Subwoofer cabinet finish?

Hi all. I've recently finished building a small pair of sealed box subwoofers and after a few hiccups i'm quite happy with what they do.
Now i just need to make them look good.

I was thinking of applying a real wood veneer but haven't got a clue where to get it from or how tricky it is to apply. Looking for a natural oak finish to match the main speakers.

i also need to add feet/spikes but again not sure what would be best to use.

Any hints/tips welcome.

 

Andy,

Use these for the veneer:

http://www.valeveneers.co.uk/iv.html

Nice veneer guide:

http://www.theloudspeakerkit.com/pages/guides.asp?ArticleID=43

Whilst you buying the veneer, also buy one of the veneer knifes and some contact adhesive. TRY to avoid the crap iron on stuff, it sounds great at first but personally I've seen spit have more holding power in the long term.

Roughly trim veneer to size before applying (I use scissors if the veneer allows). The apply contact adhesive to cabinet and veneer, leave for about 10 mins and then put on cabinet. Apply good pressure to the veneer especially edges.

After about 30 minutes or go back simply sand the excess flush and repeat on all side until done.

For spikes I'd recommend the self adhesive version of these:

http://www.bkelec.com/Superspikes/superspike.htm

Normal spikes in MDF just don't work too well and usually end up breaking at the fixing point after moving the sub a few times.

 

Nice one Shin, spot on
Would rubber feet be a good substitute for floor spikes, bearing in mind i have (laminate) wood flooring?

 

Most local pound shops sell bags of felt feet that work a treat to stop hi-fi scraping. They would probably do for a sub on laminate floor provided you don't have a downward firing sub!

 

Are those the little coin size felt pads you're talking about Simon. Do you think those would be enough to isolate the cabinets from the floor? The drivers are front firing so the height isn't an issue.

The reason i asked about the rubber feet is that i have 8 of these lying around. I think they're supposed to be doorstops-the type that screw into the floor. They look sturdy enough to support the subs though but i was wondering if spikes would make that much of a difference eg tighten the bass up more.

 

Oh well if you have them already then I'd use those!

I might try both though if you see some of the felt feet about on your travels.

In my experience having rubber or squishy material under speakers is not such a good idea - they should be held firm and still. The felt feet would probably not do a lot for isolation but would stop it scratching and hold it nice and still.

Still, I just place my speakers directly on the carpet and it sounds great, never bothered trying different feet!

 

I wanted to isolate the sub from the floor to prevent it resonating. I suppose spikes will be the best bet but i'll probably try the rubber feet anyway-i'm sure i've seen REL or MJ Acoustics use something similar.
Cheers m8

 

Well spikes don't isolate they simply give a small point of contact which makes it harder for the thing to move. The vibration still travels through, no matter how small the point of contact. As far as I know...

For isolation you need a lossy material where movement is converted to heat or some other form of energy. I sometimes use cut in half squash balls.

I guess you have seen those things from Auralex for isolating speakers, guitar amps and even drum kits? Gamma or something its called.

If you really want to sort out vibration in a future build, have a look at this design - http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=989942#post989942

 

Interesting design. Bit beyond what i can do at the mo. It was difficult enough cutting the driver hole in the mdf with a jigsaw!
They're only simple sealed boxes, small enough not to need bracing.

i'll look into the isolation stuff you mentioned but for now i'll stick with the feet. I'll probably post here with pics once i've got them veneered.
Many thanks.

 

Next time use a router, its much easier I would hate to try and do that with a jigsaw.

I'm sure you'll find something that works well. Best of luck