Anyone need a Subwoofer?

[Rick]

The guy was, other than one miss-communication the error was down to roughly 1/16th of an inch, with all boards having the same error. On one of the 20x14.5 he thought i said 14", its a tad over 14" and thankfully its a side piece which means it shouldn't be too big of an issue, am I right? Otherwise I have a spare 20"x16" rough piece I can saw down to 14.5 need be, likely will do anyways. Here's it put together standing on its own weight to make sure everything aligns up correctly. one side has a SMALL gap...less than 1/16" but noticeable, I assume screws and wood glue will fix that however.

 

[xtremerevolution]

If all boards have the same error, you'll be just fine.

 

If you're using screws, I can't stress enough, don't forget to pre-drill, and don't use too small of a bit. Keep in mind, the screws are there only to replace clamps if you don't have them, not to hold the box together. As such, do not over-tighten them after the glue has been squeezed out of the seams. The box will be structurally held together with wood glue, not screws.

 

The side with the small gap shouldn't be a problem.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

[Rick]

If all boards have the same error, you'll be just fine.

 

If you're using screws, I can't stress enough, don't forget to pre-drill, and don't use too small of a bit. Keep in mind, the screws are there only to replace clamps if you don't have them, not to hold the box together. As such, do not over-tighten them after the glue has been squeezed out of the seams. The box will be structurally held together with wood glue, not screws.

 

The side with the small gap shouldn't be a problem.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

 

Yeah my Dad told me for all the screws I would need to pre drill the holes, do I need any screws to help construct the box if I am able to construct it using clamps in my schools woodshop? I assume the screws are just used for holding the woofer, which do you think should also be sealed with glue also or just screwed down? Along with screwing of the terminal cup and port. The guy at home depot suggested the Gorilla glue brand, so we got it, I assume there is little to no difference in wood glues other than personal preference?

 

I have the hole for the double thick baffle drawn out and centered perfectly, it should be on the 20x16 board, correct?

 

Thanks again for all the help, cant wait to see this thing finally completed!

[xtremerevolution]

Yeah my Dad told me for all the screws I would need to pre drill the holes, do I need any screws to help construct the box if I am able to construct it using clamps in my schools woodshop? I assume the screws are just used for holding the woofer, which do you think should also be sealed with glue also or just screwed down? Along with screwing of the terminal cup and port. The guy at home depot suggested the Gorilla glue brand, so we got it, I assume there is little to no difference in wood glues other than personal preference?

 

I have the hole for the double thick baffle drawn out and centered perfectly, it should be on the 20x16 board, correct?

 

Thanks again for all the help, cant wait to see this thing finally completed!

 

You'll only need the screws for the terminal cup and mounting the sub itself. For building the box, all you need is clamps. You will still need to pre-drill for the sub of course, but don't over-drill. Test it on a scrap piece first. You won't need screws for the gluing of the actual box seams. The screws for holding the woofer in won't need to be sealed. Just pre-drill and drive them right in.

 

Gorilla Glue brand is overpriced and unnecessary, but I can't say its bad stuff. It comes down to price and purpose. It might take a little longer to dry though and I haven't used it personally. Like I said before, I will give you or anyone else $50 if you can glue two pieces of MDF together at a 90 degree angle with Titebond II wood glue, clamp it down, wait 6 hours, and break it apart at the seam. It absolutely impossible. The MDF will fail before the wood glue does. At that point, there's zero purpose for using anything else as your MDF will be your weak link, not the glue you're using. with other applications, using stronger glue might be more worthwhile, but not when building sub boxes. That said, there won't be any negative effects by using it.

 

The hole for the double thick baffle recess should be on the outer 20x16 board. You should have three of these boards. One board will be exactly the size of the subwoofer cutout (9.25" for the 10" sub and 11.15" for the 12" sub), and the other board will be cut the size of the total diameter of the woofer's basket, which is 10.6" for the 10" sub and 12.7" for the 12" sub.

 

So basically, since I believe you have the 12" sub, you have one board that's flat for the back, then one board that's 11.25" in diameter which the sub gets mounted to, then one board that's slightly over 12.7" in diameter which then goes on top of the first board. I'd go just a little bit bigger to give you some room for error and so you don't have to wedge the sub in there, because it will be very difficult to get it out otherwise.

