I made a 60cm wide cylindrical stacked subwoofer enclosure for the spare wheel well using just a hand router and a normal cutting bit (not a flush trim bit). It was a lot of work, used a LOT of MDF and certainly wasn’t perfect, but it did the job. Fortunately as it’s surrounded by other stuff, the imperfections are hidden. I would defiantly get a flush trim but if I did it again.
Just finished my stack subwoofer enclosure and absolutely love it! Used your plan I bought from you and made some slight adjustments to account for the rounded corners! Used my MS smart corners 3”; making this build a lot more easier and quicker. Thanks for vid and plans Mark!
3rd Method layering, bendy ply layered around a form and glued into a thick curved plywood, if you can find mdf thin enough that would work too or use a cheap veneer with a nice appearance grade on the outside
In getting ready to build a pair of subwoofer towers with a focus on appearance, I've been playing with laminating 1/4" sheets of three-ply foam-core and cork-core underlayment plywood. I've found it to be an incredibly versatile material with good acoustic properties. Thus far, I've made a series of shallow D-shaped MDF ribs afixed to a temporary MDF backplane, and affixed one sheet at a time to said ribs with 1" coarse thread screws. Each successive sheet is thoroughly wood glued to the previous and screwed through to the rubs with 1/4" longer screws. The final (appearance) layer is wood glued in place without screws, and thoroughly ratchet-strapped in place for 24 hours. This leaves me with a curved, laminated panel with reinforcing ribs on the interior, and a consistent wood grain finish exterior perfect for staining, painting, wrapping, etc. The uneven edges can be trimmed to whatever angle you need by running the board through a table saw, creating a flush surface to mount against the front and rear baffles, secured from inside with a square dowel. My goal is to create a vertical tower with front-mounted drivers that tapers front to back, with a more organic shape than the traditional wedge-style box, and a rich stained appearance contrasting with high gloss black front and rear. I still have no clue how I'm going to measure the internal volume for tuning, but I may just guesstimate and fiddle from there. Stacking would have used an insane amount of material, and kerfing would be a nightmare to calculate, as I'm not making a quarter-circle, just a shallow, subtle curve.
I want to build some large 2 way speakers and thinking about laminating the curved sides as they are roughly 18.5” x 43”. How did your project come out?
kerfing for upholstery, stacking for strength in resonant chambers. One of my favorite things to do is to make retro furniture with kerfing and cover it with laminate whether that's real wood or otherwise.
@@CarAudioFabrication Keep in mind you don't have to soak the wood. It doesn't take much more than a light mist to get the gorilla glue to expand. I started messing with it after I learned about it from another local woodworker. Experiment with it a little. That's what this hobby is all about. By the way, not arguing with you as I use both the kerf and stack methods. Keep up the great content.
@Bailey251 it is only on the original gorilla glue. The brown colored one. The directions say "lightly dampen" and it woks great. Blew my mind the first time I tried it. In my opinion probably the best glue i have used on upholstery foams also.
@@CarAudioFabrication I use Gorilla Glue Premium, no need for water, starts to foam & fill the gaps in about 15 minutes. Best part is that it's a light expansion unlike spray foam/no more gaps for example.
For kerf pieces I use a mixture of wood glue and saw dust for extra strength. I prefer stacking for making speaker pods, because it's easier for making tight bends.
With a stack, you could use a thickness plainer on the last piece to get you to the final height before gluing it to the rest of the stack. But that does add another tool to be used, and one that's not very common in a car audio shop, but if you're doing other wood work, a plainer would be useful or necessary.
Planers usually have a max height limit though that would likely be smaller than what is needed, also prone to tipping over and not machining correctly IMO. I'd probably use a router method trick similar to this video: ruclips.net/video/fQXoIM5xRbU/видео.html
Wow excellent points on both that I never thought of. Thanks Mark!!! I did build a work bench last year and used the kerfing approach with a circular saw to make lap joints. I plan to use that or my new table saw to give it a go on a new sub box. Question though, does this bend on the end of your port have any significant effect on sound or port noise (chuffing)?
Researching my upcoming build for center console sub box in my Ram Quad Cab. Plan is to dissect the fold down console and use the plastic storage bin, lid and cup holders on the custom console. The front of the cup holder section is curved edges. I had been thinking about the best option for the curves. Believe it will be stacking. Not sure about getting the tight radius with kerfing.
