BillFitzmaurice.info

Well, I suppose I should really stop lurking, reading everything on the forum and introduce my build. I started this a little back in Sept. but with school and work most of the build had to be put on hold until fall break.

I am working with severely limited tools and in a cramped basement that sometimes has the floor covered in water when it rains. So with living in the Pacific Northwest, that means there is usually always water.

Anyway here is a photo of the build and I am looking forward to starting my Omnitop 12 here in a week or so. I am waiting for the Duratex to arrive, hopefully tomorrow before I can move onward. I am already kicking myself for not having the paint for some of the earlier panels where the handholds are but oh well.

Thank you everyone for posting all of your experiences, questions and answers, it has really helped this guy.

I can't wait to get these finished and firing.

Cheers,

Chris

Oh, I forgot to include specs.

I am putting a Lab 12 in them and currently have a Crown XLS2500 for the amp.

You have a helluva start there on some sweet subs . Please keep us posted on the build and the review! And more pics, too.

Nice looking ply.

Those handle holes look really small!

Thanks for the compliments guys.

About the handles, I had cut them small to err on the side of caution knowing I could always make them bigger. Plus I am a rock climber with small fingers, so it doesn't take much for me to be able to grip something solidly. As my girlfriend would say, insert obvious childish joke here…

One question though. In Charles Jenkinson's build thread I noticed he didn't completely frame the access panel like in the plans. Can someone please confirm whether or not I can do what Charles did or the plans.

I know I have read over and over not to second guess the plans but would love to hear some insight about this.

Cheers,

Chris

As long as it is sealed air tight, it makes no difference. Just preference.

Got really excited today because the Duratex arrived. Was going to start painting some of the pieces of the mouth area, but was stopped by the instructions for the Duratex. It says not to apply in temperatures below 65 degrees and it won't be getting to that temperature here till maybe March.

I guess I can try to bring them up from the basement and drop cloth the heck out of the living room. What is the application process like? Messy? Does it splatter much with a roller or should I use a brush to minimize messes?

Has anyone had any success applying it at temperatures below 65?

I tried searching the forum for an answer but didn't turn anything up initially.

Thoughts or suggestions would be great.

Cheers.

dont apply it below 65... it just stays soft for a LONG time (like days).

drop cloth the hell out of the livingroom/wherever, or get a portable heater out in the garage.

Dont brush it... it looks bad. If using the textured roller, fast/aggressive swipes WILL cause splatters to fly like 4 feet. Just apply generously and take it slow. Takes a little bit of practice to get the desired texture but its possible.

Thanks for the input. That's pretty much what I thought. Will have to think about how to do this best and with the least mess because it isn't my house.

Cheers.

portable heater is your friend.

and also, before you progress, pick up a quart/gallon of flat black and prime everything with that. saves a ton of duratex (unpainted wood seems to "soak it up).

Final corner pieces in place and mouth painted. Now I just need to sand flush all the panels and frame the chamber. Secure the wiring. Then cross the fingers and attach the side panel. It won't let me upload the photos from my phone cuz it says they're too big. Will post later.

Cheers!

chrisj360 wrote:Now I just need to sand flush all the panels and frame the chamber. Secure the wiring.

Almost there, although filling and sanding the box is a PITA! Always takes longer than you think. At least the best part is that you don't need to have the thing looking perfect to get the all important leak test and (more importantly) the sound check done

Whereabouts in the PNW are you? I am about an hour south of Portland and am starting on a t30 project soon.

I am up in Bellingham, which is 90 miles north of Seattle and 20 miles south of the border. It's been a fun, but little frustrating at times, build mainly due to only being able to work a little bit on it at a time. School, work, girlfriend and dog have priority.

I'll be in Bellingham at least twice this year. I'll holler.