Mod 2 CC build

I think I'm getting the hang of this SketchUp thing. Here's what I hope is the definitive version that I will build soon. If anyone has Sketchup and would like the model files for a 3D walk around of the speaker let me know. These 2D files do give you a good idea though.




The x-ray view is great for seeing how the pieces fit together.






Now I'm going to see if I can come up with a DIY stand/rack that will support the speaker, HT equipment and 56" DLP while still leaving room for my mains on either side. Currently there would be no way for me to accommodate this centre given the size and frailty of the OEM TV stand.

Looks awesome!

Anxious to see some build pics of this one! :-)

Jed, thanks for asking.

I cut all the pieces (for the CC as well as the 1S's) many weeks ago but some pressing outdoor projects have taken priority. Won't be able to do much until I clear the backlog.

When laying out the measurements for the driver cutouts on the baffle, I noticed that the grouping of the mids and tweeter are super close on this one. Not much material left in between the drivers. And they go very close to the max width of the baffle. In order to have the same roundover that is on my mains, I will have to get creative with the router. Possibly leave an a small amount un-routed at the point where each driver comes closest to the edge and try to make the transition as smooth as possible. I'm going to test this soon.

As soon as I have some real progress to show I will post the pics right away.

Ok, so now that the majority of the summer projects are done, I'm getting back into speaker building mode. As mentioned above the parts were cut from the MDF sheets a while back so I've started with making the braces for the 2CC. I hope to get the box glued up over the weekend. I will post some pics early next week. I edited the x-ray view pics to reflect a small change that I made in the braces.

Looking forward to your build progress.

First update with something to show.


MDF parts for the 2CC (foreground stack) and 1S's




A forest of clamps! Some parts were pre assembled before this pic was taken. The 4 braces and mid chamber divider were glued to the sub baffle the day before using clamps that ensure square joints. I neglected to document this so I'll try and get a pic of the clamps for the 1S build.



My new plunge router has a very effective dust control shroud/port. Simply thread in a 1 1/2" shop vac hose into the base. No adapter required and no dust whatsoever escapes into the air. It is so good that the 1/4" groove being cut is cleared of dust buildup immediately and the bit stays cool. No burning. The bit should stay sharp much longer.



Cutting the rest of the circles out with the jigsaw.



Flush trimming after the jigsaw cuts.



As with the 2T's I left one side off and will close it up only after all the dampening materials, wiring and crossovers are installed. The front baffle is 27" long (vs the 39" box) and will centre on the face with the flush mounted drivers.



You may have noticed the rounded over edges on the braces. This is probably overkill but having the new router allowed me to mount the older Dewalt in the table and leave it there. The roundover bit was already installed from a previous project so it only took a minute to do.

More to come soon.

Very nice work!

A little more progress to show.


The baffle ready for primer.




The Sonic Barrier installed with one end bare to mount the crossover. I also didn't put any on the back of the sub baffle beside the woofers and the back of the mid chamber brace.




Dry fit of the top to check that the foam will not interfere with glue up.

Next up is crossover install and wiring before glueing on the top. Also I'll begin the process of finishing the baffle.

Love seeing your progress. Looks great. One thing I should mention is if you want the tweeter and midrange to have a little strip of wood left between them, you can space the tweeter up 1/16" more and the mids down the same. When I did mine, the veneer thickness added that much more, so I have a little more wood between my mids and tweeter than you do. It really doesn't matter, just an aesthetics thing.

Now he tells me. ...Just kidding. Jed, I must have spent a couple of hours laying out the baffle on this thing. Trying to figure out how to place the mids and tweeter so that they fit without ending up with a sliver of material between them. With my design having a roundover all around the outside there was no room to move them anywhere. So I figured I would ensure the circles met and leave a little opening that I could control the width of. By being as accurate as possible with the pin hole for the circle jig, they would just fit with the 3/8" roundover. As I'm not using veneer on the baffle, having the small openings between the drivers was not going to be an issue...as long as I could make them even.

Your build certainly exudes precision!

Jed, thanks for the kind words. I have some new pics showing a little more progress. Not much, but it's something.


The crossover, wiring and mid chamber stuffing is done.




So...it's time to glue on the top.



You can see here that I added some stuffing in the woofer chamber above the crossover.



The baffle has 3 coats of primer with sanding in between each coat. One more sanding and I can start with the laquer.



And the cabinets are ready for veneer. The back edges are rounded over the same as my towers. I filled any small imperfections, sanded and rolled on a coat of thinned wood glue to seal the wood. This way the first coat of Heat Lock doesn't soak in. The wood glue is cheaper and easier for me to get.



I hope to be able to start on the veneer later this week as well as continuing to finish the baffles.

Looks great Ripcard and I like the idea of the wood glue coating before using the Heat Lock.

Time for an update showing the veneering process.

The paper backed veneer pieces taped down to prevent getting glue on the face. The pieces are cut oversize by an inch in each dimension.



I started with the ends.




The Heat Lock glue goes on a light, milky beige. I put two coats on both the veneer and the cab since I'm using a foam roller.



Where there is already veneer on the cab, I put tape to protect from any glue overspill. The tape also helps protect the veneer when flush trimming.



Doing the three side wrap with the aid of a Black Russian.



Skip to the finish. Not bad from this angle.



But for the first time in 5 cabinets I had trouble making the veneer conform to the roundover in a couple of spots. For some reason this sheet had a bubble form on a couple of the ends that would not smooth out. I was forced to slit it with a knife and overlap to get it to lay down and stick. This pic is after some sanding to smooth the transition. The dark line is the glue. I'm still working on these to hide them a little better. Maybe if I had some veneer softener it might have helped but I wasn't expecting any issues as I had done this same roundover wrap thing with this same veneer 4 times before with zero issues.




The cut out for the port.




The cut out for the binding post cup is next. I start the finishing of the cabinet after that. The painting of the baffle is ongoing.