Small cab build - Build now started

[GarethFlatlands]

If you've seen my Shuker build course thread, you'll understand that I've been bitten by the woodworking bug. I'm also having issues with insufficient volume from my rig, an Eden WTX 264 running through a Barefaced One10. The Eden runs optimally at 4 ohms and the cab is 8 ohms, so I figured that adding another 8 ohm cab would get the whole thing running at full volume, and also raise the height to closer to my head (which, being short is thankfully pretty close to the ground). 

The specs are based on nothing other than the size of the Barefaced cab and the nice and cheap Faital Pro 8FE200, so if you actually know about this stuff, let me know if I'm making any massive errors before I start cutting the wood! Likewise, if I need to calculate port sizes and add bracing, shout up.

I'm using 12mm plywood.

External dimensions - H/W/D - 38/30/28 cm

2 * side pieces of 38h * 28d

2 * top/bottom pieces at 28.8w (30w - 6mm per side for the rebate cuts) * 28d

1 * back piece at 35.6h * 27.6w (outside dimensions minus the thickness of the surrounding panels to sit inside and screw into an internally mounted frame)

1 * baffle at 26.8h * 28.8w as I'm planning on fitting the baffle into a routed 6mm channel in the side and top panels in a routed 6mm channel so it's nice and secure.

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by GarethFlatlands

[Pea Turgh]

Paging @stevie!

28 minutes ago, GarethFlatlands said:

The specs are based on nothing other than the size of the Barefaced cab and the nice and cheap Faital Pro 8FE200, so if you actually know about this stuff, let me know if I'm making any massive errors before I start cutting the wood! Likewise, if I need to calculate port sizes and add bracing, shout up.

 

[stevie]

That's a nice driver but I'm not terribly enthusiastic about it in a bass guitar cab. Have you already bought it?

[JohnDaBass]

22 hours ago, GarethFlatlands said:

 

The specs are based on nothing other than the size of the Barefaced cab and the nice and cheap Faital Pro 8FE200, so if you actually know about this stuff, let me know if I'm making any massive errors before I start cutting the wood! Likewise, if I need to calculate port sizes and add bracing, shout up.

 

 

The Barefaced One 10 is not a straightforward cab design. It actually has TWO ports, one round plastic down firing and the other is a vertical slot port hidden behind the rear of the speaker creating a second chamber in the cab. Shine a torch up the plastic port and you can see the second chamber and slot port.

TBH as it's your first cab build I would encourage you to consider building one of the Basschat designs by @Phil Starr & @stevie that way you will achieve a decent sounding cab and the enjoyment of building it yourself. I've got a couple of 12ins speakers from past projects lying around PM me if you want to have a low cost entry into your cab build.

Edited April 26, 2019 by JohnDaBass
Added build authors

[Phil Starr]

There are a few problems with your idea at the moment. That speaker will probably work fine in a cab that size but I'm not sure it's the best choice of starting point. the Barefaced cab is designed to have a very specific old school sound, your new can will have a different balance of sound and the two together might mean a very different sound. The barefaced will be more efficient at lower frequencies so you will encance the top end of your sound without adding oomph. In fact the Faital has a resonant frequency of 80Hz so you aren't going to get much fundamental at all to speak of, the bottom octave is missing.

I can see that you would want a cab that matches in size and appearance, I'm considering building something similar for semi acoustic stuff and am considering the B&C 10CL51 as a driver, it's a lot more expensive but it'll suit that size of box well and would be a better match for what you have.

In any case I'd probably be looking for a 10" speaker as a starting point. I can see the attraction of a cheap fix but I'm not sure you've found it.

[GarethFlatlands]

Thanks for the feedback, sounds like I should think about a different driver if I commit to keeping the box size the same, or else re-think the design. Nothing has been bought yet other than 2 sheets of plywood, which I seem to have trouble cutting in a straight line, so that's my immediate issue!

