Baffled by baffles

[jswingchun]

Every baffle I have made so far has had at least one hurricane nut that was out of position far enough that I had to do some major workarounds to get the cap screw in correctly. I laid the speaker on the baffle and marked thru the holes, but I still manage to miss by just enough to cause trouble. On my OT12s I had to drill one of the holes in the speaker frame larger to get the screw in the hole. Does anyone have any clever tricks they use to get these right? I figure I should master this now, since my next build is T39s and it seems like mounting those drivers might be tricky and the baffles should be right on the money.

Thanks...
jim

[Ron K]

Yep Try purchasing a set of these.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PM ... O=66484969

Purchase either the exact hole sizes you generally use or a whole fractional set. The Import ones are fine if you are just transferring to wood or aluminum. Go USA if they are to be used on steel!

Try keeping the driver in place with long reach "C" clamps or use small wood scraps and a decking screws as a hold down between hole centers.

Almost impossible to end up with the wrong locations.Also pilot drill into the punch marks with a small bit like a 1/16" and always use a drill press if you have one.Going in on an angle will cause you problems.

[bgavin]

I use the driver itself as the drilling template.
I take a drill bit that just fits in the driver hole, then use that bit to dimple the wood.
If you are worried about driver movement, finish drill that hole and stick the appropriate drill bit into the hole.
If you do this at two opposing points across the driver, it will not deviate from its position.

Dimple the rest of the holes, then finish drill.
I use a drill press, but a hand drill is good enough.
Be sure to use a backing piece of wood underneath, to eliminate splintering.

[WB]

Yep Try purchasing a set of these.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PM ... O=66484969

That'sThat's what I use. Between it and a drill press for straight holes it's impossible to for misaligned holes. I use the transfer punch to locate the center, than use a center punch to enlarge it, then drill. I've also done like bgavin and used the driver itself as a template.

[David Carter]

I used to use the driver as the template and drill through the holes in the driver. I would do two holes on opposite sides of the driver, install the h-nuts, bolt down the driver using those two holes, and then drill the rest with the driver securely in place. But, I have recently experienced the beauty of L-brackets and plan to use those whenever possible from now one as the exact placement of the drilled hole is much less critical.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

But, I have recently experienced the beauty of L-brackets and plan to use those whenever possible from now one as the exact placement of the drilled hole is much less critical.

L brackets also make greater the possibility of a driver mounted off-center from the spacer, leading to slap of the suspension against the spacer. As a precaution send the cab a 25-30 Hz tone at a high enough level to reveal that possibility before you seal the access cover.

[David Carter]

But, I have recently experienced the beauty of L-brackets and plan to use those whenever possible from now one as the exact placement of the drilled hole is much less critical.

L brackets also make greater the possibility of a driver mounted off-center from the spacer, leading to slap of the suspension against the spacer. As a precaution send the cab a 25-30 Hz tone at a high enough level to reveal that possibility before you seal the access cover.

Good point. With a ring-shaped spacer, it's fairly easy to tell when you're centered. When your spacer has a circular cutout but is not round on the outer edges, it helps to position the driver on the spacer before the spacer gets glued down, ensure the driver is centered, and then trace the outer edge of the driver frame onto the spacer with a pencil so you have a guide to go by when mounting the driver later.

[Tom Smit]

Yep Try purchasing a set of these.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PM ... O=66484969

Well! How about that! I've been a mechanic for 25 years....and now I learn what those are for!!!

Something new everyday to learn. I can go home now. Oops, I am home.

[WB]

My big set does 1/2" to 1" , but haven't needed them yet for a BF build.

[jswingchun]

Thanks all for the replies. I like the the idea of those transfer punches. Looks like something I could pull off!! Plus it gives me an excuse for buying another tool!!

[bgavin]

Yep Try purchasing a set of these.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PM ... O=66484969

Those are seriously cool.
I'll have to check at Harbor Freight and see if they sell them there.

This sure beats using a $200 driver as a drilling template...

[Ron K]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=3577

Most likely at your local store.A set for 10.00 would be fine for wood and aluminum.

[jswingchun]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... umber=3577

Most likely at your local store.A set for 10.00 would be fine for wood and aluminum.

They were at my local Harbor Freight, picked 'em up on Saturday, will try them out tonight! Thanks again everyone!