You may already treat your router bits and saw blades..if not I highly recommend you check out Dyna Glide Plus. It is a dry film lubricant and it helps prevent that nasty build up on bits from cutting MDF. I have been building cabinets and furniture for 15 years and I discovered this lubricant about 7 years ago. I highly recommend it. Your builds come out awesome. Keep up the great work!
Appreciate the tip man, I've got to where I don't like using MDF anymore for that reason, it REALLY eats bits n blades far faster, but finishes better on the face( now I use hardwoods on the faceplate and love it) Just ordered it off Amazon it will help with my guns too, awesome
Also, I'm thinking about getting a DeWalt 780 miter saw and building boxes with it, using various boards like you would lay flooring, using dowel and dovetail joinery to tie them together. I know you cabinet guys know your accuracy and tools, would you recommend it or something else? All advice greatly appreciated
I usually do more a couple layers of kerfing and fiberglass as opposed to stacking. Mostly because these bigger builds I find it more efficient after a test piece. On a side note I absolutely adore all your tips and tricks for building gorgeous enclosures. I know small stealthy and clean is what you normally do but Is there a chance you could make more videos pertaining to larger built systems? For example builds that cannot be built outside of the car and have to be assembled within. I’ve watched some of JAT4011 builds but he just doesn’t go into as deep of why he does it as you do
Do you have a video showing the pros and cons of MDF Vs The pros and cons of fibreglass enclosures I've always used MDF but it ant to build two custom boot builds and torn between learning to use fibreglass due to sound quality etc
I'll be building some speaker pods for the bottom of the door on my 2002 Ford E-150 for an 8" mid woofer/mid-range and using the stack method. Material will be cellular PVC with two pieces per layer. The joints will be staggered for strength. The speaker I'll be using is the Stereo Integrity TM8. (2.3" mounting depth) Since it's very close to an infinite baffle unit, I'll build this 'pod' as a 'horse shoe' shape that is 17 X 25 with the back end open. Working on the amp board now. None of this will happen overnight. My last install was the current system back in 2003. 3 amps, passive EQ were all from my previous truck and were from 1987, the last professional install I did!!! Finally lost one channel of my sub amp after 35 years....
With stacking you will have same issues (ribs) but with the time. Maybe with carpet this is not so visible but if you would apply veneer you'll be able to notice it
Hey Mark. Love your channel. Thank you for so many ideas knowledge. I have a 98 2 1/2 door extended cab. I have two 12” subs in it now. I have the box underneath the back seat. Didn’t like it so I bought a box and it sits in the back seat. I would like to due a pass through box from the bed to the cab. So I can run two 15” inch subs and put the two 12” back under the seat. What would be my best option?
Год назад+1
I rather opt for stacking. Yes it cost little more material but it outweighs the costs of extra prepping of the other method. I haven't done both yet but it is obvious what is best.
Does this channel not use DAP's like Fiio or A&K? I can't find any videos of integrating or talking about them. I'd like to know if they are worth it if integrating with OEM head units.
What is used to do fill in and help form edges etc. on a sub box built out of mdf. It’s a type of filler that looks like thick putty of some sort. Is it just a thick paste like substance of wood filler or something? Anyone know what’s best to use?
Is it better to have a dsp amp even if my head unit has an equalizer? Also is the audio control d6 1200 a line driver like the other dsp I watched you talk about in another video? Wondering what I should get for the best sound. I have stock bose. I want to replace the head unit with an aftermarket head unit and replace the tweeters and door speakers with aftermarket. I know I have to splice into the bose amp. I already have a t harness with loc and a sub amp with 2 subs connected obviously going yo be replaced when i upgrade. I want to run an epicenter to the sub amp as well pretty sure you said epicenter would go before the dsp amp??
How would you calculate the additional loss of volume from the use of the stacking templates? You seem to be adding another 3/4 layer of material about 2 inches longer then the perimeter of the corner which to me seem like a decent loss of volume.
@@CarAudioFabrication so for example if I use a 5" radius it will have and around a 4.25" assuming 3/4" MDF. Using the cylinder formula with a height of 4 I get a rounded 314 and 226. So 314-226/1728 = .05 Cubic feet of volume displacement.
