Journey - DR200 Build

[escapemcp]

Loving those bolts The extra amount of grip on the thread due to length can only be a good thing. I think I have seen a similar thing in ScrewFix over here when looking for tee nuts... I may check them out next time... good improvement (from where I'm sitting).

[kekani]

Aren't the inserts for your drivers installed on the wrong side? You normally screw into them so as it gets tighter, the lip on the allen head side seats on the wood, bottoming out and tightening everything up. I use something similar on my bolt on necks for instruments.

And, I'll be paying attention to this build. Only a few DR200's documented. Of course, Grant's 250 w/ the new plans was well shot - I hope you do the same.

Looks great so far!

[Tom Smit]

Nah, he put them in correctly.

[Michael Ewald Hansen]

Aren't the inserts for your drivers installed on the wrong side? You normally screw into them so as it gets tighter, the lip on the allen head side seats on the wood, bottoming out and tightening everything up. I use something similar on my bolt on necks for instruments.

I agree, insert nuts/threaded inserts are usually put in on the front side so that when you screw in the bolt the insert tightens down.. Its reverse with hurricane/tnuts

However, if it works and the seal is airtight and strong, I think it wont cause problems

[Bman]

Big key on putting the inserts from the reverse is to make sure everything is aligned and true. I drilled the holes on my drill press, which is set up and maintained square and true. Can't have any binding because of bad alignment. Plus, with the combination of this type of insert and BB, I've never had any problems (I use this combo to make a lot of jigs for other purposes). It's pretty solid. I've had my frustrations with t-nuts and pressed inserts. Using epoxy to set everything is just an extra pain. Then there's discovery that some epoxy gets inside the threads.

Well, today I worked on the top and bottom. Pretty cool on how the layout works. Felt like I was doing geometry problems. Bill definitely put a lot of work, effort, and time to make the plans this "easy". It was an exercise of making sure to measure twice (sometimes more) and verifying you did it right. Even after studying the plans for quite a while before this build, it's still quite different to really do it. Those couple of pages had to be read over and over again. But it's definitely worth it. Now it's really starting to take form. Excitement is in the air. I really have to keep myself patient and not rush things.

These are smaller than I imagined they would be. Not complaining mind you, in fact I'm liking the size. So looking forward to hearing them when I'm done.

Here's the pics. Not as many as there usually are. I was concentrating too much to remember to take as many pics.

[Bman]

[Cont.]

[billkatz]

Very nice work. I've read the DR250 plans about 5 times and hope to make a pair next year, if I ever finish setting up my new-to-me table saw. It's nice to see the process. One of the parts I'm most interested in seeing is how you cut all of the little braces and cleats that are coming up soon in the plans, with their radiused sides. Is that a Jet JTAS-10/XACTA fence I see?

[miked]

Looking absolutely awesome, BMan. You've got some serious woodworking skills. Quick question: How did you make the throat fillers?

[Bman]

Thanks again for the encouragement!

billkatz - The fence you see came with my table saw - a Grizzly 1023RLX with 7' rails and 50" rip capacity. Didn't have a chance to work on the build today. The driver chamber with the braces and cleats are up next. I do have a little "cheat" for them. I have a friend who has an awards and recognition business (which I do sandblasting/carving for him from time to time) who cut these radius jigs on his laser engraver out of thin sheet name tag material for me. (Also nice to have friends with cool toys/tools!) I designed them in Illustrator with the two radii used in the DR200 plans (don't know what size the DR250's use). I'll post the pics using them to layout those small braces. I may just cut them all freehand or I may make a thicker shaped template and then pattern route them in bulk.

miked - Throat fillers... another cheat. They are courtesy of Leland @ speakerhardware.com. I was contemplating about making them myself, but thought I'm going have enough of a challenge with these cab builds, why add another messy process when ready made ones are available? If I do another DR build in the future, I might attempt it... we'll see.

If I had made them myself, my concocted plan was this:
1. Use one of those cardboard cement tube molds of the correct diameter and cut it to 2" thick.
2. Use the expanding polyurethane insulation foam that comes in a can and fill the mold. (Line it with wax paper first.) Let it cure.
3. Take the foam out of the mold and rough cut the shape using one of those electric knife carvers.
4. Sand to final shape.
5. Mount the throat filler to a scrap piece of plywood with double-sided tape and cut the required portion off with the table saw.

Now you see why I went they way I did.

[miked]

I've read a few DR build threads where people have made their own fillers (or tried to) and it was a very complicated process with usually "meh" results. Making molds and that sort of thing. I think Leland has a buddy who CNCs them or something like that...why reinvent the wheel, especially if it'll take you a week to do so, right? Making molds and buying the chemicals and all that stuff would probably cost more than just buying them outright. Totally understand on that.

I like your brace radius gauges! I have a few of those for setting string height on my electric basses. They are just cardboard cutouts made from an online template, but they work well.

Continued good luck for your super-clean build! Keep the pics coming!

[ncgrove]

The fillers aren't very difficult at all. I found some purple construction foam at HD that is the correct thickness. It came in a 3'x3' sheet I think. I made a compass out of a scrap piece of wood and two screws, and etched the two circles of correct radius on the foam.

Cut along the larger circle with a jigsaw to create a disc, and then use an electric hand sander with 40 grit paper to create the discus shape. Then cut out the middle section. Took me 15 minutes. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to not have the driver bash into it.

[miked]

That sounds cool. Any pics of that? I don't have any DR plans; I'm assuming in the plans the exact shape is shown? Like full size so you can print it out and then compare what you're making to what it's supposed to look like?

[Bman]

Today was tackling the woofer driver section. It has a lot of small parts with curved and angled cuts. I decided to cut and pattern route them in bulk, and them trim then to fit, just before installing. First I removed and cleaned up all the squeeze out from the PL from the previous part of the build that would be in the way.

Next, I did layout of one each of the front and rear driver chamber sheath braces on a piece of scrap. I was looking for the angles of the angled cuts.

The angle for the longer sheath is 13 degrees and the shorter, 3 degrees. Then I made a routing template out of 1/4" MDF with the 23-1/2" radius for both.

[Bman]

(Cont.) Then I made a routing template guide of each piece using 1/4" MDF. Then I bulk cut all of the long and short pieces with their angles using the miter gage and table saw. I traced the radius curve and rough cut close to the radius line.

I used the radius jigs that my friend made for me.

Then I rough cut close to the radius line.

Used the disc sander to finish up to the radius line. Looks just like the plans.

All the pieces angled cut and radius line drawn. Rough cut close to radius line.

[Bman]

(Cont.) I attached the routing template using double-sided carpet tape. Then I routed the final radius profile on each piece, using a pattern bit. Because the pieces are small, for safety and better control, I used a wooden woodworker's clamp to hold the pieces as I routed them on my router table.

Then as I installed the braces, I trim cut each piece.

Using double-sided carpet tape to attach the template to each piece.

The woodworker's clamp was for safety and better control.

All the pieces finished.

Each piece was individually trimmed to fit as they were installed.