My full sized Statements II build

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 06:28 Wednesday

I proceeded to glue together all the parts with clamps to hold them together until the finished frames were complete.

Next i had to tackle the curved walls. This......was not easy! I had seen a number of different ideas on how to do this in various build threads and decided the most convenient way for me to do it was by gluing thin layers and clamping them down with strap clamps. The clamps i used for the first layer on the first side were just tie down straps with small thumb clamps on them. I quickly found that this just wasn't enough pressure and bought some 300kg ratchet straps. For anyone else planning on using this method, don't be stingey. Buy the good straps! Spend the extra money. Over the course of glueing all 24 layers i broke 8 cheap 300kg clamps. I wish i had've just bought the good quality ones in the first place.

As you can see in the photo's, i used 10 300kg ratchet clamps and 8 thumb clamp straps plus four heavy sandbags on each layer. They were under a huge amount of pressure but it worked really well and i was really happy with the result.

While completing the laminations on the first box i began worrying about them. I wasn't sure that i was getting a good bond between each layer and the edges looked awful. I soldiered on and completed all twelve layers on the first box. What a mess! I really was concerned!

But after throwing the flush router at them they were far better than i had realistically been expecting!

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 06:47 Wednesday

So i completed the two boxes and was overall really happy with how they came out! Only a couple of minor gaps here and there but certainly nothing out of hand.

On to the front baffle! This was the only part of the box i didn't have CNC'd. A- because i didn't have the drivers yet to accurately measure for the hole dimensions and recesses but also because B- i kinda wanted to do this part by hand :B

I have a small stick router that i made a circle jig up for which worked really well. I measured the center point for each hole onto the MDF board and temporarily (in case i stuffed it up.........which i did!) screwed the front baffle to the box. I then routered the recesses first and then used the hole that was CNC'd into the inside baffle underneath as a guide for a flush trim bit to cut out the hole out proper. On the second box i didn't realise, but when i screwed the MDF board to the box, it was slightly off center at the top. Of course this didn't matter while i cut all the recesses but as i worked my way up cutting out the actual holes, they were further and further out of line with the recesses. I finally realised my mistake and after much profanity and kicking myself, set to work on starting again. Second time lucky on this one!

It was a messy job!

After completing all the holes i glued the front baffle to the box and clamped it down.

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 07:05 Wednesday

During all this, a couple of large boxes arrived in the post! During the evenings and anytime it rained etc, i worked on the crossovers. Using Curt's new crossover schematic, I soldered them together and glued them to a piece of hard board. Initially i planned on securing these inside the speaker boxes on the backof the front baffle at the bottom. I've since decided i don't like that idea and think i'll re-do them and build them onto the removable bases around the bass tube. Partly so that i can attach the acoustic foam to all main surfaces inside the box but also so that they are easily removed if need be. If anyone has any other ideas on where to mount the crossovers i'd love to hear them!

I hooked all the drivers, including the new Vifa NE123's, up to the crossovers and tested them out. They worked! I was however, completely underwhelmed! i wasn't expecting much having them sitting on the carpet completely exposed but man, i was really disappointed :cry:

There was only one thing for it............install them into the boxes and test them again :lol:

WOW! I couldn't believe how great they sounded. Even without the foam lining or the bass port installed, they sounded absolutely fantastic! In fact, building stopped for about two weeks so i could listen to them. I didn't want to pull them apart again!

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 07:52 Wednesday

Eventually i moved on and dismantled them again and began working on the bases. I don't have many photos of this part but the finished bases, although they were supposed to be temporary, actually came out really nice. I've only completed one so far, tomorrows job, weather permitting, is to complete the second base. As the router bits guide bearing occasionally siezes and leaves small burn marks, i don't want to do it once the veneer is attached. Therefore i had to complete the base for each speaker before veneering.

I cut the back out of the base to ensure the bass port has enough room to breathe then sanded them back before applying primer and satin black spray paint.

The wheels are only temporary in order to move these massive, incredibly freaken heavy behemoths!

