DIY Live Edge Dipole OB Build Thread - It’s Progressing, Slowly
- Thread starter Tlarwa
- Start date
Do It Yourself
Yeah, it’ll just add to the character 😉
Under normal circumstances no… not if it’s fully sealed. At that point it becomes entombed and cannot absorb or dissipate moisture.
That's a great point.
Funny you mention that, I was just thinking about that on my drive into work this morning. I'll be cutting the holes this weekend, and planned on sealing them up right away.
I also need to drill and seat 22 threaded brass inserts for the crossover boards and to mount the baffles to the bases. I'm having a time settling on the right diameter bit to use so that the insert doesn't raise the wood as I'm driving them in. It's tough to seat those right in hardwood (I've been practicing on a scrap piece). Look like I need a 13/32 or 7/16 bit to seat a 1/4-20 insert. I decided I'd rather have them a little loose and use a touch of epoxy to seat them rather than have them pull the wood up around the insert as they are being driven in. I want them nice and neat and flush!
(This is more for screws but may apply for inserts also) You can pre-drill the holes for the width of the shank (maybe slightly larger) and that way you still have something for the threads to bite into without splitting the wood. When dealing with really hard wood, I widen the first 1/8-1/4 inch of the hole (depending on material) to the size of the thread so lifting doesn’t occur.
Good idea. The inserts are only 1/2" long, but if I countersink the holes 1/8" or 3/16" that will probably prevent the lift. I'll try it on my scrap piece. Thanks.
There are also brass inserts that drive in and then expand when you thread a fastener into them. Some install from the back so there is no chance of them lifting.
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr
Big day today … going to route the driver cutouts. Have never routed through 2” so I hope it goes well. Decided to go halfway through the front then flip the baffle and finish through the back. Of course, I’ll route the flange recesses first.
Also have 22 brass inserts to drill for and insert into the baffles (11 per baffle). I was going to use inserts for the driver mounting screws too, but I’m rethinking that now. Since I’m mounting the drivers into maple I’m thinking that screwing into the maple directly should be plenty strong. I don’t plan to remove the drivers very often, if ever, so threaded inserts may be more trouble than it’s worth. Thoughts? Any suggestions on screws to use if I go directly into the maple?
Once I get those two things done they’ll be 90% complete, with only final assembly and crossover to speaker wiring left to do. Hoping to have them ready for the March 11th WI/IL audio meetup, especially since it looks like the guy who designed them, Perry Marshall, is going to come up from Chicago to join in the fun.
More pics to come as I make some progress today.
Also have 22 brass inserts to drill for and insert into the baffles (11 per baffle). I was going to use inserts for the driver mounting screws too, but I’m rethinking that now. Since I’m mounting the drivers into maple I’m thinking that screwing into the maple directly should be plenty strong. I don’t plan to remove the drivers very often, if ever, so threaded inserts may be more trouble than it’s worth. Thoughts? Any suggestions on screws to use if I go directly into the maple?
Once I get those two things done they’ll be 90% complete, with only final assembly and crossover to speaker wiring left to do. Hoping to have them ready for the March 11th WI/IL audio meetup, especially since it looks like the guy who designed them, Perry Marshall, is going to come up from Chicago to join in the fun.
More pics to come as I make some progress today.
So, today was uber productive. That said, my lower back hurts like hell…
Anyway, got the baffles routed, all the inserts installed and they are assembled right now to see how they would come together. Routing from both sides worked out well, although I do have a couple small imperfections in the edges. Oh well, only I’ll ever notice. I’m really happy with the way the crossovers mounted to the back came out. I made the spacers out of 5/8” oak dowel rod. Now that they are assembled I can figure out how long the wires between the crossover and the drivers and L pad need to be. Then I can finish up the crossovers.
Next steps (tomorrow) is to lacquer the inside edges of the driver holes, then lightly sand the baffles to get remove the marks from the router. Then I‘ll put a couple final coats of lacquer on them. Other than that, I need to mark and drill all the holes for the drivers. I have the 18” woofers in hand, but am still waiting on the coaxial drivers to be shipped.
They’re getting close! Any suggestions for fasteners to mount the drivers? Especially the woofers … they are damn big and heavy. I’ve about had it with installing inserts, so I’d rather go right into the maple with the screws.
Anyway, got the baffles routed, all the inserts installed and they are assembled right now to see how they would come together. Routing from both sides worked out well, although I do have a couple small imperfections in the edges. Oh well, only I’ll ever notice. I’m really happy with the way the crossovers mounted to the back came out. I made the spacers out of 5/8” oak dowel rod. Now that they are assembled I can figure out how long the wires between the crossover and the drivers and L pad need to be. Then I can finish up the crossovers.
Next steps (tomorrow) is to lacquer the inside edges of the driver holes, then lightly sand the baffles to get remove the marks from the router. Then I‘ll put a couple final coats of lacquer on them. Other than that, I need to mark and drill all the holes for the drivers. I have the 18” woofers in hand, but am still waiting on the coaxial drivers to be shipped.
They’re getting close! Any suggestions for fasteners to mount the drivers? Especially the woofers … they are damn big and heavy. I’ve about had it with installing inserts, so I’d rather go right into the maple with the screws.
Attachments
Nice job. FWIW I always use screws as it's much easier should you change to a different driver in the future. I normally use the screws in the link below as well as foam mounting tape between wood and driver.
Thanks, I appreciate the input. I’ve always used screws too … not sure why I had it in my mind to use inserts this time. Thanks for the link.
Yeah, I checked and double checked the router setup before I started cutting any of the holes. Once I started it was a lot easier than I expected to get through the 2”. Maple is really nice wood to work with.
The contrast of the natural slabs and precision craftsmanship is nice! Sharing in your journey has and continues to be a rewarding pleasure
