Anyone got got good router jigs for speaker cutouts/handles?

[Strapping Young Stu]

Hi I am preparing to make my first build and I am thinking about a better way to cut out the handles and speaker cutouts.

On the subs I built a couple of years ago I just used a jigsaw but got a rather jagged edge which I didn't really like.

Has anyone made any useful jigs for doing these tasks?

Also can you recommend what I should be looking for in a router. I need to buy one.

Thanks

Stu

[Tim A]

How much do you want to spend? If you'll only have one, get a

Min 1-3/4 HP
Combo (dual) base (fixed and plunge)
1/2" and 1/4" collets

Before anyone says you don't NEED the fixed base, if you only own one router, you can mount it on a router table, leave the base on the table and change it to the plunge base quickly for free hand routing.

So...there!

[Art Coates]

How much do you want to spend? If you'll only have one, get a

Min 1-3/4 HP
Combo (dual) base (fixed and plunge)
1/2" and 1/4" collets

Before anyone says you don't NEED the fixed base, if you only own one router, you can mount it on a router table, leave the base on the table and change it to the plunge base quickly for free hand routing.

So...there!

+1

[SoundInMotionDJ]

+2

[Strapping Young Stu]

Ok thats good advice, do I really NEED a router table as well?

I am only going to use this for speaker cutouts, ports and rounding over the edges of a cab

Stu

[Sydney]

I got by without a router table, and used clamped guides for routing.
I don't have a plunge router so I made by own jigs for cutting curves.
If I had a plunge router - I'd get a Jasper Jig.

[Tim A]

Ok thats good advice, do I really NEED a router table as well?

Nope, you don't need one at all. But you may eventually want one, and at that point you'd be all set.

[Strapping Young Stu]

Ok I'm not planning to do THAT many projects with the thing, even rounding over can be done with a sander, so this is just an extra purchase to make the job of cutting nice looking holes in wood a little easier.

I don't expect to get it out very often

Stu

[Sydney]

I don't expect to get it out very often

You wouldn't think so - but I was given an inexpensive router over 15 years ago & have put it to use in a multitude of projects. It is the right tool for rounding-over vs sanding

[LelandCrooks]

I now have 3. From barely using one, to where I can't live without them. Jasper jig on one, one on router table, one for everything else.

I just keep finding places where it saves gobs of time.

[Tim A]

I don't expect to get it out very often

Stu

Famous last words!

Everyone who's heard this before, raise your hand!

Sorry Stu, you're hooked. May as well give in.

BTW, I can say only fantastic things about the Jasper Jig.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

As with most tools, once you have it, you'll find more ways to use it.

For the cuts that you want to make, a plunge base router is what you need. A circle cutting template will be very useful. You can make your own circle cutting template with a 1/4" piece of plywood - this is what I did.

But, if you are on a tight budget, keep in mind that there are less expensive ways to get your holes. A jigsaw does not have to tear up the wood. Replace the general use blade with a fine finish wood blade with a lot of teeth per inch. Don't push the saw along, let the blade do the work of removing the wood. If your jigsaw has an adjustable blade angle, set the blade to be straight. A really good jigsaw blade is $5 or so. Get a multi-pack, just in case you hit a screw or nail with the blade.

A Forstner bit makes nice looking holes. I have an assortment of sizes from 3/4" to 2". I think Forstner bits are about $15 to $20 each.

I used Forstner bits to make almost all the holes in the bracing for the T48. It's a lot of drilling, but the holes look nice.

I found the 1-1/2" Forstner bit made a nice handle size. I drilled two holes that were 4" apart on center. A jigsaw removed the wood between the holes. A little sanding will make for a nice handle. Even with gloves, the handles are large enough to be easy to use.

--Stan Graves

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I found the 1-1/2" Forstner bit made a nice handle size. I drilled two holes that were 4" apart on center. A jigsaw removed the wood between the holes. A little sanding will make for a nice handle.
--Stan Graves

Do so with a piece of 3/4 oak or maple, use it as a jig with a pattern following bit. Put a couple of screw holes in it, so you can screw it directly to the work. You can zip off a handle hole in a Titan or OmniTop in about 1 minute.

[LelandCrooks]

Do so with a piece of 3/4 oak or maple, use it as a jig with a pattern following bit. Put a couple of screw holes in it, so you can screw it directly to the work. You can zip off a handle hole in a Titan or OmniTop in about 1 minute.

+1

Pattern following bits are worth every penny.

[Strapping Young Stu]

Lol, I may be hooked but my shed is only so big!

One router is about all I can fit in it now without clearing out a whole lot of old junk!

I dont do much DIY other than speaker building because my family have always preferred to buy rather than build and despite my grandfather being an ex army engineer and being a huge innovator of various different gadgets, I have really not had much experience with the whole thing - what with only being 21 I have never been allowed to get my hands on tools at home understandably before this point.

A lot of the terms you are using are real foreign language to me at the moment but I am sure I shall learn in time! Thanks for the advice of alternative ways to cut things, but I have always been a believer in getting the right tool for the job and there was a really helpful article on routering handles and speaker cutouts on the speakerplans website the other week and the quality of the workmanship was so good with the router that I have to own one, even if i only use it for this one job.

I really enjoyed making my panel cutting jig the other day and I will be making an MDF prototype of my first build later this week if the weather holds up!

Stu