I then mounted some small 1cm, neodymium magnets around the front baffle and mid tunnels at the rear. These will be covered by the veneer and un-noticeable and are simply there in case i decide to build grills for them in the future. I was a bit worried about mounting the magnets so close to the drivers and was worried that it would affect the sound. So prior to installing them, i contacted Curt a second time with another small list of questions. Again his quick reply put to rest any fears of it affecting the sound which put my mind at ease.

With the speaker box construction now complete, i epoxied a line of brass wood screws down the front and back edge of each side to try and help hold the wall laminations in place. Im not sure if it was even necessary but i had read somewhere that over time, wood glue can "creep". This freaked me out as i plan on keeping these speakers for many years and the last thing i wanted was for the walls to fall apart. Again, i'm not sure if the screws helped but i feel they couldn't hurt right?

Next for the part i dreaded most.......veneer!

At any point during the build if i stuffed up, broke something, burnt something etc etc on the main box, it didn't really matter. It would be covered up! With the veneer, any stuff ups are readily visible for anyone to see! I did a number of test panels using the iron on, wood glue technique but found that the veneer would shrink as it was attached due to the heat, opening up big cracks and gaps in the grain. I was after all, using raw Jarrah veneer with no backing. This was just not good enough! So i settled on using contact cement.

Along with my flat mates help, we applied Ados F3 gel contact cement to both surfaces after a good sanding. The glue was left to dry until tacky but not wet. We then lay baking (wax) paper over the speaker and lay the piece of veneer on top of it. This way we could position the piece of veneer without the two pieces sticking. Once in place, my flat mate gently pulled the wax paper out by about 1cm. I lined the piece of veneer up perfectly and pressed it down. We began removing the paper and pressing down using my hands from the middle out to remove air bubbles.

Once we had completely removed the paper and secured the piece of veneer, we used a hard, 1 inch plastic roller and a piece of 1" x 1" wood with a slightly rounded edge and went over and over the veneer again and again and again with force to secure the glue. Once this was done, the veneer was trimmed with stanley knife and the edges pressed again with the roller at a 45 degree angle.

I've now completed the veneer on one of the boxes and man does it look great! I just can't wait to get them finished and up and running taking pride of place in the lounge!

I wiped the front of the speaker with a damp rag to bring out the colour . Jarrah really is a beautiful wood and i think it will look really nice when its all done.

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 08:25 Wednesday

So thats where i am at now. I have one speaker box completed with veneer and black base. It just needs a finish and final assembly. The other one is just waiting on a base to be built and then veneer to be at the same stage.

And with the drivers temporarily mounted

If anyone has any feedback, comments, criticisms, or suggestions please, i'd love to hear them! I've never posted a build thread before either so if i've done anything wrong or anyone has suggestions for future posts again, id love to hear them.

Also, i couldn't have done this without all the fantastic build threads i've poured over during my own build. This is my reason for starting this thread. Firstly to perhaps helps others learn from my experiences but also to ask questions.

Finally a list of questions some of you may be able to answer for me:

1 - I love the look of the damp Jarrah veneer once it was wetted down. What is the best way to achieve this using something a bit more permanent than oils? Can it be achieved using polyurethanes? I've done some test pieces with both gloss and satin poly plus using a shellac but can't seem to achieve a similar finish.

2 - Any suggestions on how and where to mount the crossovers would be appreciated.

3 - On the topic of crossovers, as there is only one output in the design for both the mids and the woofers, i was going to run one wire up inside the box and split it into two in order to supply each driver with a signal. Do these wires ultimately need to be the same length from source to driver in order to keep the signal path the same length? Or can i run a wire, for example, from the crossover, up to the first woofer then run another wire from the first woofer up to the second woofer? ie, the bottom woofer would recieve the signal before the top one.

4 - Any suggestions for hardware for mounting the drivers in their holes? I was considering threaded inserts and black button head, hex machine screws. Although Curt mentioned the magnets mounted in the front baffle wouldn't affect the sound, i'm still worried that too much magnetism may not be good for them. The other option is perhaps brass wood screws but it doesn't seem as tidy.

Well thats me for tonight! It's well past my bedtime.

Thanks again to everyone on this forum for their posts and build threads but especially............

To Curt, Jim and Wayne. What a fantastically fun project you guys have allowed me in on and a great design that, even though mine are unfinished, sound incredible! The fact that people are still building your Statements and that they have now evolved into their second form is a testament to the robust design and superb sound of these fantastic speakers!