If any one is interested I did order them and actual drew and measured it out to figure out displacement loss. Example of 3" external radius assuming 3/4" material Subtract the volume of a cylinder with a radius of 3"-3/4" = (2.25") and a cylinder with a radius of 3" - [ 2 * 3/4" ] = (1.5") then add the volume of the 2 extra inches on each corner so 8" * 3/4" * Internal height. and divide by 1728. for me this looks like: 71.5 - 31.8 = 39.7 8 * 3/4" * 4.5" = 27 (39.7 + 27) = 66.7 66.7/1728 = .0386 This also does not include the loss of having round corners instead of a right angle. for me and my planned box the total loss of internal volume compared to a right angle rectangle with the same dimension is about .05 cubic feet. may be a small difference to some but to me that is the displacement of another subwoofer.
I find that too many people overuse stack fab; using it where other methods are more effective like fitting the back of an enclosure into a pocket in the back of a car. Other than the waste of material, and the added time - both of which are important if running a shop - it is a much more flexible technique than kerfing.
When Kerfing, don't do math.... just take a tape from corner to coner and mark out even intervals(inch, half inch, 3/4...etc to get to the number of sections you need).
kerfing is far better today, stacking is not even an option. the cost of wood right now - way too much is wasted doing stack fab. makes the box non-feasible for sale doing stack.
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I made a 60cm wide cylindrical stacked subwoofer enclosure for the spare wheel well using just a hand router and a normal cutting bit (not a flush trim bit). It was a lot of work, used a LOT of MDF and certainly wasn’t perfect, but it did the job. Fortunately as it’s surrounded by other stuff, the imperfections are hidden. I would defiantly get a flush trim but if I did it again.
Your router work is superb sir.
Thanks a lot! Thanks for watching :)
Just finished my stack subwoofer enclosure and absolutely love it! Used your plan I bought from you and made some slight adjustments to account for the rounded corners! Used my MS smart corners 3”; making this build a lot more easier and quicker. Thanks for vid and plans Mark!
Great to hear! Thanks for watching!
3rd Method layering, bendy ply layered around a form and glued into a thick curved plywood, if you can find mdf thin enough that would work too or use a cheap veneer with a nice appearance grade on the outside
Awesome breakdown between the 2 types of curves! You had an answer for a question I didn't even know I needed answered.
Also FIRST
Glad I could help! Thanks for being a part of the community and posting up!
I Rememberthat first kerfing Vid, I believe that’s when I subbed. Glad to see your still at it. Always a pleasure👍👍👍
Legend! Thanks for sticking with me and being part of the community.
In getting ready to build a pair of subwoofer towers with a focus on appearance, I've been playing with laminating 1/4" sheets of three-ply foam-core and cork-core underlayment plywood. I've found it to be an incredibly versatile material with good acoustic properties.
Thus far, I've made a series of shallow D-shaped MDF ribs afixed to a temporary MDF backplane, and affixed one sheet at a time to said ribs with 1" coarse thread screws. Each successive sheet is thoroughly wood glued to the previous and screwed through to the rubs with 1/4" longer screws. The final (appearance) layer is wood glued in place without screws, and thoroughly ratchet-strapped in place for 24 hours.
This leaves me with a curved, laminated panel with reinforcing ribs on the interior, and a consistent wood grain finish exterior perfect for staining, painting, wrapping, etc. The uneven edges can be trimmed to whatever angle you need by running the board through a table saw, creating a flush surface to mount against the front and rear baffles, secured from inside with a square dowel.
My goal is to create a vertical tower with front-mounted drivers that tapers front to back, with a more organic shape than the traditional wedge-style box, and a rich stained appearance contrasting with high gloss black front and rear. I still have no clue how I'm going to measure the internal volume for tuning, but I may just guesstimate and fiddle from there.
Stacking would have used an insane amount of material, and kerfing would be a nightmare to calculate, as I'm not making a quarter-circle, just a shallow, subtle curve.
I want to build some large 2 way speakers and thinking about laminating the curved sides as they are roughly 18.5” x 43”. How did your project come out?
Just watched your old kerf video last night. Fixing to start a more advance subwoofer box with a stained kerfed front panel for 2 12s
kerfing for upholstery, stacking for strength in resonant chambers. One of my favorite things to do is to make retro furniture with kerfing and cover it with laminate whether that's real wood or otherwise.
I use original Gorilla Glue on kerf cuts. Fill in the kerf and spray water on it and it expands to fill the gaps.
Interesting! Although Im not crazy about getting water on MDF.
