Tuba 60 Downunder

[biggerrigger]

I've been looking forward to this build for quite some time now so I may as well enjoy the journey!

Now that's the spirit

[Titanium Hand]

Sunday night update report

I spent ages fastening panels 3 and 4 to get them square. BB still warps

Panel 5 was pretty easy, got a miter clamp like 88H88 has which helped.

Panel 6 took hours of fiddling, braces have that affect. Panel 1 had warped due to insufficient guide boards when I Glued it so a section of that panel had bowed out of square To overcome that hurdle, I transferred the gap at the bottom of the panel to the top, marked a line straight down to the bottom and cut it off. I glued the panel in, along with braces and guess what it was square Especially where 6 joins 7.

Sunday morning I get up and bang 6 to 7 junction now appears to be out of square


Got to love the 60 inch panel length - it took me a while to work out why two panels cut 'Square' wouldn't but up together properly. Given my framing square was rocking on the side panel I was able to identify that my joinery thus far was fine, it was just a bloody warped panel.

By screwing a couple of 90 x 90's (4' x 4') to each side along the length of the side panel and clamps for good measure I was able to progress. Panel 7 now butts up to 6 perfectly so with a few jigs and guideboards I glue it up and that is my weekend over.

I spent considerable time making the braces - getting peeved that I couldn't rely on my saw cutting 90 degrees down through multiple pieces of timber.... So I bought a new router and two flush trim bits, one top one bottom bearing.

I'll be making the rest of my braces by first cutting a template, utilizing makers edge practice. Then using said template to replicate it twice more. I plan to make some flash curved mouth braces, so will make a template to keep.... for any additional T60's in the future

[MissileCrisis]

There is no way short of a wife threatening divorce that you won't have the urge to build more T60's, plan on it . It's glad to see I'm not the only one who runs into build issues like pesky braces. Best of luck to you!

[Radian]

There is no way short of a wife threatening divorce that you won't have the urge to build more T60's, plan on it .

The cure for that is an Auto Tuba in the car and a THT in the house. Once you build each, and have access to that quality of bass every day, the novelty of building / lugging around the equivalent of a small refrigerator will eventually wear off.

T60 is a huge build for a first-go at a BF cab.

[AntonZ]

T60 is a huge build for a first-go at a BF cab.

On the other hand: if you start with T60, from there on everything else looks like small toys.

[Radian]

On the other hand: if you start with T60, from there on everything else looks like small toys.

[Titanium Hand]

My new router is an angry bugger

It decided to grab last night whilst fashioning my 1 / 10 brace number three, looks like some one did a doughnut on a dirtbike in mud - only its in my timber all gouged . Airtight and ugly, no sweat!

Tonight I changed bits and used the template below the blank. It worked very well for external trimming. Internal trimming not required on the 2 / 8. I was so excited to use the 'Diablo' router bit when I got home from work that I fumbled and dropped said router with pattern following bit straight into my bloody thigh This is a direct result of a huge Saturday night, my eyelid is still twitching and yes my hands no longer rest still, worst D.T.'s ever.
The bit was painlessly sharp, it made an evil sound as it effortlessly lacerated into my skin, ouch. I put 4 butterfly strips on it and carried on.

After completing the 2 / 8 braces I brainstormed the mouth braces.... including their material hungry 6 / 12 brethren. I set up a piece of ply on a ghetto trammel and searched for the magic radius. I was unable to find one that appealed to me. I instead used my flexible 1 metre steel rule to set out a very nice arc. I've added an additional 3 inches of depth to the proposed mouth brace to incorporate the arc as that is all the timber I can spare.
It looks like I will have to free hand the cutting of the arc with my jigsaw and tidy it up with a whole lot of sandpaper to make it template quality - I was hopeful to use my circle cutting rig.

My PL arrived in Sydney So it seems that I will actually get it woo hoo, I was hesitant to say the least. I'm getting to the thinking end of the build so will continue to take my time to do it right. I've got to sleep on the jack position tonight as I can't fasten anymore panels until I address that.

I'll be filling in the hours after brace fabricating tomorrow night with masking and mouth painting.

Loving EVERY MINUTE of this build, so much satisfaction from being able to say that its pretty square too - only three mm's out on panel one.

[88h88]

I was so excited to use the 'Diablo' router bit when I got home from work that I fumbled and dropped said router with pattern following bit straight into my bloody thigh This is a direct result of a huge Saturday night, my eyelid is still twitching and yes my hands no longer rest still, worst D.T.'s ever.
The bit was painlessly sharp, it made an evil sound as it effortlessly lacerated into my skin, ouch. I put 4 butterfly strips on it and carried on.

