My Classix II build

[dcairns]

My first try at this, but I am handy with soldering and a bit of wood work, so it has not been too difficult.  
Biggest lesson learned so far:  Don't try it with your hand held circular saw, go ask the neighbor to use his table saw and do it right! 

I plan to use walnut veneer on the outside, except the front, which will be black paint and have a black fabric grill on them.  I am trying for the 70's look.

The crossover was easy enough. I used the sticker since it makes nice built in (aka 'never gets lost')  documentation, in case service is ever needed someday.





Made my own router circle cutter and got good enough results for the part of the hole that shows.  I just used my jig-saw for the hole the speaker goes through.



After doing some tests on scraps with deck screws, I started to wonder if MDF was all that great of a choice.  But I researched how to screw up MDF without screwing up   and discovered that they make special screws just for MDF.  They worked great, except for one that I put in a bit crooked and it cracked the MDF.  I just wood glued and clamped the injury and put a new screw nearby.  After successful dry assembly, I took it all apart and reassembled with wood glue and some small strips of scrap MDF braces on the long corners.




Since I did not initially use the neighbors table saw, my boards were a bit "off" which lead to some minor alignment issues when assembling.  But some wood filler takes care of that.









And I had to do a quick test run just to hear them a bit    They do sound sweet, and as per spec, they are not very efficient at 86db 1W/1m.  

[Reede]

Excellent. That will look great when it's painted. I bet it sounds good too.

[dcairns]

Actually, I am going to try to veneer them.  I am off on a rabbit trail of learning on that topic ;D.  Glue, glue and ironed on, contact cement,  paper backed, raw, wood backed.  Lots of stuff to consider, and lots of strong opinions lol .

[dcairns]

Getting back to my speaker project, after my doctor turned me into a mushroom with blood pressure medications.  
I have stained the front black, hoping it soaks in a bit so the MDF won't show if scratched.  I am now applying wood grain formica as the veneer.  So far it is pretty easy to do.  I use my router to trim the excess off for a clean edge.

[dcairns]

Sides all veneered and shaping the grills.


Some paint over the black stain to get a nice flat black look.  I didn't get a photo of it, but I did put the self adhesive foam damping material in there.



And  now all assembled!  Just need to finish the grills.
These speakers will be paired with the Marantz SR 4000 you see in the background.


Since these speakers will be paired with the Marantz receiver, I have badged them with some home made Marantz emblems (with apologies to Paul Carmody).  



The deception is minor, as the truth is on the back.

[dcairns]

All finished and they sound great with my Marantz SR-4000 !

[Bill Schneider]

Nice job! I like the grill treatment you chose. And the Marantz, of course.   It's a great looking combo and reminds me of the stereos of my youth.

How did you create the label for the back?

[dcairns]

I bought some some full sheet (8.5 x 11) Matte Silver Labels from Amazon.   You can print them on a laser printer.
"Mr-Label® Extra Large Full-Sheet Matte Silver Label Adhesive Labels – Scratchproof Waterproof Stickers for Company Information | Wine Bottle - Laser Print Only (25 Sheets)"  currently $12.  
There are also die cut labels available in various sizes.  I just cut mine with a roller paper cuter and trimmed the corners with a little hand punch that gives rounded corners to paper.

I printed the Marantz logos the same way, and put them on some bits black plastic sheet.  Kinda fussy work sanding them down so size as the plastic warps a bit with heat from my belt sander.  Hand sanding was easier as I got them close to the size. And just glued them on with a dab of glue to the grill.

[EdwardCombs]

My first try at this, but I am handy with soldering and a bit of wood work, so it has not been too difficult.  
Biggest lesson learned so far:  Don't try it with your hand held circular saw, go ask the neighbor to use his table saw and do it right! 

I plan to use walnut veneer on the outside, except the front, which will be black paint and have a black fabric grill on them.  I am trying for the 70's look.

The crossover was easy enough. I used the sticker since it makes nice built in (aka 'never gets lost')  documentation, in case service is ever needed someday.





Made my own router circle cutter and got good enough results for the part of the hole that shows.  I just used my jig-saw for the hole the speaker goes through.



After doing some tests on scraps with deck screws, I started to wonder if MDF was all that great of a choice.  But I researched how to screw up MDF without screwing up   and discovered that they make special screws just for MDF.  They worked great, except for one that I put in a bit crooked and it cracked the MDF.  I just wood glued and clamped the injury and put a new screw nearby.  After successful dry assembly, I took it all apart and reassembled with wood glue and some small strips of scrap MDF braces on the long corners.




Since I did not initially use the neighbors table saw, my boards were a bit "off" which lead to some minor alignment issues when assembling.  But some wood filler takes care of that.









And I had to do a quick test run just to hear them a bit    They do sound sweet, and as per spec, they are not very efficient at 86db 1W/1m.  

Wow! man. You are really an engineer. I can't believe you did it with cardboard. My son loved it. He is really inspired by you.