**sawdust** · 16 July 2014, 08:47 Wednesday

They look fantastic! Great job! I've just received the parts to upgrade my Statements to the Statements II, so maybe this weekend....

FWIW, this is the finish I achieved with Danish oil, shellac and poly:

Sawdust's Finished Statement Build - HTGuide Forum

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?34975-Sawdust-s-Finished-Statement-Build

I finished my Statements build this weekend! I'm loving them! Jim, Curt, Wayne, thank you so much. Can someone let me know what size pics I should upload? I have some pics of the finished build. Thanks.

**knowledgebass** · 16 July 2014, 10:42 Wednesday

Nice build thread! I appreciate all the details you've given. Doing the driver routes on the constructed boxes is something I think I will do in future builds (or at least consider). I think it would have saved me some headaches for sure, and maybe caused a few others

Wow, fit and finish on the parts is fantastic, your photos really give a good impression on what CNC is all about, and your laminations look great. The sanding on the dados may have just been slight changes in humidity or variances in thickness from the supplier. Maybe one of the CNC gurus can let us know how to size a dado like that. I like hand tools, but I don't think I could compete with that. How thick are your laminations? Looks like it's about equivalent to your CNC'd parts so 6 layers at 3mm each?

I wouldn't worry about the magnets though. Looks like 6 on the front, two on the back? They're strong for the size, but they still aren't that large. Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

I really like your bases, but I especially like the one in the Sketchup image. The one you built blends in with the box design well, giving them a classy appearance. The proposed ones seem more 'fun', if more difficult to build. I don't think there's a wrong choice here.

**5th element** · 16 July 2014, 19:44 Wednesday

Oh wow, those do look rather neat. They remind me of the Krell resolution 1 loudspeaker. I am definitely diggin' the look of the Vifa mids though, the contrast of the all black driver compliment next to the wood is rather nice.

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 20:20 Wednesday

Thanks guys. They've certainly kept me busy.

Sawdust -
Thanks for the kind words. Your build was one my early Statement inspirations back when i was researching. They look amazing! With your finish, do they have much shine? They look fairly glossy in the photos. My initial plan was to use many coats of high gloss polyurethane sanded and polished to a high mirror shine! Funnily enough, after simply wetting the Jarrah, i quite like the wet look. My concern with oils is basically the longevity and durability of the finish. Will Danish oil stand the test of time? How is it applied? This is one part of the build that i'm quite uncertain about and don't want to start until i'm certain i can get the finish i'm after. Thanks so much for your input!!

KnowledgeBass

Thanks for your comments. I'm really pleased how they're turning out. The weird thing about the CNC work is that I'm a bit of a techy nut! I love the fact that the speakers were designed with micro-chips and electrons, sent down a phone line, a bit more work was done with someone elses micro-chips and electrons then another set of microchips and electrons cut the pieces out perfectly in about 20 mins! Very very cool! Strangely though, i feel a bit like i missed out on some of the process. I think from memory there are 9 frame pieces in each speaker and although the pieces are perfect and there was no mess or fuss, i kind of wish i had cut them myself. I'm building these as a project to keep me busy and i think i cut down my build time by probably half. The frame pieces would've taken a lot of work to do by hand!

Don't get me wrong, i'm so happy i went down the CNC route (ha! get it), it just feels like i skipped part of the process.

You're right about the laminations. There are six layers of 3mm MDF on each side. Including glue, the walls measure about 19.5mm thick.

The magnets aren't really a concern any more after having spoken to Curt. I guess i'm just over thinking it. I feel like using steel screws to mount the drivers is just adding to the magnetic field around the drivers. But, then, every speaker i've looked at seems to use steel hardware to secure them. Again, i think i'm just overthinking it :lol:
There are actually 10 magnets in the front baffles. Four around each driver forming a square plus two at the bottom of the baffle. Also 6 on the rear baffle. Two at the top, middle and bottom. I'm not worried about these ones though they're quite far from the drivers.

