Is this a good job for a pin nailer?

[Michael Van Voorhis]

Anyway...

I primarily work with MDF or plywood making speaker enclosures. (Think bigger sized boxes) I usually just butt join the edges with Titebond.

Would a pin nailer be appropriate to hold a newly glued up edge together without clamps? Will there be sufficient pressure along the glue joint? If I need a larger ga nailer I will probably forgo the whole idea and just use clamps like I am now.

Thank you for your answers!

[Myk Rian]

You will still need clamps. The pins will help keep the parts from sliding around when you glue them.

[Andrew Minear]

Anyway...

I primarily work with MDF or plywood making speaker enclosures. (Think bigger sized boxes) I usually just butt join the edges with Titebond.

Would a pin nailer be appropriate to hold a newly glued up edge together without clamps? Will there be sufficient pressure along the glue joint? If I need a larger ga nailer I will probably forgo the whole idea and just use clamps like I am now.

Thank you for your answers!

If you are using 3/4" material, which I would for speakers, the pin nails aren't going grab enough to hold. The 23 gauge pin nails only go up to 1 3/8" long.
Shooting any nail into MDF is probably futile because there is no grain to hold it.

Andrew

[bill mullin]

1 1/2" 18 gauge would work, 23 gauge probably not.

[Dave Sepucha]

I don't like using small nailers on mdf. Too often, dense spots in the mdf will cause the nail or pin to bend and poke out the face of oneof the pieces. When I do use fasteners on mdf, it is typically a countersunk screw. But of course this won't work for a finished face.

[Bill White]

In a word.....NOPE. 18 ga minimum.
Bill

[Michael Van Voorhis]

The answer seems to be unanimous then! Thank you very much.

[Jason White]

Glue & coarse-thread screws would probably be your best bet.

Certainly, you should shoot a few pin nails to lightly "clamp" the boxes together before drilling and driving the screws home. If these are going to be painted, you'll never see the screws anyway if you countersink and putty them.

Jason


Anyway...

I primarily work with MDF or plywood making speaker enclosures. (Think bigger sized boxes) I usually just butt join the edges with Titebond.

Would a pin nailer be appropriate to hold a newly glued up edge together without clamps? Will there be sufficient pressure along the glue joint? If I need a larger ga nailer I will probably forgo the whole idea and just use clamps like I am now.

Thank you for your answers!

[Karl Brogger]

I used to use staples when I built speaker boxes. I also didn't bother with glue, I used construction adhesive and then wiped the excess of the outside, and smeared out the inside.

A staple holds way better then a nail in pretty much every instance. So long as you can deal with the massive ugly hole it leaves behind.

[Buck Williams]

Michael,

To turn the tables, are there any web-sites or books you would recommend on speaker building? I can build a helluva cabinet, but don't know anything about the deisgn and other considerations necessary tio build a quality speaker. Thanks

[Greg Portland]

Michael, I build one-off speaker cabinets as a hobby and prefer using a biscuit cutter or Domino to align my parts during assembly. However, this is not a speedy method and is likely not appropriate in a production setting.

Buck, the basic construction of a box requires a mix of dampening with as little flex as possible. Heavy bracing and thick walls (1"+ material) is often employed. However, the enclosure is part of a system (drivers, crossover, enclosure/box, and room). In other words, the box needs to be designed for the drivers and crossover. This is not a trivial task. Most beginners are encouraged to start off with a subwoofer or 2-way design from existing plans since they are the easiest to build. Vance Dickanson's Loudspeaker Design Cookbook is considered to be the best initial reference when it comes to speaker design.

[Michael Van Voorhis]

Vance Dickanson's Loudspeaker Design Cookbook is considered to be the best initial reference when it comes to speaker design.

I own this book and think it a good primer into speaker designing and building. Of course, I have to put on my thinking cap when I read it. It starts easy enough but does get a little deep. Yet it only scratches the surface of a great design.....

I definitely recommend starting with a well designed DIY plan and go from there.