 

Looking forward to seeing this finished!

[Rick]

You'll only need the screws for the terminal cup and mounting the sub itself. For building the box, all you need is clamps. You will still need to pre-drill for the sub of course, but don't over-drill. Test it on a scrap piece first. You won't need screws for the gluing of the actual box seams. The screws for holding the woofer in won't need to be sealed. Just pre-drill and drive them right in.

 

Gorilla Glue brand is overpriced and unnecessary, but I can't say its bad stuff. It comes down to price and purpose. It might take a little longer to dry though and I haven't used it personally. Like I said before, I will give you or anyone else $50 if you can glue two pieces of MDF together at a 90 degree angle with Titebond II wood glue, clamp it down, wait 6 hours, and break it apart at the seam. It absolutely impossible. The MDF will fail before the wood glue does. At that point, there's zero purpose for using anything else as your MDF will be your weak link, not the glue you're using. with other applications, using stronger glue might be more worthwhile, but not when building sub boxes. That said, there won't be any negative effects by using it.

 

The hole for the double thick baffle recess should be on the outer 20x16 board. You should have three of these boards. One board will be exactly the size of the subwoofer cutout (9.25" for the 10" sub and 11.15" for the 12" sub), and the other board will be cut the size of the total diameter of the woofer's basket, which is 10.6" for the 10" sub and 12.7" for the 12" sub.

 

So basically, since I believe you have the 12" sub, you have one board that's flat for the back, then one board that's 11.25" in diameter which the sub gets mounted to, then one board that's slightly over 12.7" in diameter which then goes on top of the first board. I'd go just a little bit bigger to give you some room for error and so you don't have to wedge the sub in there, because it will be very difficult to get it out otherwise.

 

Looking forward to seeing this finished!

 

The gorilla glue was 60 cents more, so ehh not too much of a loss there. I also heard it foams out and is easily sandable, not sure if all wood glues are like this though. Ahh that makes sense, I was wondering if the sub would be recessed into the box and that would be how it is done. The cutout that came with the subwoofer was 11" +/- a little but was made of not the best quality cardboard, I will double check that measure to make sure its close to 11.25". Almost done with my CEA project so I may be able to cut the wood tonight and may be able to get a start on having it done before Friday which is my goal, or more specifically glued on thursday and then cured by Friday to be taken home.

 

If one thing is forsure, that sheet of MDF was way heavier than I expected!

[xtremerevolution]

The gorilla glue was 60 cents more, so ehh not too much of a loss there. I also heard it foams out and is easily sandable, not sure if all wood glues are like this though. Ahh that makes sense, I was wondering if the sub would be recessed into the box and that would be how it is done. The cutout that came with the subwoofer was 11" +/- a little but was made of not the best quality cardboard, I will double check that measure to make sure its close to 11.25". Almost done with my CEA project so I may be able to cut the wood tonight and may be able to get a start on having it done before Friday which is my goal, or more specifically glued on thursday and then cured by Friday to be taken home.

 

If one thing is forsure, that sheet of MDF was way heavier than I expected!

 

$0.60 isn't anything significant. I thought it would have been more expensive.

 

Normal wood glue sands fairly well, but you never need to with sub boxes. You wipe off excess after you clamp, let it all dry, and carpet the whole box. I hope that it doesn't make it porous because it foams. The wood glue is supposed to create a perfect seal. I'm guessing it won't though if you clamp it well.

 

Yeah, MDF is very heavy stuff, but it definitely does a very good job with sub boxes.

 

What will you be cutting out the holes with?

[Rick]

$0.60 isn't anything significant. I thought it would have been more expensive.

 

Normal wood glue sands fairly well, but you never need to with sub boxes. You wipe off excess after you clamp, let it all dry, and carpet the whole box. I hope that it doesn't make it porous because it foams. The wood glue is supposed to create a perfect seal. I'm guessing it won't though if you clamp it well.

 

Yeah, MDF is very heavy stuff, but it definitely does a very good job with sub boxes.

 

What will you be cutting out the holes with?

 

I guess foaming was a bad choice of words, I heard it expands and is similar to a combination of wood glue and caulk. I personally dont know, havent used it ever before but from the reviews i've read it sounds like quality stuff.