As far as the bases go, yes i love the ones in the SketchUp picture as well. If i can dream up a way to build them strong enough and in matching Jarrah, then thats what i'll do. I'm worried about the weight of the statements breaking the bases in the curves you can see in the picture. If i were to use MDF covered in veneer or even raw Jarrah timber, if i were to put the speaker down wonky or shift it one day, i'm just not sure the base could handle it. My current thoughts on how to do it and make it strong enough is to look at laminating layers of Jarrah veneer over a solid MDF mold and vacuum bagging it. Something aling the lines of this http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneeri...uumforming.htm.

Thats all well down the track though. For the moment my "temporary"

: bases will be just fine :T

5th element

WOW! I haven't seen these speakers but that is pretty much exactly the look i was after! The colour, the gloss levels, everything! Any idea on how to achieve a finish like that? i really think the all black drivers would look freaken hot contrasted against a wood finish like that!

Krell resolution 1 loudspeaker

**5th element** · 16 July 2014, 20:43 Wednesday

High gloss mirror finish, eerrggghhh yuck!

That's what I think of those and not because of the way they look, they do look very nice, but are a royal PITA to get right.

Basically you want your top coat to be something like a good tough, clear, polyurethane. It can be water based or oil based, this does not matter. The hard part is the application and the sanding/polishing. To minimise the work required in the sanding and polishing phase you need to make sure that the top coat (or coats) go on as evenly and as smoothly as possible. Any unevenness you will be sanding out. Most people will apply one or two coats, then give it a very light sand with something like 400-800 grit, then apply another coat, sanding again, and another coat. This keeps the finish as even as possible, but is never perfect. After you've built up enough thickness in the top layer finish you now need to sand the entire thing flat. This usually requires copious amounts of 400 grit, or otherwise, as finishes like this clog sand really badly. After having sanding the cabinets perfectly flat you then work up through the grits. So after the 400, you'd move onto 600. The idea here is that you're removing all the scratches that the 400 grit put into the top coat. After you're done with 600, you move onto 800, then 1200, then 2000. At which point you're done with sanding. The last part is using burnishing/polishing cream with a buffing pad to rub out the scratches that the 2000 left in the finish. Once those scratches are gone you end up with a fully reflective surface.

I will mention that on loudspeakers of your size, if you're doing it by hand, it will require a tremendous amount of effort/time and I wouldn't even approach a curved sided enclosure with a power tool as it'd be far too easy to sand through the finish by mistake. If you sand through you're screwed. How screwed depends on what finish you've applied. If its French polish this usually means you have to strip right back to the wood for the entire side and reapply the finish again. If you try and reapply over the area that you accidentally sanded through you will see it. I've accidentally sanded through polyurethane before and reapplied and it worked alright, French polish does not. Even if the finish does allow you to reapply if you sand through accidentally, you've still got to rebuild up the finish thickness, then try again and hope this time you don't sand through. I do not like doing this kind of finish, but I do like the way it looks.

For all its evils, French polish isn't that bad as it tends to be easy to apply and is relatively soft. It doesn't provide the kind of protection that a good poly will, but it does buff up very easily. The softer the finish the less effort it requires to get it to polish. I once used some two part super tough stuff meant for floors and that was a nightmare, the amount of effort required to get it to buff was insane. As always there are trade offs with what finish you pick.

I will let others chime in mind you, as they might have easier ways to get a finish like this done, I certainly have no love for them as they can be very frustrating at times.

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 21:15 Wednesday

Thanks 5th element,

It's good to hear from someone who has actually done this type of finish! I'm certainly aware of how much work will be involved to achieve a high gloss finish. I've done some test pieces, one of which was a high gloss. Frankly it was a pain in the neck! Everything you mentioned i experienced even in my little 1ft x 1ft test piece haha! Two large speakers would be a nightmare.
And yes the curved sides are certainly my main concern with this process! It was very easy to work through the poly even on the flat surface, especially at the edges. Curved sides would certainly be far more difficult.

So your suggestion would be french polish? If i have this right it would take a layer of poly afterwards as well to seal it up? Is this correct?

Again thanks for your input

**spleen21** · 16 July 2014, 21:19 Wednesday

For those that are interested, here are some photos of the magnets imbedded in the baffles.

