DR200 Kent's build

[KentWhitten]

After months of hemming and hawing—sometimes obsessing over details, other times letting it slip entirely from my mind—I’ve finally broken ground on my build for the DR200. I'm making a pair of them from a few sheets of B/BB Birch. I prefer the BB over arauco ply as it doesn't seem to warp nearly as much and IMO the price is negligible for having a little more peace of mind. I'm a cabinetmaker so I get my sheets as inexpensive as it can get.

I have read through multiple build threads, and multiple of the speaker design step by step pages from Bill and I'll repeat what should already be ingrained in everyone by now, stick with the plans and don't veer from them. They're done quite well. I had no issues following the plans.

The hardest part of the drawing is just orienting yourself where the angles go. Luckily there's also a sketchup file and I was able to visualize it just fine.

I have my own method of cutting holes in plywood. It's almost like how a cnc does it, just manually. I place scrap pieces flush with the line, cut out most of it with a jigsaw, and clean it up with a flush cutting router bit.

And just as I hit my stride—braces glued, panels squared—I ended up in the hospital with a herniated disc. Three days, surgery, the works. Frustrating stall, but I’m beyond ready to get back to glue-ups and routing.

I’ll be sharing progress, tips, and the inevitable hiccups here. Anyone else power through a build while rehabbing an injury?

[KentWhitten]

When I went to go trim the throat plate, I forgot to put a 3° angle on it. Oops

The Woofer Blaffle H, as I like to call it

slightly off on the throat horn angle, nothing to worry about

[KentWhitten]

Layout of the baffle was so piece of cake. a 10" x 10", octagon, knock off 3". Attach. Easy

This was really fun to layout. I think I nailed it because most of the pieces fit right into place. The boob piece as I like to call it. My design software is Rhino 3d, and I like to double check all of the measurements. Not that I don't believe them, just an OCD thing of mine

I have a circle cutting jig, and I would highly, highly suggest getting one and using it here. It is invaluable for the cutoff pieces. BTW keep the cutoff pieces. Very important!. And don't just brush them aside, put them somewhere safe.

Attaching the top and bottom were so simple. A few well placed screws, very small screws, and this things is starting to take shape. Top and bottom at a 3° angle to each other

Horn sheath brace installed. For whatever reason, I didn't cutout the curved part of ease installation of the driver. That was nearly a mistake. Driver barely fit

Flange connector and sheath cleats installed. The sheath cleats, just to give you a heads us, are about the hardest, most important pieces to cut. Take your time here

[Bruce Weldy]

Great looking build! Sorry about the back....been dealing with a bad back myself for years.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

A bad back, the result of years of hauling too heavy gear, is what prompted me to design lighter weight cabs. One example: lugging a pair of 4x12 Kustom PA columns, one on each shoulder, from the club up the street to my house 1/4 mile away. When you're 17 and buff you can do that shit, but eventually you pay the price.

[Tom Smit]

Welcome Kent!
It is obvious that you know what you are doing. Good job.

[KentWhitten]

One thing I might do next time on the sheath brace and flanges, I might just go ahead and make that a solid piece, then cut out the middle. I didn't have much luck gluing those pieces. I know it's going to waste an immense amount of material and might bump me over the one piece of ply, but I just feel better about it this way. I know I did the compression module flanges that way on this project. Just easier for me to get the parts to behave.

One thing I forgot to note is that I left off the throat filler. I didn't have anything available. Figured I'd leave it until the end. Never did it. Is that much of an issue you think?

Brace installed. Now, I will make a recommendation here for fasteners. I use a grex 23ga pinner, and it is a life saver for projects like these. You need to get the Grex pins, they are the best. They might work in other guns as well, but they hold phenomenal. 3/4" long is all I used. Doesn't go through two pieces of ply and can easily be removed.

Back braces installed, used the circle jog on the router. If anyone wants to know, its a Bosch colt, with a special order plunge kit, attached to a Jasper circle cutting jig. If you've never owned one, you don't know what you're missing. They're great.

