Help with Veneer and round roundover

[Darren Vass]

112594

Hi All. I am in the process of building the attached loudspeaker. I will be using MDF but want to veneer, probably with a tiger maple. The base baffle (front) is 1.5 inches thick and the top 3/4 inches thick. The problem: the circles with roundovers. I don't think I'll be able to iron on veneer onto those curves. I am looking for ideas, options. I've thought about using hardwood for the rounded over circular cutouts, but am not sure how to do this. Also wondering whether there would be an issue with hardwood for the cutouts connected to MDF. Any and all help will be truly appreciated.

Darren

[Chris Padilla]

A very thin commercial veneer and a vacuum bag would be the easiest way to handle this...and likely the best. However, I'll assume you don't have anything so up-front cost and time would be a lot.

However, do you have the corresponding cove bit to the roundover bit you used? If so, you can make the inverse shape in some more MDF and use it as a caul to either help iron-on or glue some thin commercial veneer to the roundover section.

[Darren Vass]

Would it look bad if I glued the veneer to the flat substrate and then made a few cuts perpendicular to the circle diameter so that the veneer overlapped over the circle roundever when folded down. Then make cuts through the overlap just like wallpaper. Remove the loose piece and then glue down. There would be lines where the veneer meets, but it would not be that noticable under a few layers of finish.

[Chris Padilla]

If you have a thin enough veneer and adequately soaked (http://www.veneersupplies.com/product_info.php?cPath=86_37&products_id=616), it might just conform all along where you want. I don't have experience with this, Darren, but check the link I provided and its associated web site. There is lots on there to take in.

I'm not sure about your technique...I don't think it would look too good unless you practiced quite a bit first.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Putting veneer on that roundover? Are there any links to how this would be done because I can't picture it in my head unless it's vinyl and can stretch.

I would have routed a circular channel where the flare lip is. Then make a hardwood ring and glue it in there. After that, use the router and roundover to cut into the hardwood.

I made a speaker of aluminum laminated MDF. The edges needed to be 1/4" round overs out of hardwood. All that was done was a router made a squared cutout on the edges and then hardwood maple was glued in this channel. Then after it was flush, a round over bit cuts the hardwood.

I attached a crude profile drawing of how I'd make a hardwood port.

[Darren Vass]

Thanks Chris. That seems like it would work. I just would not be able to match the stain color of the veneer to the hard wood insert. But I could also use this as a design aspect and make the hardwood insert standout with a contrasting color.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I found that even if the staining is a little off, it still looks good since it appears to be a type of "trim" work. If you really want to get design critical, then your choice of hardwood for this flared driver surround will likely affect the frequency response of the drivers. Especially the tweeter since the flaring acts as a small horn. The softer the wood, the less defraction off that flared baffle. Staining or lacquering will affect the response as well.

You've got a nice dipole speaker going on. My next project happens to be the Linkwitz Orion. I have the plans, just not the $3K yet for drivers and electronics. :D

I really love the way a bipolar or omnipolar speaker reacts with the room. Perhaps you could consider mounting an identical tweeter on the reverse side of the baffle, thus making the tweeter a "dipole" like the mid.

SL did this on his Orion+ and absolutely loved it.

Good Luck!

[Darren Vass]

Thanks Chris. Small world. I actually had all the electronics as well as the drivers for the Orion with the upgrade. Unfortunately, my basement was flooded in June last year and I have been recovering ever since. The open baffle hybrid design is actually from someone on the HT Guide forum, who also has a design on Parts Express. It's called the BaSSlines. If you go to the HTGuide forum, you will see how he finished his. He actually used plexiglass for the baffle sandwiching wood for the mid and tweeter. His speaker is more economical for me at this time, although not cheap, a little over $1K.