I'll have a look for the threads with Phil and Stevie's designs to see if they seem like they'd be a better idea all round. Weight will be an issue as it's one of the reasons I went with the Barefaced, although I now wonder if I should have gone for the Two10.

[mrtcat]

On 26/04/2019 at 12:54, GarethFlatlands said:

2 sheets of plywood, which I seem to have trouble cutting in a straight line, so that's my immediate issue!

How are you cutting? 2 sheets will probably be enough for 4/5 1x10 cabs if they're full 8ft by 4t panels.

[Mottlefeeder]

I posted a design for a one by 10 here, using the Eminence Basslite S2010 10 inch Neo speaker. The box is 30.5 x 32.5 x 39.5 cm, but could probably to tweaked to give you either a footprint or a baffle that matched your speaker:

The cab plans were in a March 30th post.

If you are anywhere near Manchester/Warrington, you are welcome to come and check it out.

David

[GarethFlatlands]

On 28/04/2019 at 19:26, mrtcat said:

How are you cutting? 2 sheets will probably be enough for 4/5 1x10 cabs if they're full 8ft by 4t panels.

I'm using 60cm * 120cm panels as they fit nicely in the car. I was trying to use a circular saw using a straight edge as a guide but it would still go wonky about halfway for some reason, so I'm getting some practice in with a hand saw which is proving to be oddly more accurate. 

On 28/04/2019 at 21:14, Mottlefeeder said:

I posted a design for a one by 10 here, using the Eminence Basslite S2010 10 inch Neo speaker. The box is 30.5 x 32.5 x 39.5 cm, but could probably to tweaked to give you either a footprint or a baffle that matched your speaker:

The cab plans were in a March 30th post.

If you are anywhere near Manchester/Warrington, you are welcome to come and check it out.

David

Thanks, I'll have a read now! Phil's fancy 12" cab build was way beyond me but I've just found his easy 12" build thread so I'm having a look at that too.

[GarethFlatlands]

So I got hold of a prototype 10" speaker from Barefaced, would people still recommend a different design or go for something One10 size?

[Pea Turgh]

Damn it, I missed those!

[GarethFlatlands]

I got lucky, fired up Facebook and they'd posted it "1 minute ago". Grabbed it while I could!

[Phil Starr]

If it is the same driver then put it in a matching cab. If you got it from Barefaced they should be able to advise you if it will work in a cab that size. If not i'm looking at 10" drivers at the moment. If I turn up anything suitable I'll let you know.

[GarethFlatlands]

Response from Barefaced.

 

"Hi Gareth, 

The woofer is the same nominal impedance as the One10 woofer. A cab a similar size should work pretty well. It won't add as much output as a second One10 but it should add a bit (it won't handle as much bottom because it doesn't have as much cone excursion as the final driver).

Best regards,

Alex"

[GarethFlatlands]

Made a mill bill from the external dimensions of the One10 (28*30*38) and worked out what I'd need to cut for the top/bottom panels, left/right panels and internal panels. I'd originally planned to get them cut at B&Q as my straight line cutting skills weren't great, but I made a jig for the circular saw yesterday which seemed to work out great so I decided to try it at home first. I had a full sheet of 12mm plywood so used that. I'd also need some more internal panels for the unique bracing the One10 has, but getting the basic box built was the main priority for now so they could wait.

 

 

I spent about an hour today cutting everything out, and it seemed to go fine. The 28cm measurements were a little short (1mm if that) but it looked good. The plan is to use square lengths of wood for reinforcement as per Phil Starr's easy 12" cab build, but I didn't have anything suitable in the man cave so the next step will be to buy something suitable and assemble the box. I need the car, and the weather forecast for this week is grim so my fiancee might be using it so I can't say when it'll be yet.

[GarethFlatlands]

I've left my notes in the basement so I'm replying as a way of keeping track of some measurements. 