[KentWhitten]

A bad back, the result of years of hauling too heavy gear, is what prompted me to design lighter weight cabs. One example: lugging a pair of 4x12 Kustom PA columns, one on each shoulder, from the club up the street to my house 1/4 mile away. When you're 17 and buff you can do that shit, but eventually you pay the price.

I used to be a framer and did the same stupid things when I was younger. You think you're invincible. Lifted some serious beams just by muscling them up there.

I for one am truly appreciative for you designing these Bill. It's one of the reasons I signed up. I get moving stuff and light weight. It took me awhile to convince myself to use 12mm BB on a subwoofer, but I did it, and was pleasantly convinced. You are right, 3/4 isn't necessary.

[KentWhitten]

This was my setup for cutting those PVC pipes in half. I have a rail saw, so it made it super easy to do. I couldn't keep it from binding completely though, I had to muscle it at the end. The business cards were holding it still, in place. I had a little slop to my jig. The pressure from the cards made it bind just a little bit. That's my cane to the left, something that has been attached to me since the surgery.

One of the hardest parts I had to work with was getting those little guys in there without making a complete glue mess, all the while keeping everything sealed. I glued the PVC piece and placed it. Maybe it would be better to glue the surface of the ply?

I forgot a step that I did, but will mention it here. I placed the sheath on and it bent quite easily and placed well. I was able to attach it with 3/4" long 23 gauge headless pins and it didn't move.

[KentWhitten]

It took me a little while to get up and get this going. The tweeter module. I had three options, I chose compression drivers. I guess I thought it was intimidating me a little bit and I was worried how it was going to come out. I was second guessing myself for awhile, but then I got up and just did it. Started with the inner compression module frame and filler. It didn't go so hot, so I went back and made one from a whole piece of ply and cut the center out like I mentioned above. Just feel better about it.

[KentWhitten]

Quite frankly, this is where I started getting my nerves going. I read ahead multiple times, and knew some very important measurements and cuts were coming up. Somehow, I got off the measurements that Bill had listed in the plans. I checked and rechecked, and still to this day I can't figure out how I got my height angles off. I knew it wasn't a huge deal, so I went forward. It ended up just fine. I'll figure it out later.

I'll give my advice here. Make sure these next parts are spot on, and don't glue anything together until you are certain. I went backwards a few times because things weren't fitting right.

IMO, the diffuser brackets should be made at the same time as the tweeter module face. And that center cutout on the bracket, for the diffuser, better be exactly in the middle. What happens is if you are off just a little is that you notice it when you put the diffuser in. Even a 1/16", it's screwed. Those little diffuser brackets....the toughest pieces to make on the whole project IMO. Make a jig like shown, or something...anything, to get those holes exactly centered. I used a round file to get it spot on.

[KentWhitten]

Sheath installed. Again, I was able to use headless 23 ga pins to attach it. I was really surprised they didn't pull through. I thought for certain I was using a 1/4" stapler, but it held great! And I don't have to fill anything to boot. I decided to hold off on the nacelles, as they were intimidating me a little.

Side braces cut and installed. Piece of cake. I like the curves. I almost cut some holes in them to reduce the weight even more, but I left it alone. Yes I know I removed the cross braces early. I'm confident nothing is going anywhere.

[KentWhitten]

My next step I wish there was something at the very beginning of the instructions that said "Hey, you might want to think about bending that plywood first". I ended up trying to use zip ties over two days, carefully increasing the tension on it as the day progressed, only to have mediocre results. I've never been one to know how to bend plywood great anyway, except on the ones that I DON"T want bent lol. In the end, I ended up muscling them in place with a strap clamp. Make sure you paint the inside before placing the back halves on. You can go right ahead and not do it, but you'll regret trying to paint the inside later. That's just my advice.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Pre-bending won't do it alone, strap clamps are still a necessity. Pre-bending just makes it easier. And there's this:
The ⅛ inch plywood is only used for the bent panels. Bending it to a tight radius is easy if you cut the pieces to size, coil them up into a roll and tie them with twine, wire or wire ties. DR200 Plans, page 2.