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Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Mon May 15, 2017 11:23 pm
by DJPhatman
I just noticed something... you do not have enough extra BB for all the braces. You will need 2 sets for a 24.5" wide THT.

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 9:41 am
by caleb105
DJPhatman wrote:I just noticed something... you do not have enough extra BB for all the braces. You will need 2 sets for a 24.5" wide THT.
Hmmm.... you may be right. I didn't consider the braces when I did my initial parts layout. If necessary, I've got some 1/2" ACX plywood laying around that I could use for the braces. Thanks for pointing that out!

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 9:57 am
by caleb105
Last night I took the leap and attached Panel #1! In the end it was successful, but it definitely wasn't the smoothest. lol

First I used some of the scrap 1/2" ACX plywood I have laying around to make some 90 degree clamp jigs to help keep everything aligned.

I'm using PL 3X Premium and 18ga 1-1/4" brad nails. Someone on here recommended using the smaller 10oz tubes instead of the larger 28oz tubes, and I'm glad I listened to that advice. Much easier to work with. I glued the joint up, then went to nail the panel and BOOM!.... no nails. Turns out in my haste I had tossed my 18ga brad nails into my finish nailer. Thankfully it didn't damage anything... it just wouldn't shoot nails. Fortunately I knew where my brad nailer was buried (since most of my tools are still in boxes) and I was able to get everything nailed together. And I only got a little bit of the PL in my hair in the process. :lol:

I think I got the amount of PL pretty good... I didn't overdo it, but had consistent squeeze out down the length of the joint.

I had 2 brad nails shoot thru the side of Panel 1, but once the joint sets I'll grind those down and fill in with Bondo or wood filler.

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 10:18 am
by CoronaOperator
caleb105 wrote: I had 2 brad nails shoot thru the side of Panel 1, but once the joint sets I'll grind those down and fill in with Bondo or wood filler.
That's what I do with them, I use a dremel with an abrasive disk and grind in perpendicular to the brad about a 1/2" above where it sticks out into the wood then bondo away once I start to finish.

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 3:37 pm
by DJPhatman
Once the PL sets, pull them out. They appear to be sticking out of the exterior of the cab, so there will be no compromise to the air tightness of the joint. The squeeze out is pretty good, maybe even too much. Is it the same on the other side of the glue joint? Are you clamping, then shooting brads? I am digging the build, though! 8) :cowboy:

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 9:18 am
by caleb105
DJPhatman wrote:Once the PL sets, pull them out. They appear to be sticking out of the exterior of the cab, so there will be no compromise to the air tightness of the joint. The squeeze out is pretty good, maybe even too much. Is it the same on the other side of the glue joint? Are you clamping, then shooting brads? I am digging the build, though! 8) :cowboy:
You are correct... they are sticking out of the exterior of the cab, so no worries about air leaks.
DJPhatman wrote: The squeeze out is pretty good, maybe even too much. Is it the same on the other side of the glue joint?
Yeah, I went a little heavy on the PL with that first panel, but have backed it off slightly on the other joints. However, I'd rather overdo it than use too little (as your signature indicates)
DJPhatman wrote: Are you clamping, then shooting brads? I am digging the build, though! 8) :cowboy:
So far, I've just been using hand pressure to clamp the boards together while I shoot the brads. Do you think I should be fully clamping the panels?
DJPhatman wrote: I am digging the build, though! 8) :cowboy:
Thanks! I'm enjoying the process

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 9:34 am
by Bruce Weldy
caleb105 wrote: So far, I've just been using hand pressure to clamp the boards together while I shoot the brads. Do you think I should be fully clamping the panels?
That's just fine.....I've build all of mine that way. Anyway, the PL will want to slide around if you apply clamps. Just hold 'em tight and shoot 'em right!

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 9:49 am
by caleb105
My build moves slowly forward. I'm shooting to glue up 1 panel per day, if I can find the time. I cut Panel 2 to final size, including the slight chamfer on the end, and did a test fit before installing (looked pretty good).

The problem is that Panel #2 is perfectly square, with only a VERY slight chamfer on one end. As you might be guessing, I got confused when I went to glue & nail the panel into place. I didn't realize it until I already had one side of the panel fully nailed... but I installed the panel 90 degrees out of position. This means the slight chamfer will actually meet up with the final side panel when I close up the box. Fortunately, this isn't a huge deal. The angle is slight enough that the PL will fill it in & ensure an air tight joint, and the plans actually mention that Panel 2 could be left square where it meets up with Panel 5 since the PL will also fill that in. :oops:

I'm starting to think more & more that I'll need to build a 2nd THT once I've got the build process all figured out. :lol:

Re: Home Theater Build - THT & SLA

Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 9:53 am
by caleb105
Yesterday, I cut Panel 3 to final size. There's something beautiful about a chamfer in Baltic Birch with no voids.

The installation of Panel 3 went much smoother, as there's not much to get confused about. I've seen some people use creative methods for clamping Panel 3 in place, but I just pressed it in by hand, then used the brad nails to secure it until the PL could dry. I just had to be careful to slightly angle the brad nailer so that the nails wouldn't shoot thru the rear of the panels.