Internal bracing is the whole internal width and height, but with a gap of about 2cm in the centre, so I need 2 pieces that are 27.6cm by 16.8cm. These sit about 11cm from the back wall and there's also a vertical piece making a t with the other bracing which overlaps by about 5 cm, so this needs to be 11cm by 21.8cm. I can just about get my finger to the gap and it feels like it's packed with wadding.

The port is about 7.5 cm diameter, and B&Q sells a hole saw that's 76mm so that's what I'll be doing. The port is 11cm deep. I'm thinking of using t nuts to fasten the speaker to the baffle unless someone gives me a better suggestion?

In terms of hardware, I need:-

8 * Plastic corners

2 * speakon connectors

A back panel

A handle

8 feet

Speaker wadding

 

And I think that's it for now.

[GarethFlatlands]

Mrs Gareth didn't need the car so I ran to B&Q to pick up a few bits, most importantly some 21mm square pine lengths for the internal reinforcement. They were out of stock on the auger needed for the hole saw, and a roundover router bit to my mild annoyance but I could still make progress.  My cutting and gluing wasn't perfect, but was good enough and by this afternoon I'd made something that definitely looked like a box. It'll need a bit of wood filler on some of the joints, but overall, it's passable.

 

I also busted out the router for the speaker hole on the front baffle. I drew a 26cm circle and cut 4 * 8mm holes into the wood as router bit starting guide, before realising that it should have been 23cm. Oops. A quick re-draw and re-drill, then out with the router to cut a (mostly) circular hole. The wrongly drilled holes line up almost perfectly with 4 of the holes for securing the speaker, so I got lucky there. The routed hole fits nice and snug but may need some more sanding tomorrow. 

Almost a cab!

 

Edited June 12, 2019 by GarethFlatlands

[GarethFlatlands]

Not much happening today. I'm amazingly tired, and I didn't feel up to anything too in depth. Also, I sliced 2 of my left hand fingertips removing the plastic guard from a pull saw yesterday and wanted that to heal before I injured myself again. Band practice tonight will be fun....

The speaker was checked in the baffle and sits flush with it, so there was no need to sand anything down. I glued and screwed the baffle into place and that's clamped and drying as I type. The 3 pieces that make up the internal dividers were all cut as per a couple of posts above and checked for size. And we're done with the circular saw for this project! 

Hardware was ordered from CPC Farnell. I need the back speakon panel to arrive before I cut a hole for the connectors so there's not much to do until that arrives. Off to Screwfix tomorrow for some drainpipe, a cheap hole saw set, and a tub of wood filler.

I'm still debating the finish. Priming and painting will be very time consuming and costly, varnish straight onto the ply will possibly look a bit rubbish, and a fabric covering is tempting, but I've never done it before and it may go very wrong. Any suggestions are welcome!

[RichardH]

Tuffcab - goes on with a mini paint roller. Blue Aran sell rollers too - depending on the roller you can get different finishes.

Really quick and easy to do, and you will end up with a good finish that can easily be touched up if it gets dinged. 1kg of paint will easily do that cab.

Edited June 14, 2019 by RichardH

[mrtcat]

On 14/06/2019 at 08:56, RichardH said:

Tuffcab - goes on with a mini paint roller. Blue Aran sell rollers too - depending on the roller you can get different finishes.

Really quick and easy to do, and you will end up with a good finish that can easily be touched up if it gets dinged. 1kg of paint will easily do that cab.

+1 for tuffcab. Doesn't require any priming and is very easy to apply. It's what Barefaced use and there's a huge range of colour options. 

[GarethFlatlands]

The hardware from Farnell arrived so I was able to do a rough fit of everything, and to route the holes out for the speakon connectors. I also filled any gaps with wood filler. Quick rant:- The Ronseal stuff in the tube I tried was rubbish. It clogged up every couple of inches when it flowed at all, and rather than feed out of the hole it's meant to come out of, the tube popped at the top early on. It also stuck best to anything that wasn't wood, like my fingers or it's own nozzle.

