http://www.curvomatic.com/

Steve

[bigjohn]

Hi Steve...Thank you, I cant wait to get them finished, I ordered the ports and binding posts today..I have a pair of lineup R44's that aren't in use and have been toying with the idea of buying the woofers and building new crossovers so I can do an actual comparison between the two, then when I go back to having an HT I can have those for surrounds...I've seen that before, and thought about it till I saw the price:blink:, including the straps I think I have about $40 into mine

[bigjohn]

A quick update got one box completed!

[oldloder]

Very nice John, looking forward to the finish too. Curious about the aluminum base, I'm actually thinking about an aluminum baffle for mine (if can ever get them started).

How do you like the workbench? I actually bought one of those in order to have a decent working surface to build my Statements on.

[bigjohn]

Very nice John, looking forward to the finish too. Curious about the aluminum base, I'm actually thinking about an aluminum baffle for mine (if can ever get them started).

How do you like the workbench? I actually bought one of those in order to have a decent working surface to build my Statements on.

Getting a project like this off the ground is always the hardest part, I had this design in my head for over a year before i finally got started. An aluminum baffle will look awesome on these, I decided to nix the AL base at least for now and use MDF with some brushed AL legs.

I really like the table, makes assembly much easier, I looked at it and the one at Rockler and couldn't justify the price increase.

[scardeal]

Is that the Harbor Freight table?

[bigjohn]

Is that the Harbor Freight table?

Yep, it is, its a great deal when its on sale, I have no complaints.

[oldloder]

Getting a project like this off the ground is always the hardest part, I had this design in my head for over a year before i finally got started. An aluminum baffle will look awesome on these, I decided to nix the AL base at least for now and use MDF with some brushed AL legs.

I really like the table, makes assembly much easier, I looked at it and the one at Rockler and couldn't justify the price increase.

Yeah, mine won't be nearly as creative or complicated as curved cabs, pretty straight up as designed ... that's still enough for me to get anxious and overthinking before I can get started.

I think any aluminum in there will be a nice design element given those mids ... cool.

I actually grabbed two of those harbor freight tables ... I think they were on sale for $119 a piece. As long as they don't fall down in the first year they're probably a steal, lol.

[bigjohn]

Update...I know its been awhile:



In May we decided to put our house on the market, so I put the speaker production on hold, the good news is that we sold the house for a fair bit more then we paid for it after 3 years, and we went from a subdivision to almost 6 acres! The bad news is that I went from 850+ ft2 garage to a 320 ft2 shop. I had originally planned on HVLP painting the speakers, but the new shop doesn't have 230V for my compressor. In the ended up using rattle cans, but the finish turned out pretty good, and I am satisfied with it so far.

[kevinm]

Hey John,

What material did you use on the sides? And how many layers?

[bigjohn]

Hey John,

What material did you use on the sides? And how many layers?

I used four layers of 3/16 hard board for each side, then a layer of 1/8 for the top and back to minimize the visible seams.

[kevinm]

NIce. I'll have to keep that in mind

They look nice! Keep the updates coming.

[bigjohn]

Got home from work last night to find the aluminum for the feet waiting for me:



And 20 minutes later:



Next I need to drill and tap the holes, then give them a brushed finish and get them anodized!

[TEK]

Next I need to drill and tap the holes, then give them a brushed finish and get them anodized!

How do you do that?

[bigjohn]

How do you do that?

On pieces this small sand paper works just fine, I have some PSA sandpaper that I put on my workbench, then its just a mater of keeping the lines as straight as possible.

[FlashJim]

On pieces this small sand paper works just fine, I have some PSA sandpaper that I put on my workbench, then its just a mater of keeping the lines as straight as possible.

I can't wait to see pics of that. Keep us posted!

[BeerParty]

Next I need to drill and tap the holes, then give them a brushed finish and get them anodized!

Won't getting them anodized ruin the brushed finished? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I've just never seen anodized aluminum.

[bigjohn]

Won't getting them anodized ruin the brushed finished? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I've just never seen anodized aluminum.

Its a good question, I looked it up in a process spec we have at work and the proper order is to brush finish then anodize, while it might change the sheen on the parts, the anodizing is to stop corrosion

[talladega]

Won't getting them anodized ruin the brushed finished? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I've just never seen anodized aluminum.

I think powdercoating would be what would ruin it. Anodizing somehow soaks into the metal a bit instead of adding a layer, i think?

[Hank]

Your description of anodizing is correct and it does stop the forming of aluminum oxide. Powder coating adds thickness, like regular paint, but boy it is one tough finish for steel.

[bigjohn]

I got the parts for the bases back from the CNC shop yesterday, hopefully I'll have them glued sanded and stained by this weekend:

[dane_peterson]

Replied to subscribe. Great looking build.

Is it inappropriate to ask how much the CNC shop charged? I always wonder what something more advanced would cost to have cut...

[bigjohn]

Replied to subscribe. Great looking build.

Is it inappropriate to ask how much the CNC shop charged? I always wonder what something more advanced would cost to have cut...

Thanks! Hopefully I can actually finish it soon, its been almost a year! The CNC shop I used charges $60 an hour, I provided the drawings and the material so the cost was just in nesting the panels on the stock and then cutting, overall I thought it was quite reasonable.

[bigjohn]

I got one finished!



Here is the comparison between the new one and the old one:



I hope to have the other one completed by this weekend, and I'll post better pictures of that one.

[JonMarsh]

Looks very nice! :T

It's a good feeling to get to this part of a project, isn't it?

[bigjohn]

Looks very nice! :T

It's a good feeling to get to this part of a project, isn't it?

It is, with over a year in the works, I'm both excited and sad to see it come to an end.

[TEK]

Nice looking build :-)

I assume you have your next project planned already

I find that I currently have at least 3-5 different "projects" currently cued.
- DIY router table with router lift and water cooled spindel (design mostly sorted out, work started, awaiting parts)
- Building a new workbench (good old style), that also can hold my router table, and maybe a saw table (in design phase)
- Building "something that works like a paint booth", get paint equipment, and learn to spray-paint
- Final finish on my two arent inspiered subs (clear coating, awaiting knowledge about spay-paiting ;-)
- Wavecor Ardent build (design phase)
-) Wavecor Ardent suited center channel (don't know how that will work out)
(ups - thats 6)

So, I guess I have something to do for the next few years or so...

[bigjohn]

Thank you TEK, I'm looking forward to your Ardent build, once I build a house those are on my list.

I do have a list, unfortunately not much audio for awhile:

- 20'x10' storage shed, the biggest I can build without a permit in my area
- run a 230V line from the house to the shop so I can get my compressor up and running again, and learn how to HVLP paint
- start the design and permitting for a new 1200 ft^2 shop and 2500-3000 ft^2 house
- and enough yard work to last me the a year of Saturdays