@@CarAudioFabrication Keep in mind you don't have to soak the wood. It doesn't take much more than a light mist to get the gorilla glue to expand. I started messing with it after I learned about it from another local woodworker. Experiment with it a little. That's what this hobby is all about. By the way, not arguing with you as I use both the kerf and stack methods. Keep up the great content.
Wait so in general, if I add some water to gorilla glue, it will expand? Does that also work with gorilla wood glue?
@Bailey251 it is only on the original gorilla glue. The brown colored one. The directions say "lightly dampen" and it woks great. Blew my mind the first time I tried it. In my opinion probably the best glue i have used on upholstery foams also.
@@CarAudioFabrication I use Gorilla Glue Premium, no need for water, starts to foam & fill the gaps in about 15 minutes. Best part is that it's a light expansion unlike spray foam/no more gaps for example.
For kerf pieces I use a mixture of wood glue and saw dust for extra strength. I prefer stacking for making speaker pods, because it's easier for making tight bends.
With a stack, you could use a thickness plainer on the last piece to get you to the final height before gluing it to the rest of the stack. But that does add another tool to be used, and one that's not very common in a car audio shop, but if you're doing other wood work, a plainer would be useful or necessary.
Planers usually have a max height limit though that would likely be smaller than what is needed, also prone to tipping over and not machining correctly IMO. I'd probably use a router method trick similar to this video: ruclips.net/video/fQXoIM5xRbU/видео.html
Wow excellent points on both that I never thought of. Thanks Mark!!! I did build a work bench last year and used the kerfing approach with a circular saw to make lap joints. I plan to use that or my new table saw to give it a go on a new sub box.
Question though, does this bend on the end of your port have any significant effect on sound or port noise (chuffing)?
Researching my upcoming build for center console sub box in my Ram Quad Cab. Plan is to dissect the fold down console and use the plastic storage bin, lid and cup holders on the custom console. The front of the cup holder section is curved edges. I had been thinking about the best option for the curves. Believe it will be stacking. Not sure about getting the tight radius with kerfing.
What size nails do you use to join segments of the enclosure together?
You may already treat your router bits and saw blades..if not I highly recommend you check out Dyna Glide Plus. It is a dry film lubricant and it helps prevent that nasty build up on bits from cutting MDF. I have been building cabinets and furniture for 15 years and I discovered this lubricant about 7 years ago. I highly recommend it. Your builds come out awesome. Keep up the great work!
Appreciate the tip man, I've got to where I don't like using MDF anymore for that reason, it REALLY eats bits n blades far faster, but finishes better on the face( now I use hardwoods on the faceplate and love it)
Just ordered it off Amazon it will help with my guns too, awesome
Also, I'm thinking about getting a DeWalt 780 miter saw and building boxes with it, using various boards like you would lay flooring, using dowel and dovetail joinery to tie them together.
I know you cabinet guys know your accuracy and tools, would you recommend it or something else? All advice greatly appreciated
I usually do more a couple layers of kerfing and fiberglass as opposed to stacking. Mostly because these bigger builds I find it more efficient after a test piece.
On a side note I absolutely adore all your tips and tricks for building gorgeous enclosures. I know small stealthy and clean is what you normally do but Is there a chance you could make more videos pertaining to larger built systems? For example builds that cannot be built outside of the car and have to be assembled within. I’ve watched some of JAT4011 builds but he just doesn’t go into as deep of why he does it as you do
Do you have a video showing the pros and cons of MDF
Vs
The pros and cons of fibreglass enclosures
I've always used MDF but it ant to build two custom boot builds and torn between learning to use fibreglass due to sound quality etc
Always informative and always my go to source for how to's. Thanks again!
I'll be building some speaker pods for the bottom of the door on my 2002 Ford E-150 for an 8" mid woofer/mid-range and using the stack method. Material will be cellular PVC with two pieces per layer. The joints will be staggered for strength. The speaker I'll be using is the Stereo Integrity TM8. (2.3" mounting depth) Since it's very close to an infinite baffle unit, I'll build this 'pod' as a 'horse shoe' shape that is 17 X 25 with the back end open. Working on the amp board now. None of this will happen overnight. My last install was the current system back in 2003. 3 amps, passive EQ were all from my previous truck and were from 1987, the last professional install I did!!! Finally lost one channel of my sub amp after 35 years....
WHO?