 

I will be using a standard jig saw and picked up a few new blades, well, my Dad did. Unless you have a better suggested for cutting the holes? Figured easiest method would be drilling a .5" hole then sawing from the inside to the line then around the hole.

[xtremerevolution]

I guess foaming was a bad choice of words, I heard it expands and is similar to a combination of wood glue and caulk. I personally dont know, havent used it ever before but from the reviews i've read it sounds like quality stuff.

 

I will be using a standard jig saw and picked up a few new blades, well, my Dad did. Unless you have a better suggested for cutting the holes? Figured easiest method would be drilling a .5" hole then sawing from the inside to the line then around the hole.

 

I've used a jigsaw on a couple of boxes when I first started out. Its not a bad way as long as you're very careful and take your time. Then, I moved up to a dremel, which included a circle cutting attachment that allowed me to make more perfect circles. I could tell it was trying too hard. I then started using my parent-in-laws' routers and made my own jig, then recently bought my own 2.25hp router with two Jasper circle cutting jigs in order to make precision perfect holes. A router is the ideal way if you have access to one, but not everyone does.

[Rick]

I've used a jigsaw on a couple of boxes when I first started out. Its not a bad way as long as you're very careful and take your time. Then, I moved up to a dremel, which included a circle cutting attachment that allowed me to make more perfect circles. I could tell it was trying too hard. I then started using my parent-in-laws' routers and made my own jig, then recently bought my own 2.25hp router with two Jasper circle cutting jigs in order to make precision perfect holes. A router is the ideal way if you have access to one, but not everyone does.

 

Just cut the circle the sub will sit on. Using the jig saw wasn't as easy as I thought, thankfully the hole was too small to begin with so a few butchered spots I was able to sand down with a sanding drill bit (cant think of the tools actual name). ONE of the holes for the sub woofer to screw into will be close to the circle, a little close for comfort actually. Theres about 1/8" of space between the mark to drill at and the cutout, my dad suggested drilling in at a slight angle so the screw will go outwards and so I dont accidentally mess up the drill hole. Is MDF prone to splitting?

[xtremerevolution]

Just cut the circle the sub will sit on. Using the jig saw wasn't as easy as I thought, thankfully the hole was too small to begin with so a few butchered spots I was able to sand down with a sanding drill bit (cant think of the tools actual name). ONE of the holes for the sub woofer to screw into will be close to the circle, a little close for comfort actually. Theres about 1/8" of space between the mark to drill at and the cutout, my dad suggested drilling in at a slight angle so the screw will go outwards and so I dont accidentally mess up the drill hole. Is MDF prone to splitting?

 

MDF can split. Remember when I told you to take your time? Yeah, there was a reason for that. Oh well, live and learn.

 

You can try going in at an angle, but I'd recommend instead using that butchered piece to cut out a new circle for the outer baffle that will be used as a flush mount. Your challenge will be centering the sub on top of that piece so you can trace the circle to be cut. Cut it about 1/4" wider than it needs to be, since you'll need to lay carpet over it and also wedge the sub inside and account for any mistakes you make in centering on the piece the sub will mount to.

 

This time, take your time. Cut very slowly and follow that line accurately. If it takes you 5, even 10 minutes to get around the circle, that's fine, at least you'll get a clean cut.

Edited January 18, 2012 by xtremerevolution

[Rick]

MDF can split. Remember when I told you to take your time? Yeah, there was a reason for that. Oh well, live and learn.

 

You can try going in at an angle, but I'd recommend instead using that butchered piece to cut out a new circle for the outer baffle that will be used as a flush mount. Your challenge will be centering the sub on top of that piece so you can trace the circle to be cut. Cut it about 1/4" wider than it needs to be, since you'll need to lay carpet over it and also wedge the sub inside and account for any mistakes you make in centering on the piece the sub will mount to.

 

This time, take your time. Cut very slowly and follow that line accurately. If it takes you 5, even 10 minutes to get around the circle, that's fine, at least you'll get a clean cut.

 

I probably did spend a good 5 minutes, but I likely had a little over confidence since the first half of the circle was literally perfect. Then after I started the second half thats when it went downhill and the saw blade decided to take a little detour of about a 1/16th of an inch outside of the lines and then I tried fixing it which made it more noticeable and if I really was thinking I would of just cut inwards and restarted my cut and sanded it...but instead I cut in at a diagonal and lets just say that then in cut in a 1/16th of an inch and well it was downhill from there lol.