**Jim Holtz** · 16 July 2014, 22:17 Wednesday

Beautiful Statements II and a great build thread! :T

Jim

**5th element** · 16 July 2014, 23:39 Wednesday

Well French polish is easy to apply with a pad, doesn't become uneven, doesn't really require that much sanding and buffs up really well. The trouble is that its soft, pad applying takes a long time, you do require practise to get it right and if you sand through at any point you will need to remove the finish from the entire side of the loudspeaker and start again, otherwise you will be able to see a variation in the finish where you sanded through.

I like French polish, but dislike it at the same time as it is very time consuming to apply.

It seems like all finishes have their caveats. Personally I cannot imagine doing any mirror type finish on something as large as those as the work involved would be pretty extreme. I'd rather just settle for a satin type finish and be happy that I didn't have to go through all of the trouble just to make it so I can see my reflection in it.

My father worked extensively with French polish mind you as he made guitars as a hobby. It took him forever to finish a guitar but they looked amazing once he had. The visual clarity when using a light toned shellac is second to none, so if you really do want to put in the effort and learn how to work the finish properly then you will not be disappointed. I have never finished something with French polish and been disappointed either mind you, it always looks great, it just takes forever to apply. Do make your own though. Buy some high purity alcohol and the shellac flakes and mix what you need yourself. The stuff doesn't sit well on the shelf and any premixed stuff could be anything. The quality of the alcohol affects the quality of the finish quite significantly. My dad always had it good with that though because he could get very high purity alcohol through his work.

Are some examples of what can achieve with French polish if you put the effort in. Most people don't, those are particularly good examples.

**knowledgebass** · 17 July 2014, 00:02 Thursday

See my recent efforts with finishing some figured wood in the ansonica design thread. I wasn't happy with the straight poly results so sanded it back and have applied some shellac which I will now cover in poly. At least that's the plan. The poly didn't wet the wood which made the figure less than was possible.

**spleen21** · 17 July 2014, 00:38 Thursday

Thanks for all your great tips on finishing guys. This is something i'm very unsure of how to do.

Jim -

Thanks so much for your compliments. It's great to know you've seen my build and approve :0) Please offer any advice you have. It will be gratefully received.

5th Element -

You're certainly turning me off the mirror finish look haha. Man those pieces with the french polish look amazing though! It would certainly bring out the beautiful natural colours of the Jarrah.

Is there any chance it could affect the bond of the contact cement underneath? The glue is solvent based so i was planning on using water based poly. I guess the alcohol in the shellac could also affect the glue. Is this correct?

KnowledgeBass

I had a quick look through your Ansonica design and it is very interesting. I will have a good detailed read later tonight.

Just so i have this correct, you are looking at using a shellac to wet the raw veneer then finishing it with a poly finish. Is this correct?

I'll be keeping an eye on your efforts.

Thanks again everyone

**knowledgebass** · 17 July 2014, 07:53 Thursday

Originally posted by spleen21

...

Just so i have this correct, you are looking at using a shellac to wet the raw veneer then finishing it with a poly finish. Is this correct?

That's the part I wanted you to see and what I'm planning to do. The shellac is on and I hope to get a few coats of poly over the shellac this weekend. Hopefully that will give me the best of the shellac for the depth of grain appearance, and the resilliancy of the poly for a durable finish. It needs to be dewaxed shellac.

**sawdust** · 17 July 2014, 10:04 Thursday

Originally posted by spleen21

Thanks guys. They've certainly kept me busy.

Sawdust -
Thanks for the kind words. Your build was one my early Statement inspirations back when i was researching. They look amazing! With your finish, do they have much shine? They look fairly glossy in the photos. My initial plan was to use many coats of high gloss polyurethane sanded and polished to a high mirror shine! Funnily enough, after simply wetting the Jarrah, i quite like the wet look. My concern with oils is basically the longevity and durability of the finish. Will Danish oil stand the test of time? How is it applied? This is one part of the build that i'm quite uncertain about and don't want to start until i'm certain i can get the finish i'm after. Thanks so much for your input!!

