T48 Build Thread

[miked]

I think if we ran all 8 Titans and all 8 OTops at once, we could crack windows at a thousand yards away. I have a funny feeling we will try it and see what happens.

Walking out into the garage and seeing all those beautiful braces is a good feeling. They "feel" much lighter in the hand than the actual weight lost would suggest. I'm just glad they are done.

I did get a handle hole template done yesterday, too, but I didn't get a pic of it. I was thinking of also doing a tempate for the jack plate, but it's really not necessary. It's just a small, rectangular hole that doesn't even really need to be dead-accurate, and it's easy enough to cut with a jigsaw. Unlike the handle holes that have to be perfect.

Today I'll get the spacer rings cut and possibly the jack plate holes in the backs. But I need to be careful about where I put that hole. Don't want to run into problems with the 7/8 braces. Off to the Sketchup model.

[DJPhatman]

Pro tip. wanna really save weight on braces? Dont use Baltic birch, when a lower grade, lighter ply will suffice.

Or, use 1/4" and dados for the braces, and 3/8" for the rest. Slightly trickier than with 1/2", but totally do-able when loading with neo drivers, and shaves ~1/4 to 1/3 of the total weight off.

[byacey]

Pro tip. wanna really save weight on braces? Dont use Baltic birch, when a lower grade, lighter ply will suffice.

This is true, but there is a certain amount of satisfaction using baltic compared to using a lower grade wood that has voids, is splintery and warped.

[sine143]

Pro tip. wanna really save weight on braces? Dont use Baltic birch, when a lower grade, lighter ply will suffice.

This is true, but there is a certain amount of satisfaction using baltic compared to using a lower grade wood that has voids, is splintery and warped.

was really just joshin with you man lol. regardless, these t48s are light in comparison to anythign else we could hope to use as subwoofers. I weigh 108 lbs... wont find me stacking SRX728s 3 high.

[miked]

Pro tip. wanna really save weight on braces? Dont use Baltic birch, when a lower grade, lighter ply will suffice.

This is true, but there is a certain amount of satisfaction using baltic compared to using a lower grade wood that has voids, is splintery and warped.

True on both counts. I stuck with BB for the whole build for two main reasons. Simplicity and "ease of build." By "ease of build" I specifically mean not having to deal with cheap ply that has tons of voids and delaminates when you cut it. Specifically, I've bought some cheap 1/2" ply from Lowes for making shelves and other projects, and the face on both sides is maybe 1/64" thick..it's like paper, literally. It peels off if you sneeze on it the wrong way. I didn't want to risk have internal panels peeling or coming apart.

I thought about using 1/4" ply and dadoes for the braces, but honestly, that's too much damn work for me. I'm not on a time table w/this build but my free time is pretty limited. Take today for example. I HAD planned to hit the shop, but I needed to get some house stuff done. I did some chores around the house, then realized I needed to go food shopping. Crap. Did that and they day's almost over. Didn't get into the shop today. But, IMO I got a LOT done in two days. Except for the spacer rings, all the panels and braces are cut for all four cabs. Not bad for two days' work.

I'll do a little bit tomorrow night when I get home from work. I should be able to get the spacer rings cut, at least.

I'll be putting the standard two hand holes at the top rear of the cab, and I will be putting a single handhold in the middle of the 6/10 horizontal brace, like Bruce does. I am mulling over putting hand holes at the front of the bottom panel. You can never go wrong with too many handles, especially if they won't potentially compromise the air-tightness of the cab (like side D-handles could).

Anyone put hand holes on the bottom panel of their Titans? Do you ever use them?

[sine143]

I put hand holds on the bottom panel. use them all the time.... might be because only 2 of six have wheels lolll

[David Raehn]

I plan on using caster pallets as well as hand trucks for mine. I plan to include the top-back and bottom-front handholds, but the thought of horsing them around by the braces has me on edge. I know others have had great success with that location but I think I would prefer to keep my braces solid (unholey). No pun intended .

[byacey]

When I built the T48s I made them 30" wide, so they ride safely upright on a caster board. I installed two spring loaded bail handles on each side. Two people can lift them up onto a stage deck or carry them up stairs, and a single person can move them around and put them on or off the caster board.

As far as I'm concerned, that's all the handles they need.

[Bruce Weldy]

When I built the T48s I made them 30" wide, so they ride safely upright on a caster board. I installed two spring loaded bail handles on each side. Two people can lift them up onto a stage deck or carry them up stairs, and a single person can move them around and put them on or off the caster board.

As far as I'm concerned, that's all the handles they need.

Not if they have wheels on 'em. You need handles in the back to push or pull 'em.

Having moved subs with dollies and now with attached casters - I'd never put these subs on a dolly. As light as they are, attached casters are fast, easy and less of a PITA than having to find the dolly. Just grab and go.

For the little bit of extra work and expense - it's a no-brainer to put wheels on these things.

[miked]

I'm going with handles on the front of the bottom panel as well as the single handle on the horizontal brace. Can't have too many handles and two more handle holes will lighten the cab by another few ounces.