 

But hey, it was my first time doing any sort of wood working other than a ramp I built last year which used no measurements and probably is a shame to engineering, but then again it is still holding up strong haha.

 

I know we had numerous compasses, but I cant find it anywhere. If what I am about to suggest you dont think would work then I will ask my neighbor to barrow theirs for a moment. I know the outside baffle piece is suppose to be larger, but is there any difference if it were cut squarely? Such as a cutout of per-say...12.7x12.7? Not sure if that defeats the purpose of a double thick baffle though, but I am not sure how I would recenter the 12.7" diameter circle on the already cut circle as finding the center would likely arise in error.

 

I also have a spare sheet large enough for another board of 20x16, along with another 40"+x4ft so I would hope to god I cannot make that big of a mistake with two sub boxes worth of wood! Haha.

 

The Amplifier (5500T) also arrived today, literally excellent condition with the manufacture wrapping, manual, speaker connector plug(which the 5400T I have didn't come with) and with not a single scratch on the top visible surfaces, which in reality who cares if theres a few scratches on the underside? It also has a frequency knob from I want to say 40hz-250hz. The 5400T did not have that, just overall seems like a excellent purchase and the fact it cost me BARELY $40. The ebay retailer had it listed 15% off the original $42.99, considering the higher RMS ratings and more settings definitely happy with that purchase.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Rick

[xtremerevolution]

If you put the sub face down on the screwed up piece, you can measure it to make it equidistant from all sides. Then, just take a pencil and trace around the sub. Done deal. You'll need to cut 1/8 larger to fit the carpeting, but that should be easy.

 

Don't cut a square. The idea is to flush mount the sub and provide additional structural support. Give it another try and get it done right.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

[Rick]

If you put the sub face down on the screwed up piece, you can measure it to make it equidistant from all sides. Then, just take a pencil and trace around the sub. Done deal. You'll need to cut 1/8 larger to fit the carpeting, but that should be easy.

 

Don't cut a square. The idea is to flush mount the sub and provide additional structural support. Give it another try and get it done right.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

 

That wont damage the subwoofer? And as for now im not carpeting it, I dont have a carpet trunk liner in my trunk anyway so having it match wouldnt work anyway and when I thought about it being my car is a convertible sometimes condensations has built inside the trunk and it seemed the best to not use a material that would absorb water. I thought I might spray it with truck bed liner, i've heard from a few reputable websites that the duplicolor bedliner spray works very well, has a matte look and doesn't flake or peel, also gives me the option if I want to do a little customization with stencils should I desire. Shouldn't be any harder then when I sanded/painted my old computer tower and that held up for years.

 

So...use outside ring edge of subwoofer to draw circle for the larger outer sheet then redraw the 11.15" circle and cut that? Just making sure I heard you correctly, Thanks

[xtremerevolution]

It won't damage the subwoofer. No need to worry about that.

 

Yep, you heard me correctly. If you measure it correctly before you trace, it should be centered well.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

[Rick]

It won't damage the subwoofer. No need to worry about that.

 

Yep, you heard me correctly. If you measure it correctly before you trace, it should be centered well.

 

Sent from my HTC Awesome using Tapatalk

 

Got the cut virtually perfect. well, I will say I didnt stray from the line one, but the line was probably around 1/16-2/16" thick, whatever a standard sharpie width is. Much more pleased. I changed the speed setting from 3 to 1. Lets just say that worked ALOT better haha

[xtremerevolution]

Got the cut virtually perfect. well, I will say I didnt stray from the line one, but the line was probably around 1/16-2/16" thick, whatever a standard sharpie width is. Much more pleased. I changed the speed setting from 3 to 1. Lets just say that worked ALOT better haha

 

Good job! You definitely get better results when you take your time and go carefully.

 

Now get the box built and put up some pictures!

[Rick]

Good job! You definitely get better results when you take your time and go carefully.

 

Now get the box built and put up some pictures!

 

Spent about 10 minutes on the 11.15" cut and it literally is about perfect. a nice tight fit with a hair of give so it isnt stuck when dropped in.