KnowledgeBass

Thanks for your comments. I'm really pleased how they're turning out. The weird thing about the CNC work is that I'm a bit of a techy nut! I love the fact that the speakers were designed with micro-chips and electrons, sent down a phone line, a bit more work was done with someone elses micro-chips and electrons then another set of microchips and electrons cut the pieces out perfectly in about 20 mins! Very very cool! Strangely though, i feel a bit like i missed out on some of the process. I think from memory there are 9 frame pieces in each speaker and although the pieces are perfect and there was no mess or fuss, i kind of wish i had cut them myself. I'm building these as a project to keep me busy and i think i cut down my build time by probably half. The frame pieces would've taken a lot of work to do by hand!

Don't get me wrong, i'm so happy i went down the CNC route (ha! get it), it just feels like i skipped part of the process.

You're right about the laminations. There are six layers of 3mm MDF on each side. Including glue, the walls measure about 19.5mm thick.

The magnets aren't really a concern any more after having spoken to Curt. I guess i'm just over thinking it. I feel like using steel screws to mount the drivers is just adding to the magnetic field around the drivers. But, then, every speaker i've looked at seems to use steel hardware to secure them. Again, i think i'm just overthinking it :lol:
There are actually 10 magnets in the front baffles. Four around each driver forming a square plus two at the bottom of the baffle. Also 6 on the rear baffle. Two at the top, middle and bottom. I'm not worried about these ones though they're quite far from the drivers.

As far as the bases go, yes i love the ones in the SketchUp picture as well. If i can dream up a way to build them strong enough and in matching Jarrah, then thats what i'll do. I'm worried about the weight of the statements breaking the bases in the curves you can see in the picture. If i were to use MDF covered in veneer or even raw Jarrah timber, if i were to put the speaker down wonky or shift it one day, i'm just not sure the base could handle it. My current thoughts on how to do it and make it strong enough is to look at laminating layers of Jarrah veneer over a solid MDF mold and vacuum bagging it. Something aling the lines of this http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneeri...uumforming.htm.

Thats all well down the track though. For the moment my "temporary"

: bases will be just fine :T

5th element

WOW! I haven't seen these speakers but that is pretty much exactly the look i was after! The colour, the gloss levels, everything! Any idea on how to achieve a finish like that? i really think the all black drivers would look freaken hot contrasted against a wood finish like that!

Krell resolution 1 loudspeaker
[ATTACH=CONFIG]23258[/ATTACH]

I used amber shellac thinned (1lb cut) and brushed it on quickly with broad strokes using a foam brush and sanded in-between coats which worked well for me. I think I put 3 coats on and then wiped on Danish oil with a rag when the shellac was dry, probably 3 coats of the Danish oil. I let that dry several days and applied more shellac and finally used an oil based wipe on gloss poly that goes on thin and doesn't give the plastic look that brushed on poly sometime does. The results are a nice depth and shine with plenty of protection. Regardless of what you decide to do, test your choices on scrap veneer to get an idea of what the final results will be. Good luck!!

**5th element** · 17 July 2014, 13:08 Thursday

It depends on how you apply the French polish, the pad method has the finish drying within seconds so there isn't enough time for it to affect what lies beneath. If you apply it with a brush or foam brush then all you'd have to do is be careful of how much you put on in one go. It is a quick drying finish anyway so that would count in its favour vs an oil based finish that might take hours to evaporate.

**spleen21** · 17 July 2014, 16:38 Thursday

Thanks guys. I should have the second base finished this afternoon so will try and get veneer under way on the second box tomorrow. While I'm at it I'll make up a bunch more veneer test panels and try your suggestions to try and decide on a finish.

Ill post the results of how I get on.

Cheers

**spleen21** · 18 July 2014, 00:52 Friday

Hi everybody,

I've added the SketchUp model and .dxf files i used for my build to the original post.
I'll add the CNC file when the furniture company finds it. Hopefully next week sometime.

**AdelaaR** · 19 July 2014, 06:56 Saturday

Originally posted by spleen21

WOW! I couldn't believe how great they sounded. Even without the foam lining or the bass port installed, they sounded absolutely fantastic! In fact, building stopped for about two weeks so i could listen to them. I didn't want to pull them apart again!

Fantastic work you did on those cabinets.
I like the attention to detail like the dadoing and the perfect rounding of the sides.
After I first listened to my Statements before finishing and painting them it took me over a year to take them apart again

**downhiller2010** · 19 July 2014, 13:02 Saturday

Dumb question, but since you needed the first piece of the baffle to get the curved sides to attach right, did you just stuff the cabinet foam through the driver holes in the woofer chambers?

