T48/Auto Tuba build review

[djtrumptight]

Well,i finished a AT and a T48 and the sound is very impressive even though i have only listened to them on an old receiver so old it is actually made by Solid State.
The AT is for my buddy,he bought a MTX amp with built in crossover for it,he is gonna install it in his Charger SRT and bypass the sub system that came with the car.I'm just waiting for the duratex to come so i can paint it,add the corners,then post the pics.I took pics for every panel that was installed,is it ok to post those pics ?

As for the titan,i messed up on panel 3,i believe at some point it shifted or slid and i didnt catch it so that panel is visibly crooked from the front so im not even gonna paint it,im going monday to Toledo to get enough wood to do 2 more T48's.Im not disappointed at all because i really enjoyed building the cab and it can still be used if need be as it will be wall or corner loaded but i dont wanna take a product like that out in public
I also had an issue with stripped T nuts,same situation as someone else recently had,so i referred to the solutions he was given.I tried the dremel cutter,but both of my bolts vas at the bottom of the Baffle.I just couldnt get the dremel angled to reach the nuts,i finally got them cut with a hacksaw and i replaced them with 1/4 wood screws but i used the star washers as opposed to the other kind that were recommended.
So im sure the next builds will be faster and smoother,im sure with the kind of time i would put in,i can get 2 T48's done within 2 weeks without rushing.

Things i would do differently next time:
1) im gonna have all my sheets ripped by the lumber yard in 2ft x 4 ft sections from 4ft x 8 ft BB.
I bought 5 x 5 BB and had them ripped to 2 1/4 sections to give me some room for adjustments,bad move.I still had to cut them all down to 2ft,which was time consuming and led to alot of sanding,and trimming.I should have bought 4 x 8 sheets.They cost more but are well worth it from what i see based on the panel sizes needed.
2) I did really good as a first time router user,i practiced on some scrap wood to get the right adjustments and it was a breeze after that,i just took my time.
3)i need to find a faster and more accurate way to cut holes as opposed to using the jigsaw,im gonna try to find some router jigs or something to cut holes,i could save alot of time there.
I have to get a tap to check my threads on future T nuts before i install them.
4) I didnt waste much wood,i only made one bad cut and it was on the first angled piece,i was pissed !!! so that piece became braces.
5) I need to find an online tone generator for breaking in woofers.
6) I didnt have any PL messes,everyday i wore rubber gloves under my work gloves
7) I didnt like taking out all of those screws and bondoing all those holes so i think im gonna invest in a brad nailer.
Pics coming soon.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

Great write up.

3)i need to find a faster and more accurate way to cut holes

Um...I think what you meant to type was that you need to find a faster OR more accurate way to cut holes. I'm pretty sure that faster and more accurate are in opposite directions from each other. A router with a circle jig is certainly more accurate, but it is not faster than using a jig saw. Technique matters a lot with a jigsaw...you might find that you can gain a lot of accuracy by slowing down.

--Stan Graves

[gdougherty]

unless 3 is talking about all the holes in braces to lighten them up. If so, I cut all my braces first, clamped them together and used a 2" forstner bit on the smaller braces. On the largest rear braces I used a forstner to start them then finished with a jigsaw to cut large triangular sections out, leaving something that looks like lighting truss with additional bracing perpendicular to the panels for extra support.

[Radian]

You can cut non-dimensional circles out of the bracing free-hand with a spiral cutting bit, if you have a router. Saved me a butt-load of time on my last project.

[WB]

ok to post those pics ?

Yes.

7) I didnt like taking out all of those screws and bondoing all those holes so i think im gonna invest in a brad nailer.

I have both a brad nailer, and a crown stapler. 95% of the time I'm using the crown stapler.

[djtrumptight]

Thanks for the feedback fellas.

What i meant by faster hole cutting was with the router as opposed to the jig saw.The jig saw worked out,but i think the router would work better,i will be looking into a circle cutting bit as well as a circle jig.The brace holes werent a problem.
Heres the pics of the AT build:

[djtrumptight]

for some reason i am having major trouble trying to post the rest of the pics,i will try again later.

[djtrumptight]

trying again,more pics:

AT6.jpg (11.6 KiB) Viewed 2329 times

[djtrumptight]

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[djtrumptight]

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[djtrumptight]

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[djtrumptight]

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[djtrumptight]

Everytime i try to post the pics,even though im signed on the site takes me back to the log on page,anybody know why ?

next panel if it goes right:

AT11.jpg (11.95 KiB) Viewed 2312 times

[djtrumptight]

next panel:

AT12.jpg (11.12 KiB) Viewed 2311 times

[djtrumptight]

I dont know whats going on but whenever i try to post a pic,the site takes me back to the log in page although i was already logged in.Im gonna try a few more times.