Mission: Trio12 Sub (design/build)

Got a visit from "Brown" yesterday...



Also stopped at Lowe's and Woodworker's Supply and picked up the oak boards and veneer I'll be using. Too bad that next weekend I'm going to be out of town... I'd rather be working on this project...

There has been some movement on this build... finally.

I began ripping mdf down to size over the weekend and yesterday got together with a good friend of mine that has a ridiculously well equipped workshop.

There were some last minute redesigns done... the internal dimensions are now exactly those given in the CSS plans for this sub. I'll try to put together a new sketchup and post pics.

Here's a few pics from yesterday's work (excuse the quality, I forgot the real camera and had to use my cel phone):

Somehow, this found it's way into my shopping cart: :R


Getting ready to cut holes for the PR's:


Finally, some assembly is going on:



Quick Question: Mike P. used egg crate foam to line his sub... is that an absolute necessity (or is it done more as a precaution)?

Hopefully, some more work will get done on Saturday... stay tuned...

Finished the basic box today. Here's some pics of the progress:





Creative Clamping 101:















Joining some oak panels for the top:


I forgot my camera again and was stuck using my cel phone... GRRR.

Next step will be priming/painting the outer PR and Driver baffles. Then we start getting the finish pieces ready.

I still have high hopes of finishing this build by Thanksgiving!

Closer inspection of the driver outer baffle revealed that it was off by about 1/4 inch and the driver wouldn't fit. GRRRR. So I came up with a jig that would let us enlarge the outer baffle hole 1/4 inch off center. Here are some pics:

I took a couple of pieces of mdf and cut one piece to fit in the outer baffle opening, then we screwed it to another piece of mdf on the other side of the driver baffle. Then I re-measured for the center of the outer baffle opening. Then I moved the center hole 1/4 inch off center (to compensate for the error in the outer baffle opening. After that we adjusted the position of the router so that it would only shave 1/32 inch off of the side that had plenty of clearance and would take about 1/4 inch off of the far side.



The results were near perfect. You can see in this photo that the mounting holes for the driver are now equally spaced from the edge of the outer baffle opening (this was not the case before this operation).



A test fit with the driver revealed that it was now perfectly centered in the outer baffle opening.



Yesterday I re-primed the outer driver baffle and was able to get a coat of satin black on the outer PR baffles. It's going to be a few days before I can get back to it.

I don't think I'm going to make my goal of finishing by Thanksgiving!

Happy Tryptophan Day everyone!

Here are the pics as promised:

I filled in the holes and lightly sanded the surface of the mdf.


Here's what I used to apply the veneer: TitebondII and a foam roller.


Here's the veneer drying. I first wet down the wood side of the veneer with a damp cloth, then rolled the glue on with a roller (the water helps the veneer lay flat... without the water applied to the wood side, it would curl when the glue is rolled on). I put on two coats in rapid succession and set it aside to dry.


I rolled the same two coats of glue on the mdf substrate. I let everything dry for about 45 minutes.


After both sides were dry, I put the veneer in place and taped it at the corners (only to hold the veneer until it was ironed down in the center).


I put an old cotton t-shirt on top of the veneer prior to ironing (to prevent the iron from scorching the veneer). I let the iron heat up to it's highest setting (cotton/linen), low steam, and began working at the center of the veneer. I moved slowly from the center outwards, keeping steady pressure on the iron. Once the center of the veneer was done, I removed the tape at the corners. Then I continued to work from the center to all edges.


I removed the t-shirt and checked the surface for any bubbles or other places where the veneer had not adhered... especially the edges (I didn't find any problems). Then I put the t-shirt back and repeated the ironing process one final time (again, working from the center to the edges).


I had cut the opening in the veneer (for the plate amp) so that it was about 1/4 inch smaller than the opening in the mdf. Once the veneer was cool, I worked with a veneer trimmer and 220 grit sandpaper to trim the veneer back to the opening in the mdf.


The results:



Now, it's ready to have the side/leg and trim pieces attached, then the top.

Stay tuned...

Did some more work today. The top is not attached yet, I set it in place just to get an idea.











My frustration is growing though... this build is going soooo sloooow...

A wee bit more work done today...

Delays, delays... Between work, snow, kids and the SAC's request to do some "fixin" on the downstairs bathroom... well, y'all know how it is.

Right now, it's all about sanding. 80 grit to get everything lining up nicely. Then fill all the nail holes (with Famowood Red Oak filler). 2nd round of sanding with 150. Double check the filled spots, then stain using Cabot's Brown Mahogany. After that, a very light sanding with 220 just to deburr and then one more round of stain. Once all that's done, on to the finish. I've decided to go with Waterlox original. I'm going to brush it on in 3 light coats.

I've done some tests with the Cabot's Brown Mahogany and the Waterlox Orig. on some of the red oak scraps and I'm very happy with the results. Here's an example:



Can you find the wood filler?

I can't give you the finished project, but I can give you some pics that show the finished project is close at hand. I managed to get the sanding completed on Saturday, and the stain applied on Sunday. Here's the result:




I am VERY happy with how the top came out. Can't thank my friend Matt enough for gluing up/clamping the red oak! (Not to mention the use of his shop, tools, routing out the sub and pr openings...etc...)



I'm going to finish it with Waterlox Original. But it may be a couple of weeks before I can get to it with work and some travel plans coming up. In the meantime though, I hope to get the grill covers done.

Five months and more than a few dollars over budget... here's the final results:


Putting in the Trio12... FINALLY!! The grey you see peekin' out is the foam weatherstripping I used to make sure I had a good seal. I tightened the bolts in a star pattern... first with my fingers, then by hand with a hex driver. Didn't trust myself using anything else...


Never thought I'd see the day...


Very pleased with how the cabinet turned out.


I swear it brings tears to my eyes...






Grill covers in place.


Test run...


Final resting place...

So for my first run I put in some tobyMac and I was impressed. Haven't been able to do much else (as I've had to clean up our dining room aka, "my workshop" where I've been finishing this project up). Going to go watch a film now just to see...

BTW, does the Trio12 require any break-in before it gets cranked?