Doug's dual 36" THT LP build

[dougc]

Here goes my build for two 36" THT LP with the 15" Dayton DVC385 for my basement home theater. The room is 13' wide x 30' long, and 8' ceilings with the seating 13' from a 110" screen. The seating area happens to be in one of several sweet spots for the corner-loaded subs. The subs work best where I want them - which almost never happens. Initial testing was done with a T48 for placement.

I bought a couple of DVC385 around Christmas when they were on sale and ordered some 1/2" Arauco shortly after. Then I built 9 enclosures and crossovers for my dad's new house which I just finished last week, remodeled my bathroom partially, and now that my tile will take 2 weeks to arrive, I have the perfect amount of time to build some house-crushing BFM horns.

So here we go!

[Ian Westwood]

Awesome Good luck!

[miked]

Sounds like a plan! Remember: Pics or no speakers! No such thing as too many pics.

[dougc]

You are right, I don't have anything good yet though! Here is the stack of Arauco:

[dougc]

I have the panels rough cut, and the first two pieces fastened. I decided to use the brad nailer since that is what I'm used to, and my T48s are holding up nicely after lugging them around for the last couple of years. The THTs will stay in the same place - thank God, because these suckers are going to be frikkin HUGE. I was trying to justify buying a pocket screw jig with this project since I have wanted one for a long time. Too much money wrapped up in my bathroom remodel to step outside of my plans too much. I will step way out of the plans with the THTs though: I threw away the plans that I pirated off of the internet, am using wood glue, no clamps, 3/4 veneered plywood, a different driver that is 21", a 14000 LG amp, and I think that I will make it sealed instead of a horn.

I noticed also that I have the perfect amount of ply left over from this and the last couple of builds to make two 13" auto tubas... better finish these guys first.

[miked]

I'm confused by your last post. Are you building THTs or something else? Maybe I missed the sarcasm? And you're not really using wood glue, I hope? BTW, love the old-fashioned Skillsaw! That looks like a worm-drive unit; a beast of a saw. There's a reason it's got TWO handles on it.

[Radian]

I threw away the plans that I pirated off of the internet, am using wood glue, no clamps, 3/4 veneered plywood, a different driver that is 21", a 14000 LG amp, and I think that I will make it sealed instead of a horn.

Are you building THTs or something else?

Of course, he's building a FLMSDFR. It's better than any speaker conceived in the last 150 years.

[dougc]

It's the new Trapped Horn design!

I am sticking with the plans - the other words were in jest.

I am regretting letting this ply sit for the last 3 months in the garage. Even though it was weighted on all corners on a flat garage floor, it is very warped. It is noticeable when I cut the angles since it won't sit flat on the table saw. Hopefully the braces will straighten it out, and the PL fills the gaps where there are some spaces on the angles. The first pic is the wavy ply.

[Radian]

Good lord, that's going to be a huge cabinet.

[Bas Gooiker]

Wow, just thinking about a cabinet that big in the livingroom would end in an instant divorce for me.

Use some guide boards like in the plans or maybe some 2x4's to straighten the panels while glueing them.

[koturban]

Warping is inevitable, and the wider panels will exaggerate it.

I used a hardwood straight edge 1"X4"X8', and an air nailer.

Careful with the braces. It's easy to bulge the panel if you push them in too far.

[dougc]

Yes, the guide boards are a must. There is no way I'd be able to keep them in place otherwise. My wife hasn't seen this one yet, or the second one. She will no doubt give it the WTF IS THAT!? Our house is referred to as the House of Bass by the people on our block for good reason and I can't let them down.

[Chris_Allen]

This is going to be some build you crazy fool! I love it.

[dougc]

I'm lovin' it too! But, I'm a little particular about my builds, so this one might be a bonfire in the near future because of the warped boards. The measurements are close to their respective marks, but boards ending up wavy at the joints even after using all of the guide boards and such just bother me. I have built a few BFM designs and they have all turned out great - with flat boards in use. So maybe I have been spoiled in the past. I will finish this one, and the next, and if they warrant a redeux - we'll do it. I'm a DIYer like you guys, so obviously I'm in it for the process as much as the result, as long as the result is the best I can build it with what I brung.

Here are a couple of photos. The panels are flattening out a tad with the addition of the internal bracing at 7":



It fits, 14 1/16 on the Jasper Jig with the 1/4 rip bit


Here's some glue, there's some glue, everywhere there's some mother'effing glue - OCD guys whom have not yet built with PL: make peace with the mess because it seals the leaks. Ohmmmmmmmm

[dougc]

Here you can see where a brad nailer is nice to be able to pop in a brad to keep the bracing in place while the glue cures. I need 4 braces across each panel for the 36" enclosure, and they wanted to be right where the driver mounts to keep within 8". There is just a small area next to the baffle to attach the adhesive and fastener, but both together make that panel rock solid.