 

Question..I searched through the last few pages, im not sure if its in the other topic post or not, but what size does my port need to be? And does the flares include in the length? Waiting a reply from you before cutting the port tube.

 

Also, is it okay do you think for the port to be cut into the 14.5x14.5? Then having the terminal cup on the back 14.5"x20"?

 

Thanks, if I get a reply soon I could very easily be ready to glue tomorrow after school! I also have 3 wood clamps, I need 4 at a very minimal right? My neighbor lent me 3, I can ask another for 2 or 3 also if needed. I remember you saying 4 at a minimal for some reason though.

[xtremerevolution]

Spent about 10 minutes on the 11.15" cut and it literally is about perfect. a nice tight fit with a hair of give so it isnt stuck when dropped in.

 

Question..I searched through the last few pages, im not sure if its in the other topic post or not, but what size does my port need to be? And does the flares include in the length? Waiting a reply from you before cutting the port tube.

 

Also, is it okay do you think for the port to be cut into the 14.5x14.5? Then having the terminal cup on the back 14.5"x20"?

 

Thanks, if I get a reply soon I could very easily be ready to glue tomorrow after school! I also have 3 wood clamps, I need 4 at a very minimal right? My neighbor lent me 3, I can ask another for 2 or 3 also if needed. I remember you saying 4 at a minimal for some reason though.

 

All of the port pieces glued together equal the total port size you'll need, so no cutting is needed. I believe it comes out to around 17 inches total.

 

The plan is indeed to have the port fire out the side on one of the 14x4 pieces. You'll have to measure to see how big of a hole you need though as I can't remember. Just make sure that with the sub mounted that the port clears the sub. I would mount it as far back and toward the bottom as you can.

 

Its good to have even pressure when you're working with this stuff. It will be especially good to have extra clamps when you glue the outer flush mount baffle to the inner one, as that will need to have even pressure everywhere as well, and it will make the whole process go a bit faster if you don't have to wait for one panel to dry in order to clamp down another one. However, 4 will be a bare minimum for what you'll need for this size of a box.

 

Did you cut out the hole for the flush mount as well as the smaller hole that the sub gets mounted to and try to fit them together yet to see if they line up well with the sub in the hole?

[Rick]

All of the port pieces glued together equal the total port size you'll need, so no cutting is needed. I believe it comes out to around 17 inches total.

 

The plan is indeed to have the port fire out the side on one of the 14x4 pieces. You'll have to measure to see how big of a hole you need though as I can't remember. Just make sure that with the sub mounted that the port clears the sub. I would mount it as far back and toward the bottom as you can.

 

Its good to have even pressure when you're working with this stuff. It will be especially good to have extra clamps when you glue the outer flush mount baffle to the inner one, as that will need to have even pressure everywhere as well, and it will make the whole process go a bit faster if you don't have to wait for one panel to dry in order to clamp down another one. However, 4 will be a bare minimum for what you'll need for this size of a box.

 

Did you cut out the hole for the flush mount as well as the smaller hole that the sub gets mounted to and try to fit them together yet to see if they line up well with the sub in the hole?

 

Alright, I was just wondering as there was some complex formula that came with the port telling what length in needed to be, but thank you.

 

The sub has a depth of around 5", the ports instructions suggest that it has a diameter length from all walls, which will work on all but one as it will have to clear the sub woofer, but the diameter is 4" on the port so it really will only be a single inch closer to the bottom.

 

For the baffle that is going to be glued together, my neighbor had a much of the squeezable hand wood clamps, I think those would work great for putting the two baffles together, would you agree? Also would this be the first thing I glue together?

 

I will ask another neighbor to barrow a few of his and just make sure to tag them with tape to make sure I dont forget which neighbor lent me which items. The use of a compass helped immensely I must also add.

 

Yes I put the two together already, you can tell the larger hole isn't perfect, however it is close enough and all sides have about 1/8" of room inbetween the subwoofer and the wood. It sits nicely in there though.

 

A few update pictures...

Edited January 24, 2012 by Rick

[xtremerevolution]

Alright, I was just wondering as there was some complex formula that came with the port telling what length in needed to be, but thank you.

