Building A Box

Hey everyone, this thread is about building boxes. Lets keep everything here at the beginner level. We wanna keep it simple to help the many people who are new to this and want to learn.

We have had a lot of questions about building boxes. Azn did a remarkable job with his thread about using Sketch Up. Now lets build a box similar to what Azn has done.

If you don't have access to alot of tools, let a local lumber yard cut the pieces for you. Lowes, Home Depot and other local stores will cut your wood for you at a minimal cost. (Make sure you provide the RIGHT measurements)

I cut out all the pieces except the baffle board. The Baffle Board doesn't get cut until everything is put together. I find that this method works well for most boxes.

First, I draw (hard to see it in the picture) where everything goes on the bottom board. The back and one side are then attached to the bottom. Use plenty of glue and screws and remember to predrill all holes. MDF cracks easily.



We don't wanna work inside a box, so we will add the port now. The two port pieces are put together outside of the box and then placed on the bottom board and attached.



I'm sure everyone has seen the Staple Gun. I only use staples to temporarily hold pieces together. Then the pieces are predrilled and screwed together. Many of you don't have access to a staple gun. Have a friend hold the pieces together while you predrill all the holes. After everything is predrilled, glue it and screw it.

 

Before we put on another side, lets look at why we do the port this way. We do it this way to simplify construction. By using the box bottom, top and side as part of the port, we have less work to do. Thats why most ports that I do will be 1-1/2-inches less than the total height of the box.

Now we are ready to put on a side. Again we predrill all holes and we use plenty of glue.



Now for the top. We just lay the top in place. We mark where all the interior pieces. Then we remove the top and predrill the top board. I find its easier this way. We then put the top board on permanently. Plenty of glue and screws

 

Finally the baffle board. The hole for the speaker is cut prior to the baffle being attached to the box. Also the port hole is cut out. WE DON"T need to be exact. Cut the port hole small for now, we'll fix it later.



We attach the front (Baffle) board. Again, plenty of glue and screws. Now for the port. I use a flush cut router bit to finish the port. But most of us don't have access to a router. We can do the same thing with a jig saw and a long blade. The port inside will act as a guide as long as you take it slow and easy.

How to cover a box with NO seams with be covered next.

To be continued

 

So what if I wanna use a round port, do I still do it the same way? The answer is yes.

We build the box first.



Only after the box is done do we turn our attention to the baffle board. Again everything is cut out prior to putting it on the box. The port is attached using screws and sealed using plenty of caulk. Believe me, this is much easier while the board is not attached to the box.



Once you are completely satisfied that the baffle board is done, it can be attached to the box. Remember, plenty of glue and screws.



Again, there will be more to come.

 

OK, I finally got around to finishing the box. A couple of things that I need to mention. First, you WILL need a good quality contact cement. Weldwood is the brand we use, its fantastic. Next, you will need a carpet made for covering boxes. The stuff you buy at Autozone WON'T work.

First, glue is applied to both the box and the carpet. Pay attension to the area around the port, get plenty of glue in this area. Next lay the box on the carpet.





Finish spraying glue on the box and get a little more on the carpet. Now here is the tricky part. Pull up the carpet around the box. Do this at the corners.



You should have a mess that looks like the picture above

 

Now if you have a really strong friend, he can help you finish. In order to have no seams or wrinkles we need to stretch the carpet until all the wrinkles are pulled out.

We pull the carpet up around the side, the wrinkles are definately there. Then the carpet is then pulled and stretched until the wrinkles are gone.



This technique takes strength and practice but it works



We do this all around the box

 

Again, we do this all around the box. If your using a good quality glue the carpet will stay in place



It is important that you take your time. All the wrinkles have to be stretched out before you move on.



Its actually a bit of work, but the end result is rather impressive. We have a box with NO seams and NO wrinkles in it. Again this method does take practice but it works well.



All that is left is painting the port.

 

The goal is to only have seams on the back or bottom. No seams are on any part of the box that can be seen.

Liftedranger08, your wall is large and much easier to do. Check out this post
http://www.caraudiotalk.com/audio-forum/showthread.php?t=5783&page=3
Reply #27 might give you some ideas