You clumsy bastard. Take care! I don't want you to die before you've gotten at least this one T60 finished and thoroughly tested!

[LelandCrooks]

Nightmare come true.

[Titanium Hand]

Thanks fellas

Pleased to say last weekends sins have finally left my body. Hands only shake now at the sight of my router J.K. I'm getting pretty savvy with it now. I built a bulletproof jig for recessing NL4MPR jack plates and used it with ruthless efficiency. The outer most protrusion has 1/32 of an inch clearance from the external profile of the panel, standing on end or standing on top of wont be an issue now. I'm very satisfied of how the recessed jacks look.

I've gone for two on panel 8 - behind 9 and two on panel 10 - behind 13. They line up perfectly, everything I've learnt on the forum has been put into action drawing cross hairs on everything to simplify the lining up process.

YES MY GLUE ARRIVED 4:58pm Wednesday afternoon Thanks 'Budget Group'

I used my trusty router (again) fabricating a football team of 'Brace Spacing Jigs', they helped me to get a satisfactory result this evening mounting panel 8 and its three 36 inch long braces.

4 inch grinder and 40 Grit flap disc came in proper handy yesterday trimming up the 45 degree angle on end of panel 8 into the desired angle to butt firmly to 7.

I'm going to an early wedding tomorrow and got around 4 or 5 hours work scheduled for Sunday, so my speaker schedule isn't too intense. I'm going to cut and glue panel 9 along with drilling, feeding wire and glue sealing it. I've prepared wire through panel 2 for No. 8 Jacks already so will drill and glue seal panel 1 for No.10 Jacks before the wedding.
Its a no alcohol affair so will be planning to at least glue up panel 10 in the evening too.

I must say, taking it slowly is great - kind of like sex I suppose With every added panel the T60 is looking bigger and bigger. Bloody exciting all the same, almost forgot, the joys of having 12 tubes of adhesive. I used one entire tube for panel 8 and the three braces, not taking any chances

[88h88]

I must say, taking it slowly is great - kind of like sex I suppose

Sex is a race and I always come first.

aaaaaaanyway glad things are going smoothly after your incident. I need to get to finish mine up, panel 10 went in the other day and I bought a new super hardcore router which just eats wood. Hopefully Sunday will see handles in panel 12 and then 13 installed. After that, mouth braces and seeing if I can't make a couple of single piece flanges for the driver chamber.

[miked]

Glad to hear your progress is going well. Pics would be nice. *hint-hint*

[Titanium Hand]

Well thanks to a weekend of rain I've been able to make healthy progress.

Saturday morning, cut and installed panel 9. OMG I made a bit of a pigs ear of the process but got the silk purse result I hoped for. After cleaning copious amounts of PL off my whole bloody arm! I fed the wire through 9 and sealed it up too, leaving a hefty tail outside the cab for ron.

After the wedding I cut 11 and spent out the evening prepping guide boards and and screws to fasten panel 10 and braces. The installation went without a hitch Time spent on the getting the dry fit square was time well spent. Very pleased with the result. I diverted from the traditional brace installation I jigged up panel 10 square, inserted braces till snug using a spacer to hold them the correct distance apart Then pre-drilled and screwed through panel 10 into the three braces. I marked the position of the braces onto panel one.
I pulled out all the screws, removed braces and panels. Applied PL to panel 10 for the braces then screwed them onto the panel. Then I applied PL to to the cab and panel 1 and joined them all together in one happy union - square, braces included.

Sunday. I cut and installed panel 11 very simply. Trial fit panel 12 and the other side panel - they lined up to within 2mm, happy with that, a clamp here and there will sort it out when the time comes. I taped up all the areas in the mouth that will take braces. I'm pretty capable with the router now. I cut out a template for 6-12 brace then copied it twice using the router. I decided to practice my curve abilities, so using the jigsaw and grinder with flap disc fashioned an aesthetically pleasing curve to mouth edge of the brace. Then copied it onto the other two blanks.
I used a fellow forum members method of screwing straight off cuts onto the desired cut lines to form a template for the cut outs within the brace. I decided on a width of 2 & 3/4 inches all the way round with 3 inches in the middle, I figured that as I'd gone around 1 inch into the front of the brace it couldn't hurt to leave some additional meat in there.

That was the weekend done. I've taken heaps of photos, just need some time to upload them somehow.

[Harley]

After the wedding I cut 11 and spent out the evening prepping guide boards and and screws to fasten panel 10 and braces.

That's the spirit of a true BFM builder; get's married, then doesn't piss around - straight into cab building. To hell with the honeymoon.

Gotta love it

Ps - sure you're not a kiwi?

[Tom Smit]

You're making good progress.