 

The sub has a depth of around 5", the ports instructions suggest that it has a diameter length from all walls, which will work on all but one as it will have to clear the sub woofer, but the diameter is 4" on the port so it really will only be a single inch closer to the bottom.

 

For the baffle that is going to be glued together, my neighbor had a much of the squeezable hand wood clamps, I think those would work great for putting the two baffles together, would you agree? Also would this be the first thing I glue together?

 

I will ask another neighbor to barrow a few of his and just make sure to tag them with tape to make sure I dont forget which neighbor lent me which items. The use of a compass helped immensely I must also add.

 

Yes I put the two together already, you can tell the larger hole isn't perfect, however it is close enough and all sides have about 1/8" of room inbetween the subwoofer and the wood. It sits nicely in there though.

 

A few update pictures...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7295[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]7293[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]7294[/ATTACH]

 

Yeah, that formula is just a generic way of doing things if you don't actually run it in modeling software yourself.

 

The squeezable hand wood clamps will do if that's your only option, although I usually prefer to use tighter clamps. You'll have a much more even coverage of glue that way. If the wood glue you're using had a tendency to expand, it will be even more important to get something strong.

 

Good to hear that it all went well.

 

You can glue together both baffles first without a problem. Here's the order I usually use in gluing everything together.

 

First, I take the back panel and then glue one of the top or bottom pieces to it with clamps. If I have additional clamps available, I then glue on one of the sides. After that, I glue on the other side piece, then the second top or bottom piece, and then the front baffle goes on last. It will be helpful to have the two baffles glued together and dried for at least half an hour by the time you reach the point where the baffles need to be screwed on.

 

Since you're at this stage, I will warn you about something that you need to be extremely careful about. When you get to the point when you're screwing in the screws for the sub, be extremely careful with the screwdriver you use. I've made this mistake twice and never had a bad experience come out of it, but I can't say the same for others. A screwdriver can very easily slip off of the screw and find its way into the subwoofer. I've seen someone ruin a $250 speaker driver with an accident like that. I accidentally left a dent in one of the drivers I built for my father in law, although its a small enough dent that you can't see it and it doesn't affect the sound. However, it is easily to tear through the rubber surround if you're not careful. Take your time and apply constant and even pressure with a hand screwdriver, not a drill. Tighten well, but don't over-tighten or you'll strip the MDF.

 

Pictures look great. Can't wait for you to finish this project. I think you'll really enjoy this sub.

[Rick]

Yeah, that formula is just a generic way of doing things if you don't actually run it in modeling software yourself.

 

The squeezable hand wood clamps will do if that's your only option, although I usually prefer to use tighter clamps. You'll have a much more even coverage of glue that way. If the wood glue you're using had a tendency to expand, it will be even more important to get something strong.

 

Good to hear that it all went well.

 

You can glue together both baffles first without a problem. Here's the order I usually use in gluing everything together.

 

First, I take the back panel and then glue one of the top or bottom pieces to it with clamps. If I have additional clamps available, I then glue on one of the sides. After that, I glue on the other side piece, then the second top or bottom piece, and then the front baffle goes on last. It will be helpful to have the two baffles glued together and dried for at least half an hour by the time you reach the point where the baffles need to be screwed on.

 

Since you're at this stage, I will warn you about something that you need to be extremely careful about. When you get to the point when you're screwing in the screws for the sub, be extremely careful with the screwdriver you use. I've made this mistake twice and never had a bad experience come out of it, but I can't say the same for others. A screwdriver can very easily slip off of the screw and find its way into the subwoofer. I've seen someone ruin a $250 speaker driver with an accident like that. I accidentally left a dent in one of the drivers I built for my father in law, although its a small enough dent that you can't see it and it doesn't affect the sound. However, it is easily to tear through the rubber surround if you're not careful. Take your time and apply constant and even pressure with a hand screwdriver, not a drill. Tighten well, but don't over-tighten or you'll strip the MDF.

 

Pictures look great. Can't wait for you to finish this project. I think you'll really enjoy this sub.

 

I will get a few more of the metal wood clamps if it could make a difference, better be safe rather than sorry. So tell me if I am understanding this right...you do one piece at a time? Is there any risk for angles being off?

 

So...lets say I start with the 20x16" back board and glue one of the 20x14.5" to it. I would use 4-6 clamps to hold those two boards in place? What would the wait time be until moving to the next board to glue?