With stacking you will have same issues (ribs) but with the time. Maybe with carpet this is not so visible but if you would apply veneer you'll be able to notice it
I sooooo want a router table !!!!!
sweet setup
Hey Mark. Love your channel. Thank you for so many ideas knowledge. I have a 98 2 1/2 door extended cab. I have two 12” subs in it now. I have the box underneath the back seat. Didn’t like it so I bought a box and it sits in the back seat. I would like to due a pass through box from the bed to the cab. So I can run two 15” inch subs and put the two 12” back under the seat. What would be my best option?
I rather opt for stacking. Yes it cost little more material but it outweighs the costs of extra prepping of the other method.
I haven't done both yet but it is obvious what is best.
I agree, stacking is solid. Only real benefit of kerfing I think is when you are just staining wood for a finish, but I prefer to upholster.
Does this channel not use DAP's like Fiio or A&K? I can't find any videos of integrating or talking about them. I'd like to know if they are worth it if integrating with OEM head units.
If you are not doing sound competitions or high end car shows, for the price kerfing seems better. However at what power level does kerfing fail?
What is used to do fill in and help form edges etc. on a sub box built out of mdf. It’s a type of filler that looks like thick putty of some sort. Is it just a thick paste like substance of wood filler or something? Anyone know what’s best to use?
Is it better to have a dsp amp even if my head unit has an equalizer? Also is the audio control d6 1200 a line driver like the other dsp I watched you talk about in another video? Wondering what I should get for the best sound. I have stock bose. I want to replace the head unit with an aftermarket head unit and replace the tweeters and door speakers with aftermarket. I know I have to splice into the bose amp. I already have a t harness with loc and a sub amp with 2 subs connected obviously going yo be replaced when i upgrade. I want to run an epicenter to the sub amp as well pretty sure you said epicenter would go before the dsp amp??
Thanks for the tips, I have never done either but I will sure be trying
You can do it! Thanks for watching!
Do you sell stacks ? I had found once before with different sized curves , its for a gmc 2500 under seat build , Unless I can hire you to build it :D
How would you calculate the additional loss of volume from the use of the stacking templates?
You seem to be adding another 3/4 layer of material about 2 inches longer then the perimeter of the corner which to me seem like a decent loss of volume.
It's simple math, area of two different circles subtracted. The volume offset is minimal.
@@CarAudioFabrication so for example if I use a 5" radius it will have and around a 4.25" assuming 3/4" MDF. Using the cylinder formula with a height of 4 I get a rounded 314 and 226. So 314-226/1728 = .05 Cubic feet of volume displacement.
If any one is interested I did order them and actual drew and measured it out to figure out displacement loss.
Example of 3" external radius assuming 3/4" material
Subtract the volume of a cylinder with a radius of 3"-3/4" = (2.25") and a cylinder with a radius of 3" - [ 2 * 3/4" ] = (1.5")
then add the volume of the 2 extra inches on each corner so 8" * 3/4" * Internal height. and divide by 1728.
for me this looks like:
71.5 - 31.8 = 39.7
8 * 3/4" * 4.5" = 27
(39.7 + 27) = 66.7
66.7/1728 = .0386
This also does not include the loss of having round corners instead of a right angle. for me and my planned box the total loss of internal volume compared to a right angle rectangle with the same dimension is about .05 cubic feet.
may be a small difference to some but to me that is the displacement of another subwoofer.
I find that too many people overuse stack fab; using it where other methods are more effective like fitting the back of an enclosure into a pocket in the back of a car. Other than the waste of material, and the added time - both of which are important if running a shop - it is a much more flexible technique than kerfing.
Kerf because stacking uses so much material
But wood materials are quite cheap compared to everything else? 🤔
When there are MDF scraps around = stack
When budget is tight = kerf
Where can we find them templates you have there
With our show sponsor Mobile Solutions - www.youtube.com/@Mobilesolutionsusafab
Stacking because it’s way stronger and more forgiving of mistakes 👍🏻
When Kerfing, don't do math.... just take a tape from corner to coner and mark out even intervals(inch, half inch, 3/4...etc to get to the number of sections you need).
If you want to step the fence over for each cut though you need a value. Eyeballing the cut takes time
i always stack . you can do things with layers , ya cant with a kerf
I have yet to successfully complete even a simple sub enclosure. I've tried 6 different times and they're all garbage.
kerfing is far better today, stacking is not even an option. the cost of wood right now - way too much is wasted doing stack fab. makes the box non-feasible for sale doing stack.
класс!!!
Stack it!