AR.com DIY cabinet dimensions...and a question/suggestion

[kexodusc]

Bryan,
I think maybe you're reading a bit too much into the numbers...actually, that's just what you get when you cut the pieces out...I'm sure they're quite flexible, after all, you're going to insert drivers, port tube, damping material, crossovers, terminals, etc that will eat up some of this volume anyway...there's a ton of flexibility.
But buying the Madisound cabinets is a good way to start too...that's exactly what I did when I made a different project...
Then I realized building the cabinets wasn't that hard.
There's a ton of people willing to help if you decide to try your own...Good luck!

[bcass]

Bryan,
I think maybe you're reading a bit too much into the numbers...actually, that's just what you get when you cut the pieces out...I'm sure they're quite flexible, after all, you're going to insert drivers, port tube, damping material, crossovers, terminals, etc that will eat up some of this volume anyway...there's a ton of flexibility.
But buying the Madisound cabinets is a good way to start too...that's exactly what I did when I made a different project...
Then I realized building the cabinets wasn't that hard.
There's a ton of people willing to help if you decide to try your own...Good luck!

I wrote to SpeakerCity and they wrote back with the price of the L-6 cabinets at $65 each. I'm not sure if that includes the binding post, grill, etc.; they were very terse in their responses. Madisound wants $82.50 each for theirs, but there seems to be more finish options.

I'm almost tempted to just build the cabinets myself, but I'm hesitant only because there's no cutting diagrams or assembly instructions. I see Ed's measurements above, but I have gone solely on measurements before and messed things up. :-) Plus, where do you find the port tube, how do you build the grills, where do you get grill cloth, how do you attach the grills, etc etc. I'm a good direction-follower, but not a good fabricator, and there are too many unanswered questions for me to venture into it yet. ;-) One would think that with so many people who have built these, there would be some detailed bill of materials, cutting diagrams and assembly drawings/instructions out there somewhere.

Thanks!
Bryan

[kexodusc]

Bryan:

The cutting dimensions are really open to a number of possibilies. Especially if you have dado-blades and can cut a rabbet or mortis-and-tennon joint or something (but those aren't necessary).

I recommend making the front baffle the entire width and height of the speaker, that is 13 X 8-3/4, then adjusting the other dimensions accordingly. It's not that hard, and it doesn't have to be 100% perfect...that's what body fill is for!

Just make sure when you are cutting MDF that you set your saw for a certain dimension and cut all the same pieces at once so you aren't readjusting every cut. This helps to ensure that any slight defects are at least consistent for all sides and all speakers. For example, my tops and bottoms, and lefts and rights were the same. I built 12 at once. I cut 24 top/bottom pieces, then 24 left/right pieces, then the fronts, then the backs. I had to use a wee bit of bondo to seal up one crack on all the speakers....it was air tight because of the rabbet joints I used, but this was an important step for later when veneering so lines didn't show.

Port tubes need only be a 2 inch inside diameter PVC or ABS tube such as you'd use for home plumbing, available at any hardware store, but you can order from Madisound/parts express etc...I recommend getting the port covers too to make them look pretty. You just need to chop off the port tube to the right length.

Grills aren't 100% necessary, but I used 3/4" MDF, and a jig saw, kept them very thin and just glued grill cloth on to the back with spray adhesive...probably the hardest part of this whole project. I used earth magnets countersunk into both the front baffle and grill corners for a clean look, but grill pegs can be purchased cheap too, and are probably easier if you're not fussy.

C'mon bryan, MDF is cheap...go to it and build your own from scratch , you'll love these that much more.

FYI...I recommend starting a new thread in this forum for future questions, you might draw more interest. Tons of people here who can help you.