 

I will make sure to be careful there, also for gluing the port together, must the glue be ABS plastic glue, or would the wood glue suffice for holding the port together? Also...when pre-drilling holes, how much smaller should the holes be compared to the screw? And lastly...should I just glue the port to the wood or should I glue AND screw it in? Thanks...

 

Will be cutting the terminal cup hole shortly, placing it on the back side of the subwoofer on the 20x16" piece and its also the last cut other than drilling.

 

Could possibly have the glue started tonight...depends if a neighbor has the clamps or not.

[xtremerevolution]

I will get a few more of the metal wood clamps if it could make a difference, better be safe rather than sorry. So tell me if I am understanding this right...you do one piece at a time? Is there any risk for angles being off?

 

So...lets say I start with the 20x16" back board and glue one of the 20x14.5" to it. I would use 4-6 clamps to hold those two boards in place? What would the wait time be until moving to the next board to glue?

 

I will make sure to be careful there, also for gluing the port together, must the glue be ABS plastic glue, or would the wood glue suffice for holding the port together? Also...when pre-drilling holes, how much smaller should the holes be compared to the screw? And lastly...should I just glue the port to the wood or should I glue AND screw it in? Thanks...

 

Will be cutting the terminal cup hole shortly, placing it on the back side of the subwoofer on the 20x16" piece and its also the last cut other than drilling.

 

Could possibly have the glue started tonight...depends if a neighbor has the clamps or not.

 

You do one piece at a time unless you have more clamps. If it were in my garage, I'd glue the 20x16 to the 20x14.5, and then glue one 14.5x14.5 on there, and then another 14.5x14.5, and only then would I sit back and wait for it to dry. I do have like 25 clamps though.

 

I'm not sure how long you can wait before moving to the next board. With Titebond II wood glue, the bond is strong enough to unclamp after a mere 20 minutes. I have no idea how long it takes the stuff you bought to bond, especially if its going to expand like the standard gorilla glue I've used before does.

 

Don't worry about gluing the port, just screw it in, but you could put some sealant on the surface to make sure it doesn't leak. If you look on the back of the larger flare on the port, you'll see places marked to drill either 3 or 4 holes in order to screw it in.

[white4d96]

You could also use screws to clamp the box together as it dries. That's what I've always done. Predrill the holes, glue it together, then screw it together.

[Rick]

You do one piece at a time unless you have more clamps. If it were in my garage, I'd glue the 20x16 to the 20x14.5, and then glue one 14.5x14.5 on there, and then another 14.5x14.5, and only then would I sit back and wait for it to dry. I do have like 25 clamps though.

 

I'm not sure how long you can wait before moving to the next board. With Titebond II wood glue, the bond is strong enough to unclamp after a mere 20 minutes. I have no idea how long it takes the stuff you bought to bond, especially if its going to expand like the standard gorilla glue I've used before does.

 

Don't worry about gluing the port, just screw it in, but you could put some sealant on the surface to make sure it doesn't leak. If you look on the back of the larger flare on the port, you'll see places marked to drill either 3 or 4 holes in order to screw it in.

 

I meant for holding the port together, its 5 pieces. Would the wood glue hold it in place? Or do I need a ABS glue?

 

Just drilled all the holes, every one was perfect except one decided to split on the bottom, which shouldn't be an issue as its just the "hard" paper outsides.

 

I have 3 clamps right now, sent out texts to a lot of friends trying to see if their dads have any wood clamps I could barrow. If I get the fourth I will start and take it slow and take my time more importantly and go one board at a time. Im sure the cure time is on the bottle also I would assume.

 

ALSO: I have extra 8 Gauge wire, is it worth using this for the subwoofer? Or I also have extra 16/18(not sure) gauge speaker wire lying around. Is it also worth soldering it to the terminal connector?

Edited January 25, 2012 by Rick

[xtremerevolution]

You could use just about anything to hold the port together. It won't be moving much. I used a few sprits of adhesive spray, but you can use pipe joint compound or wood glue as well.

 

I wouldn't use 8 gauge on the sub. That's a bit large and will be annoying to solder onto the terminal cup.

 

I'd use 12 gauge if you can find it. 16 or 18 is too small.