I will definitely be putting casters on my cabs. It really just makes sense to do so. Each cab is it's own handcart. For the occasional time when the 2.5" wheels just wont' cut it, like having to roll through gravel or grass, I'll break out the handtruck with the 8" tires on it.

[JohnP.]

Hey miked,

In regards to your troubles with the circular saw sled, I experienced difficulties as well. Found out that shoe of my circular saw was not square with the blade, causing all kinds of havoc when trying to use a sled. I was able to shim mine over to get it square, but you would expect it to be correct from the factory.

I'll use the sled now in a jiffy, just because my table saw is portable and takes longer to set up than just grabbing the sled.

[miked]

JohnP: Wow, I never considered that. My circ saw is old but I've taken decent care of it. The few times I've cut freehand with it everything worked well. Come to think of it, when I made the cutoff sled, when I cut off the excess base material (to give that straight edge) it did bind up on me, which made me wonder why it was happening, but I shrugged it off.

When trying to cut the 1/2" BB, I literally had to shove the saw along the sled. It never occured to me that the saw could be the problem. I'm betting you're right and the base plate isn't square.

I'll have a look at it. Not sure how to align it, but I will give it a shot. Thanks very much for the tip.

[byacey]

Not if they have wheels on 'em. You need handles in the back to push or pull 'em.

Having moved subs with dollies and now with attached casters - I'd never put these subs on a dolly. As light as they are, attached casters are fast, easy and less of a PITA than having to find the dolly. Just grab and go.

For the little bit of extra work and expense - it's a no-brainer to put wheels on these things.

There's no looking around for a dolly. Mine have their own dedicated caster boards that they live on during storage and transport in the truck. The only time they come off the boards is when they are being used. The caster boards are equipped with good ball bearing 4" urethane tire casters; they roll so easy that I have to chock them in the shop to prevent them from rolling out of place due to the concrete being a little uneven.

[miked]

Got a little bit done today. Got the spacer rings cut and the baffles marked out for the cutout. Mulling over how best to cut out the cutout. A few pics.

Lovely rings. Used the Jasper jig on my router, than hand-sanded them smooth. My 1/4" straight bit is old and leaves a bit of tearout.
[/url]

Ring cutting carnage. Inside the ring, on the black backer board I'm using, you can see small rectangular white strips. That's from the double-sided tape I used to hold the disc in place as I cut out the ring. You can't get a clamp on a disc when you're cutting a ring out of it. I mean, you COULD, but you'd have to reposition the clamp every 90 degrees of rotation or so. Much easier to use double-sided tape.
[/url]

Ring fit on the 3015LF. Perfect...if I do say so myself. FWIW, I cut the internal diameter 1/16" larger than specified in the plans. My own measurements led me in that direction. Seems to be good to go.
[/url]
[/url]

Checking the driver/ring fit on the baffle. I used two pieces of BB cutoffs to ensure there's at least 1/2" on either side of the ring. There is, plus a smidgen. More is good.
[/url]

Close
[/url]
[/url]

Marking the center of the baffle.
[/url]

10"x5" cutout marked.
[/url]

It is indeed, 10"x5"
[/url]

More to follow. Just wanted to get this minor update out there.

[miked]

A big thank you to Bruce, who walked me through the "rising cut method" on the tablesaw. Half the people on this forum are better woodworkers than I, but I will say this: I could not have gotten the baffles cut out (and the top, tomorrow) without a table saw. I've tried circular saw/sleds. Just doesn't work for me. Jigsaw is fine for the baffles, but what about the tops? I would have holes in the corners of the access panels. OK, I guess 75% of the folks on this forum are better woodworkers than I. LOL! Anyway...

Baffles! Not so baffling once someone pounds some sense into your head. Short side cutout, baffle on the table saw. The blade has been retracted back down into the table (for those who might be wondering). Note the small black mark on the fence. That mark denotes TDC (top dead center) of my blade. It shows where the topmost point of rotation on the blade is. You use this mark as a gauge for positioning your workpiece on the table before slowly raising the blade up into the workpiece.

Depending on the length of the cut you need to make, the centerline of your cut might be dead-center on that mark (as shown) or the workpiece pulled back towards you two or more inches. How much further back? "It depends." That's what I found out. Raise the blade slllloooowwwwwly (and hold the workpiece DOWN!) and you'll be just fine. The only thing you MUST watch out for (ask me how I know): When you complete the last cut, the cutout is now free and caught b/t the spinning blade and the "box" of it's cutout. Keep firm pressure, downwards, on the cutout piece!!!! Had me a little scare there. But all is well. Lesson learned.
[/url]

Baffle cutout from the top.
[/url]

And the bottom. Notice the "half X's" in the corners. I'm sure w/a little more experience doing this cut (today was my first time) I could get them smaller, but it doesn't matter, structurally.
[/url]

Stack'o'baffles.
[/url]

And a cherry...er, ring on top.
[/url]

More tomorrow. I wanted to get the rings/baffles glued up, but my back is giving me fits....spent too much time hunched over the workbench, laying out cutlines.