**spleen21** · 19 July 2014, 17:10 Saturday

Thanks AdelaaR. The thought did cross my mind! But I figured if they sound this good half finished.....id better hurry up and complete them!

Downhiller -

Thats correct. At least thats the plan. Installing the foam will be the very last thing I do before installing the drivers so it will have to go in through the front for the top. As the bases are removable, the bottom should be a bit easier. The whole bottom of the box will be open. I plan on using double sided tape.

Any ideas where to get the foam for cheap? Ive found an acoustics website here in New zealand but its rediculously expensive. They also have multiple options on foam density. I wouldnt know where to start!

https://Www.foamacoustics.com/Products.aspx

**spleen21** · 19 July 2014, 18:57 Saturday

Actually scratch that......it wasnt density they had listed it was the "noise reduction coefficient". Still super expensive though!

**spleen21** · 23 July 2014, 05:54 Wednesday

So a quick update.

I've had a busy few days. I completed the second base, it now only needs paint.

I've also finished veneering and now have a pair of completed speaker boxes. I'm fast approaching the time where i have to decide on the finish. :cry:

I bought a small tin of danish oil and tried it on some test panels. Unfortunately it completely destroyed the contact cement underneath so it would seem that that is no longer an option. I've certainly been put off the idea of the glossy mirror finish. I think being my first project i'll stick to something a wee bit less work and am now leaning towards a few coats of sanding sealer followed by a few coats of polyurethane with a satin finish.

I still havent heard back about the CNC files yet. I'll chase them up on Friday

**5th element** · 23 July 2014, 15:53 Wednesday

If you go the poly route, buying oil based and thinning it significantly, say a 50/50 mix with mineral spirits and then applying it with the wipe on method does give very nice results. Better ime, than using a brush.

**spleen21** · 23 July 2014, 17:49 Wednesday

Thanks 5th element. I still have a few test veneer panels made up. Ill try this method as well. Have you tried spraying? I potentially have access to some spray equipment. Is it worth it? Or overkill for a first project?

**5th element** · 23 July 2014, 19:13 Wednesday

I've never tried spraying short of using rattlecans.

**kevinm** · 24 July 2014, 00:12 Thursday

I know Jon uses a sprayer and he seem to really like it. I'd definitely ask him about it...hopefully he chimes in.

I, too, just picked up a sprayer...but as today was my first day using it, I think it's a little to early to offer my opinions or advice. Great job by the way!

**spleen21** · 24 July 2014, 00:20 Thursday

Thanks KevinM. Hopefully Jon can offer up some input!
I guess im just a bit nervous about the finish as im really happy with how the boxes came out as a first attempt. Would hate to trip at the end and make a poor decision on finishing. I guess eventually ill just have to roll my sleeves up and dive in!
Experience is the only way to learn right!

Cheers for eveyones help!

**kevinm** · 24 July 2014, 00:54 Thursday

The good thing about the finish process is you can always sand down and start again. It's almost never irreversible. That part is nice!

**spleen21** · 24 July 2014, 01:19 Thursday

Good to know!

**knowledgebass** · 24 July 2014, 08:08 Thursday

As another non-sprayer, I think the main advantage of spraying is speed. You can lay it down faster and smoother. Which is good for production runs. You also gain access to more types of finishes. I bet you can get 95% of the way there by hand in more time and with a lot more sanding. The people that notice the difference will be those who own spray equipment

I use old cotton T-shirts folded into pads. It goes on in thinner coats than you would get brushing in my experience. Just like brushing, keep your strokes in the same direction, and follow the grain. Works for me with shellac, poly, and oils.

