LHH Posted June 11, 2017 Posted June 11, 2017 Work is a pain. For the last four months I've been in a different city to my wife (and my hifi system). This situation won't be resolved for another 12 months, when my wife's contract ends and she joins me. A Fostex HPA-4 and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro headphones have been filling in for the main system, but it's just not the same. Since I like learning new things, and since I need something to distract myself from my wife's absence, I'm thinking building a new system. Ultimately, I'd like to learn enough to design and build a system from scratch (amp, dac, and speakers), but I thought I'd start with a few kits and work my way up from there.The speakers will be my first challenge (amp next, dac last), and as I'm a big fan of Visaton I thought I might go with one of their projects http://www.visaton.com/en/bauvorschlaege/index.html The thing is, I haven't done any woodwork since high-school, and I've never built a pair a speakers, so I really don't know what I need in the way of tools. This will all be new to me. If you were planning to build a system what tools would you be buying? What do I need, and what would be nice to have? (I see this as a long term investment, so I'm happy to spend a bit.) Thanks for your help. 1
mwhouston Posted June 11, 2017 Posted June 11, 2017 (edited) 19 minutes ago, LHH said: Work is a pain. For the last four months I've been in a different city to my wife (and my hifi system). This situation won't be resolved for another 12 months, when my wife's contract ends and she joins me. A Fostex HPA-4 and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro headphones have been filling in for the main system, but it's just not the same. Since I like learning new things, and since I need something to distract myself from my wife's absence, I'm thinking building a new system. Ultimately, I'd like to learn enough to design and build a system from scratch (amp, dac, and speakers), but I thought I'd start with a few kits and work my way up from there.The speakers will be my first challenge (amp next, dac last), and as I'm a big fan of Visaton I thought I might go with one of their projects http://www.visaton.com/en/bauvorschlaege/index.html The thing is, I haven't done any woodwork since high-school, and I've never built a pair a speakers, so I really don't know what I need in the way of tools. This will all be new to me. If you were planning to build a system what tools would you be buying? What do I need, and what would be nice to have? (I see this as a long term investment, so I'm happy to spend a bit.) Thanks for your help. I build everything, there is no hifi part (apart from a TT and CD player) I haven't built. Speakers sre a good place to start but I give all the wood working to my amp building mate Don. He has all the tools and builds all my boxes for speakers and my Spotted Gum base for tube amps. Unless you have all the gear and are very good with wood working why not do as as I do; select your drivers, design the box around them and get some handyman to do the wood work side. That way they will look pro and you have added the drivers, Xovers etc. Always paint (roller or spray) the boxes and grill them. You may need a high rating WAF to keep them in the house. Edited June 11, 2017 by mwhouston
Benen Posted June 11, 2017 Posted June 11, 2017 An accurate saw such as a table saw or track saw is essential for making boxes, you will also need a drill and a router for neat driver holes. Plus other bits and pieces for marking, plenty of clamps etc. If you think they'll get extra use then it's worth it. Otherwise it will cost you a lot for the tools for one project. I'm certainly a beginner and am only building my first indoor speakers now. However I have most of the tools from other projects and just need a new router bit for chamfering the driver holes. 1
Upfront Posted June 11, 2017 Posted June 11, 2017 There are also Mens Sheds and Hackerspaces that can be used. These places can be a wealth of info and have heaps of tools including basic hand tools through to laser cutters and 3D printers. 1
Guest BobbyD Posted June 11, 2017 Posted June 11, 2017 4 hours ago, mwhouston said: Unless you have all the gear and are very good with wood working why not do as as I do; select your drivers, design the box around them and get some handyman to do the wood work side. That way they will look pro and you have Agree with Mark. If you don't have all the tools and skills, it's easy to make it look "fugly". It's money well spent paying a tradesman to make the speakers look pro!! Good luck it's lots of fun......
Hippy Posted June 11, 2017 Posted June 11, 2017 +1 for the Mens Sheds. They have all the right tools usually and will also give some great company and good advice. You could probably find a retiree at the local mens shed who would make the boxes for next to nix. Youtube is an absolute goldmine when it come to "how to" videos. Other than that a good variable speed orbital sander, a router, a jigsaw, and a good quality square or 2 is a good place to start. You can build good boxes without a table saw but its harder and takes longer. You can rough out the size with a jig saw then trim to exact size with a straight edge and router. Don't buy sanding discs from Bunnings, they're stupid expensive. Hit up Ebay and the Chinese sellers for consumables. A couple of us here have built our own CNC machines to make our diy lives easier. 2
betocool Posted June 11, 2017 Posted June 11, 2017 I'll chip in as well. Done my DIY speakers and still using them since 2012. I designed them, got the wood cut off at the wood-shop, and did the rest with a borrowed jigsaw. http://betocools.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/speakers-afc-mk-i.html A drill is a must, and a router helps a lot. A good straight ruler and a square, and a sharpened pencil. Lots of sanding paper, a rasp, a file, and a handsaw. That's the basics. LOTS of patience, and measuring twice, and then some. PVA glue. I think that's that for speakers? If you want to do the crossover, you'll need a soldering iron as well. Ever since I moved to Australia I've been expanding my toolset and workplace, to the point where I also own an el-cheapo audio analyzer, an oscilloscope, router, and many other things... I find I can do pretty much everything I need (within reason). You'll find that finishing a DIY project that works well is extremely rewarding, but be aware that starting is the difficult bit and sometimes life gets in the way. Good luck! Cheers, Alberto 2
Brisso57 Posted June 12, 2017 Posted June 12, 2017 Jasper jigs are the best way to cut accurate circular holes for speakers and ports. Worth the money.
audiofeline Posted June 22, 2017 Posted June 22, 2017 I'm thinking that it may be worthwhile to decide where you think your best skills+interest lie - in woodworking, or in electronics. Both areas will take lots of time and skill development. If you feel electronics is your area, buy a pre-cut speaker box kit or pre-made speaker boxes suitable for your chosen system, add laminate and your speaker drivers/crossover. If you feel woodwork is your area, you may never have the time to build the electronics. 1
betocool Posted June 22, 2017 Posted June 22, 2017 I agree partly with @audiofeline, but in the case of speakers, I think that the electronics bit is really the least of it, where as woodworking only seldom comes to play in electronics design. Particularly in the case of speakers, doing it all from scratch also would serve to say "Oh, ok, I'm not too good at this" or "Oh wow, I'm enjoying this a lot!" And as with all projects.... once you start... you never finish! Cheers, Alberto
audiofeline Posted June 22, 2017 Posted June 22, 2017 2 hours ago, betocool said: I agree partly with @audiofeline, but in the case of speakers, I think that the electronics bit is really the least of it, where as woodworking only seldom comes to play in electronics design. Particularly in the case of speakers, doing it all from scratch also would serve to say "Oh, ok, I'm not too good at this" or "Oh wow, I'm enjoying this a lot!" And as with all projects.... once you start... you never finish! Cheers, Alberto Agreed that the electronics of speaker construction is minimal. As I understand the OP's dilemma, his plan after the speakers is to "design and build a system from scratch (amp, dac, and speakers)", which is a lot of electronics construction to keep someone busy for a long time.
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