I still need to get a hole saw set and some drainpipe (both should be available in 68mm diameter) and decide how to finish the cab (I wanted white cab, black hardware but Blue Aran are out of white Tuff Cab and have a 2 month wait time. Red is an option, as are many other things but choice fatigue is setting in), but we're nearly there.

I glued some bits of the 21mm bracing wood onto the bottom for feet, then had to saw and chisel some of it away as it interfered with the plastic corners. Well done me... The only other thing left to do today was glue the vertical bracing in at the back. Tomorrow will be spent worrying about fixing the speaker to the baffle (I'm thinking M6 bolts and tee nuts), then maybe wiring it up to a speakon to see if it all works to any degree at all.

[GarethFlatlands]

Speaker fixing holes drilled and porting hole routed, so all woodwork should be done, unless something has gone wrong.

After a quick sanding with 80 and 100 grit papers, one coat of Tuff Cab was applied. I didn't see the point in sanding back any further, as the paint is textured and should in theory grip onto the wood better if it's not too smooth. The directions say you can re-apply after 8 hours but I'll leave it until tomorrow and do the second coat then. I'll have to sand back around where the speaker sits to get a good seal but hopefully that won't be too tedious. I hope the colour will look less obnoxious once it dries and hopefully darkens, and all the hardware is on there.

[GarethFlatlands]

Tuff cab dried, the corners and handle were fitted, along with the back plate and 2 pole speakon connectors. See a problem with any of that? I didn't....

 

 

 

I also couldn't find my soldering iron and had to wait for a new, better one to turn up from Amazon before I could wire up the speaker. I noted the holes for the top and bottom holes in the speakers weren't quite lined up properly. I'll fix it if it's an issue, but I lightly glued the tee nuts into place to stop them falling into the cab when inserting the screws so it's going to be a big faff, and the finish line was in sight. Thanks to Phil Starr for letting me know my 16 gauge cable was likely going to be find for the internal wiring which saved me having to order some cable in. The speaker wires were soldered to the lugs, passed through the internals of the cab, and the speaker screwed into place with a piece of speaker wadding stuffed in there. The back plate was then wired up, the amp sat on top of the cab, and.....

...the speakon cable wouldn't fit into the connectors. I didn't know that there were at least 2 types of Speakon connector, 2 and 4 pole. All my cables are 4 pole and the connectors are 2 pole. 2 pole male will fit into 4 pole female, but not the other way around. Some combination speakon connectors allow a 1/4 inch jack to be used in the centre barrel, but not the ones I bought, so I'm stuck until I order some 4 pole connectors, or 2 pole speaker cable before I can see if it all works. I'm leaning towards the 2 pole cable, as it'll sidestep the need to re-wire anything.

So close, yet so far.

[Mottlefeeder]

On 22/06/2019 at 17:20, GarethFlatlands said:

...the speakon cable wouldn't fit into the connectors. I didn't know that there were at least 2 types of Speakon connector, 2 and 4 pole. All my cables are 4 pole and the connectors are 2 pole. 2 pole male will fit into 4 pole female, but not the other way around. Some combination speakon connectors allow a 1/4 inch jack to be used in the centre barrel, but not the ones I bought, so I'm stuck until I order some 4 pole connectors, or 2 pole speaker cable before I can see if it all works. I'm leaning towards the 2 pole cable, as it'll sidestep the need to re-wire anything.

So close, yet so far.

 

Just for information, the speakon sockets that allow jack plug connections will acept 2- or 4-pole Speakon plugs. The keyway that prevents 2- and 4- being swapped was in the bit they drilled out to fit the jack-plug. Presumably they only connect to terminals +1 & -1 and not to terminals +2 & -2. Doesn't help you but might help someone else.

David

[GarethFlatlands]

Thanks David,

I've ordered a 4 pole female connector and I'm just going to suck it up and re-wire one of the cab connectors, then I'll have the option of using 4 or 2 pole.