**spleen21** · 05 August 2014, 21:57 Tuesday

Hi everyone,

Ive added the CNC file to my dropbox link at the top of this thread. Hope it helps

**spleen21** · 18 August 2014, 19:05 Monday

So just a quick update. I've been experimenting with the different finishes mentioned by other helpful members in previous posts, mainly shellac. I bought some lemon shellac flakes and clear methylated spirits and began experimenting with different cuts and combinations of shellac under polyurethane. Unfortunately i got my wires crossed and bought the waxed shellac flakes instead of dewaxed. Doh :x

Oh well, it turns out you can de wax it yourself by letting the mixed up shellac sit undisturbed for at least 24 hours. The wax settles to the bottom and the dewaxed shellac will sit on top and can be separated by just gently pouring it out or in my case, using a turkey baster. Im sure it's not quite as good as properly dewaxed shellac but i'm not spending any more money on the finish for the time being.

So last night, i decided enough was enough and dove in with a 1 lb cut wiped on with folded up old pillow cases for the first few layers on the first speaker.

Here's a few pics.

Side by side

Drivers temporarily mounted (all final hardware will be black button head machine screws)

Black base attached for an idea of the final look

Needless to say, i couldn't be happier! The photos just don't do it justice. The Jarrah veneer is a very deep, dark brown with a hint of red and just looks amazing!

I'll give it another quick sand to take the rough surface off then finish up with perhaps a 2 lb cut. Because of the waxed vs dewaxed shellac flakes issue, i'm going to do some more tests before deciding whether i put a poly coat on over top. at this stage i love the way it looks as is.

I even like the black "temporary" base. It compliments the all black drivers really nicely.

Anyway, still a lot of work to be done. Once they're all done, i'll get my good digital SLR back off my brother and take some nice photos, hopefully showing off the awesome colours.

Cheers everyone

**Jim Holtz** · 18 August 2014, 19:46 Monday

Beautiful! :T

Jim

**5th element** · 18 August 2014, 21:17 Monday

Those are looking nice even like that

I'd probably build up more layers of poly on the top until the grain was completely filled and you have a completely smooth surface finish, but that's a different approach entirely.

I've been doing some finishing myself over the last couple of weeks and can say that wipe on poly does indeed work pretty well. You get the best results with a thinner mix rather than a thicker one, ie adding more mineral spirits or white spirits than you might read about? I'm using an oil based poly that isn't meant for wiping on, so obviously I'm having to thin it out, but it certainly goes on more evenly if you use a thinner mix.

To apply it I've been using a lint free type synthetic cloth from ebay, which is alright, but it's nowhere near as lint free as I'd really expect. I've got some foam brushes on the way just to see how those work. Needless to say, wiping on poly gives you a far more even finish than brushing does and this really reduces the amount of sanding that you have to do to flatten things.

**spleen21** · 18 August 2014, 23:12 Monday

Thanks Jim and 5th Element.

My plan at this stage is to add hopefully one more slightly thicker coat of Shellac after lightly sanding it. This should make them nice and pretty so they can take pride of place in the living room while I work on the poly technique.

Although the plan was always for a nice glossy finish, I actually quite like the look of the wood grain coming through.

Hmmmmm decisions

Has anyone actually applied a top coat over waxed shellac? How did you do it? I understand simply adding a layer of dewaxed over top first will work as a good base for poly and cancel out the waxed shellac. Naturally Ill be testing this first!

Thanks for everyones great advice!

**ttan98** · 19 August 2014, 00:26 Tuesday

Spleen21,

Any particular reason you leave your images horizontal? Nice and very made speakers they look much better if you show the images upright.

**spleen21** · 19 August 2014, 00:43 Tuesday

Hi ttan98.

Thanks. And please, if you can tell me how to turn them right way up.......I will! For the life of me I cant figure it out when uploading them.

Cheers

**spleen21** · 19 August 2014, 05:35 Tuesday

Right, so i finally figured out the sideways photo thing.

Apparently the attachment manager didn't like the aspect ratio my photos were taken in and it would automatically flip them on their side. So i've cropped all the affected photos and re-uploaded them. Voila, no more sore necks

**knowledgebass** · 19 August 2014, 06:36 Tuesday

See here. You could repeat the test with your own samples.

128 - Shellac Under Polyurethane

https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/shellac-under-polyurethane/

A test to determine if adhesion problems develop when coating waxed shellac with polyurethane.

**spleen21** · 19 August 2014, 07:19 Tuesday

Thanks Knowledgebass. Interesting video. I will certainly try some more tests a bit later on before committing to anything.

My full sized Statements II build

My full sized Statements II build

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