Stevie’s 12” FRFR Cab Build Thread (Basschat Cab v3)

[funkle]

Hi all

Just starting up a thread here for the guys who are building @stevie‘s 12” full range cab, as per the design in this thread: 

 

I’ve just made an order for most of the parts to get myself prepped. Will post pics of my progress as I receive all the parts and get to work. 

I think that one or two folks may have already built the cab. Perhaps they might post pics/experiences here as well. 

Pete

 

Edited August 4, 2019 by funkle

[stewblack]

I've bought two clamps and my corner pieces!

Have lots of bits from old cabs I'm recycling so going to pile all that up before spending more. Handles, grills, speaker sockets, wadding, that kind of thing. 

[LukeFRC]

Blue Arran told me my order would come in two months as the paint would take a while.... I’ve just told the courier it would be better not to come tomorrow as we’re not in!

[funkle]

Well, the kit arrived. Minus the crossover and the Celestion driver; they’ll come later. 

@stevie should be very proud. The lightness of it all. Amazing. 

The cleanness of it all. Amazing. 

Great work on the decals @LukeFRC

I’m blown away. 

Pics coming. 

[funkle]

Looks promising....

[funkle]

Nicely packed! Great work @stevie...

 

[funkle]

And here’s the kit laid out. 

[funkle]

I’m marvelling at its lightness. 

Then I find the decals @LukeFRC did. And the badge. Sweet.

Edited August 23, 2019 by funkle

[funkle]

Now I’ll do a dry fit. I’ll be back. 

[funkle]

Dry fitting was a breeze. 

*** PLEASE NOTE IN THE ABOVE PIC THE INPUT PANEL IS THE WRONG WAY AROUND. IT GOES THE OTHER WAY! ***

Edited August 26, 2019 by funkle

[funkle]

***PLEASE NOTE IN ABOVE PIC THE INPUT PANEL IS THE WRONG WAY AROUND. IT GOES THE OTHER WAY! ***

Edited August 26, 2019 by funkle

[funkle]

Game on tomorrow. All going well. Need to plan out screws etc. And all the other bits and bobs. 

[funkle]

I’m missing the little circle that goes on the bottom panel. Stevie will send that on with the crossover. 

[stewblack]

Very, very exciting times. That looks pretty good doesn't it? 

[stevie]

And so it begins......

[funkle]

Ok. A busy day, between family stuff and starting this. 

I have been checking fitting carefully as I go. @stevie knows about this one already, but I note the holes currently drilled for the handle are large, which means that the handle install is currently suitable only for a T-nut installation:

The holes nearly all line up with the handle, but 2 of them are slightly off - see below. Stevie knows about this. I may need to fiddle with this a bit when doing T-nuts for the handle install:

A quick dry fit of the port tube shows it is a snug fit, although not super tight. Stevie is going to shrink it by another 0.5mm, which will mean it’s going to need a hammer to get it in. I think it will work well as it is, but will glue it into place at the seam on the inside. 

The horn slot is perfect, but has only two screw holes (at the right side). Stevie knows about this and is sorting for the future kits. I have since fixed that issue and installed T-nuts, but earlier I was in the process of marking it up:

Here’s all the T-nuts in place on the front panel. The wood is soft enough that I found simply hammering them in from the back very easy. I sweated a little drilling the other horn holes, but everything worked out perfectly, and a check of fit was perfect. 

More to come. 

 

Edited August 24, 2019 by funkle

[funkle]

Trimmed the PVC ducting down to size. I messed it up first time, but had enough length to try again on the other end. Pro tip: mark the measurement line all the way around, as otherwise it is hard to visually line up a straight cut using a hand saw. And cut very slowly, making sure it is straight.

I started some of the glueing up as well. The input panel, and a healthy dose of glue for the top brace:

Then the top brace went in, and then the first of the smaller panel braces. I used the left hand panel to make sure that the top brace was sitting at the correct angle; it is not glued in, just giving me guidance:

Then the next bits of bracing:

A small brace on the front panel:

Not shown: I also managed to glue the circular brace to the top panel, to support it and the handle.

And that’s what I managed today. Tomorrow, more glueing. 

Edited August 24, 2019 by funkle

[stewblack]

12 minutes ago, funkle said:

Trimmed the PVC ducting down to size. I messed it up first time, but had enough length to try again on the other end. Pro tip: mark the measurement line all the way around, as otherwise it is hard to visually line up a straight cut using a hand saw. And cut very slowly, making sure it is straight.

I started some of the glueing up as well. The input panel, and a healthy dose of glue for the top brace:

Then the top brace went in, and then the first of the smaller panel braces. I used the left hand panel to make sure that the top brace was sitting at the correct angle; it is not glued in, just giving me guidance:

Then the next bits of bracing:

A small brace on the front panel:

Not shown: I also managed to glue the circular brace to the top panel, to support it and the handle.

And that’s what I managed today. Tomorrow, more glueing. 

This is looking good. Thanks for sharing your progress. 

[funkle]

Day 2. 

I found some black primer spray, suitable for any surface including plastic, at Hobbycraft. £7.99, damn. Still, it’s very convenient. Made by Plastikote. 

I’ve done a first pass on the port. I probably won’t need to paint it...I’ll just do a few layers of the primer, I think. 

I blacked out the area behind the port as well. 

[funkle]

Glued in and clamped the left panel. Nice fit.

[stewblack]

Just looking at this tells me there is no way I could have done this from scratch to this standard. 

Quick question Can we not use black pipe? 

[funkle]

32 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Just looking at this tells me there is no way I could have done this from scratch to this standard. 

Quick question Can we not use black pipe? 

No idea. If you can find black pipe of the correct size and thickness I see no reason why not. I just went with what I was told to buy, lol. Maybe worth an ask @stevie in PM or in his main thread? 

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

Just looking at this tells me there is no way I could have done this from scratch to this standard. 

Quick question Can we not use black pipe? 

I imagine Stevie went for cheap, available as a short length and nationally easy to buy as the main considerations 

[stevie]

Five inches turned out to be the optimum port size for the cab. It's just unfortunate that nobody sells a commercial five-inch loudspeaker port. A six-inch port would be too long and a four-inch port (or multiple smaller ports) won't handle as much air at high power.

The five-inch port I found is used in air conditioning systems, which I suppose is why it's only available in white. But it is cheap and you get two ports for a couple of pounds. Normal plumbing pipe is available in black but not in this size (unless someone knows different).

A white port doesn't actually look that bad in practice and, of course, if you're using a fabric grille or foam behind your metal grille it doesn't matter what colour it is. I think most people would prefer a black port behind a metal grille and the Euro Car Parts primer offers a cheap solution (if you can get them to deliver).

[funkle]

I have been called away to my in-laws. Further construction may be light today. Next significant updates may be Tuesday.