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View Full Version : First time speaker build



Salamanteiga
18th February 2012, 12:21 AM
Hello there.
I just started to make my first speakers but my budget is very limited, and so are my tools...
I've built this one from particleboard http://r-moreira.dynip.sapo.pt/fotos/16022012(004).jpg

But as can be seen in the photo, the round hole isn't so round, the corners came out pretty lousy and the paint job... well,it sucks... I paintd it with a primer, then I used black acrylic paint but only having paint brushes the result is lacking....
It actually sounds quite good with a piezo tweeter and some yamaha drivers that I was able to get 2nd hand.
What would you suggest? Any opinion is quite welcome..
Thank you

HeadScratcher
18th February 2012, 11:16 AM
Cheap doesn’t always mean nasty, and dear doesn’t always mean good, but as a general rule of thumb if you only have cheap to work with, do the best you can with what you have.
Don’t rush your job just to get a result. I built my first set of speakers with basically a jigsaw, sandpaper, and a few hand files and they turned out pretty damn impressive (although a bit boring to look at).
I spent literally hundreds of hours getting the carefully roughed out jigsaw holes almost perfectly round, and just squaring off the cabinet where the corners and edges met (probably could have hidden much of it under the laminate finish but I would still know it was rough. When resources are lacking, use time and effort as a substitute.
Can you post more photos to see all of the cabinet?
Also what tools you have available so might be able to suggest building techniques.

SawDustSniffer
18th February 2012, 01:05 PM
But as can be seen in the photo, the round hole isn't so round,

no one is gonna see the hole so who cares


the corners came out pretty lousy and the paint job... well,it sucks... I paintd it with a primer, then I used black acrylic paint but only having paint brushes the result is lacking....

looks like a fine 1st coat to me , use some 120grit to rough it up and take a bit more off ( use a hard block of wood under the sand paper to knock the tops off the lumps) then all over with 160 grit, re prime ( watch out for water based primer over oil) , then re coat , once all the paint is on , brush over the finish , wipe the brush between each stroke to remove excess , wait untill its "real dry " and sand again , 160 , then 280 ,
re coat again , and start to sand with 280 - 400
it should only take 3 coats to get a perfect surface , then "spray can" clear over the top .

use a sanding block , fingers are no good, and use sand paper like some one else is paying for it, if its clogged , chuck it

HeadScratcher
18th February 2012, 01:23 PM
....and use sand paper like some one else is paying for it, if its clogged , chuck it :roflmao:

I remember on my first set of speakers buying the 10 sheet packets to save 5 cents a sheet (was only about 20 cents a sheet back then).

Sometimes you have to spend to save...