Kyle's Dynamic Build

Hi everyone. I have on order the dynamic 4t se and 4cc se kits. I am trying to come up with a unique front baffle. Can I veneer the front baffle if it has a half inch round over on the sides? I just want some ideas and advice from the pros that have built them. I'm reading all the posts on this forum and looking at the build photos. Very excited. They are going to replace my AV123 x-statik left and right and x-voce center channel, and will be powered with an xpa-5 and my sub is a TC sounds LMS ultra 5400 with dual passive radiators and over 4kw.

Hey Kyle and welcome to the forum!

To do a 1/2" radius may be a bit difficult depending on the type of veneer. More than likely you'll be working with a paperback veneer. If you go slowly with the iron on method this might be okay, but you'll definitely want to do some practice with a scrap piece ahead of time to make sure.

Jed

Any harm in going with a 3/4 roundover to make veneering easier?

keager wrote:Any harm in going with a 3/4 roundover to make veneering easier?

The Dayton RS180 is 7 1/8 inches and the width of the 4T is 8 1/2", so you'd need slightly less than 3/4" on the left/right sides. I've never seen anyone do a veneered roundover around the perimeter (sides plus top/bottom) with a single piece of veneer, FYI.

Jed

I may just roundover the sides and keep the top and bottom edge square since I haven't built many enclosures. What length brads would be recommended for assembly? I just got a brad nailer for 10 bucks its 18g

1 1/4" brad nails work well with the 3/4" material.

Do you recommend using a rabbet bit for doing the driver recesses or using a spiral upcut bit?

If using a Jasper Jig-- for the recess part, a 1/4" straight bit... for the circle through cuts, a spiral bit.

I'm buying the mdf this weekend. Any tips on preventing the MDf seams from telegraphing through the veneer? I had this happen on a set of Overnight Sensations I built recently, and I spent alot of time making the seems perfectly flush and smooth. I used Tightbond glue and an iron. I have some Heatlock glue on order for this build. I plan on keeping these speakers for a long time and want to avoid as many imperfections as possible.

The problem is MDF expands/contracts with humidity changes, so the entire surface area of the MDF should be sealed to prevent this (including the inside of the cabinet). Even then there is no guarantee with butt joint construction, which is the reason I now use mitered box construction along with having the insides of my cabinets veneered to make sure the MDF remains stable. That's difficult to do without a CNC machine.

Jed

To avoid telegraphing, is wood filler or bondo a better material to use on end grain and any other type of seem?

The best thing to do is experiment with different fillers... but the best solution is no seam at all obviously (mitered construction). People have gone to great lengths to hide the seams of butt joints... some say coating the entire panel in an epoxy or thinned out glue, then gluing panels together, then bondo, sanding, more sanding, and finally applying paint/veneer can work.

Finally got the mdf cut for the towers. I have decided that I don't have the skill yet to do miter joints, maybe someday...I was only able to find 1 inch brads locally. Do you think this will be sufficient for holding the panels together while glueing and clamping? My cheap brad nailer sinks the head of the brad barely below the surface.

1" should be fine. The purpose isn't really to add strength, just to keep the panels from sliding around while you clamp and glue.

Couple quesrtions for whomever. How many sheets of 4x8 veneer should I need for the 4t and 4cc? Also, in the thread Jed did for building the 4t and 4c, I don't think he chamfered or cut out extra around the driver hole on the inner baffle like I saw in some other threads. Do I just make the cutout bigger on the inner baffle? Correct me if I'm wrong though.. And Lastly, The outer dimension for midranges shows 4.938. Do I just do 5"? Thanks in advance.