L112 re-veneer

[John W]

I recently purchased a pair of L112 speakers that had a few problems. The woofers needed re-foamed, one of the LE5-12s was bad, and the cases were a little rough to say the least. One of the speakers had 2inch hole punched in the side. Either it was dropped on something sharp, or someone pounded the side with a hammer.

I don’t mind woofers that need re-foamed because when I do this job myself I am assured that corners aren’t cut in the process. I was able to source a new pair of LE5-12s from a nice member of the forum.

[John W]

I decided to repair and re-veneer the cases. I started with purchasing a 4x8 sheet of quarter sawn walnut paperback veneer from www.oakwoodveneer.com (http://www.oakwoodveneer.com/). This is a great source. The sheet is about $100 with shipping, but is enough for 2 pairs of L112 size models.

I then removed the drivers and re-glued what hole pieces remained back into side of the case and added a 1/4 backing panel around the whole. The rest was filled in with bondo polyester putty. I used this to restore the dented corners as well. The cabinets also looked like they were dragged across some nails at one time. These gouges were filled in with some spot putty and sanded smooth. I then sanded the entire cabinets well. Most imperfections will show through the veneer, so they need to be flat. I then painted the fronts and back with Krylon semi-flat black. This is a very good match to the JBL original. In fact, on another pair of L36 speakers someone had scratched their SSN in the front baffle and then before they sold them to me, went back and gouged out the numbers. I was able to fill and sand these etchings and paint just part of the baffle with this paint and you can't tell where the original paint ends and the new paint starts.

Once that was done I cut and numbered the veneer pieces. It is best if you edge match the veneer. Think of one long strip of veneer. You start the veneer at the bottom wrap it up one side, across the top and down the other side, making cuts at the corners. This way when you look at a corner, the grain of the veneer flows right along. Cut the pieces about 3/16 larger on each side, so you have wiggle room to position them on the speakers.

[John W]

There are a number of ways to glue veneer, but the one I like best is using water based contact cement from Weldwood. The water based cement is lower order, and the lack of solvents seems to be a plus for finishing. Follow the directions on the can.

Once the glue is dry and the veneer is ready to be applied, I like to use a piece of baking parchment paper in between the veneer and the speaker. This makes it easy to get things into position, and the parchment doesn’t stick at all. Make very sure that the piece is positioned properly and then slowly pull out the parchment and press the veneer down.

Trimming is best done in two ways. With the grain from the back, using a sharp utility knife cutting through to a hard surface. If you go from the back against the grain the grain tears. I like to go from the top down. This takes a little practice, but gives you the best edge. The front baffle on the L112 sticks out about 1/4 inch so it made it a little tricky in the front. I needed to cut out a little ways and trim up the edge with a rabbet plane.

Clean up the corners, sand the veneer with 220 grit paper, apply some finish and your done. I used an oil finish, followed up with paste wax

[John W]

Oh, and they sound really fine too.:applaud:

[lgvenable]

www.partsexpress.com ????

Where did you get your veneer??

Larry

[Don C]

Nice! Thanks for posting.

[Mr. Widget]

Those look very nice! It's nice to see these things brought back to life!:applaud:


I like these guys... great selection and reasonable prices, though you have to buy full 4' by 8' sheets at a time. For someone like me that tends to build speakers bigger than sanity, that's not a problem.:D

http://www.oakwoodveneer.com/


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[RickL166]

Yep, very very nice!!! :applaud:

[Regis]

Beautiful work! Very nice photo's and accompanying instructions. Thanks for showing us your fine speaks!

[Regis]

Very nice work! Many people would've just plain gave up on a heavily damaged pair of speakers like what you've started with. The photo's and instructions were great too. Thanks for sharing.

[pelly3s]

John they look beautiful. I have to find the time to do that to my 4430's. Great job on those though, they look like new again.

[Robh3606]

Hey they look great!! I think you just showed me the way to restore a pair of L100T cabinets I got off Ebay. Never thought of veneer over the existing veneer.

Rob:)

[John W]

I would encourage you to give it a try. Though a little nerve wracking at times, the process isn't that complicated.

[Audiobeer]

Beautiful job! There is a cabinet tool for veneering that works great on veneers with no chance of making a mistake. You can get it from the same place you got your veneer. It's a small tool used on formica cabinet finishes but works great on lighter and thinner materials like the wood veneers, Did your veneer have a paper backing on it?

[John W]

Yes, it is 10 Mil Paperbackedveneer.
I think I know the kind of tool you are talking about. It would probably be a good idea, though I haven't tried it.
http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?page=1289 (http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?page=1289)

[Audiobeer]

I don't see any lift or bubbling on your job..looks great. Did you roll it afterwords are was hand pressure enough? I have used the tool similiar to the one in the photograph. The first time you use it it's scary but it works perfectly. By the way I'll be glad to take the plane off your hands!

:applaud:

[John W]

I hand pressed it with a piece of softer wood rounded on the edges as a pressure tool.

[yggdrasil]

Very nice work indeed.


Congratulations on a NEW pair of L112's.

[JBLnsince1959]

very, very nice work..congrads... :applaud:

[duaneage]

Could you use a laminate trimmer bit in a router to cut the veneer or would it split? I am considering using veneer for a L100T3 project and I want MDF walls with a period correct veneer.


I saw a technique using a table saw and a 100 tooth blade being used to cut the veneer but that was for a furniture project.

[saeman]

Easiest way to cut the 10 mil veneer is with a straight edge and a utility knife, the kind you can't take on the airplanes anymore. Paper side up will give the best results and keep the knife edge from wandering off with the grain and cutting uneven. Cutting 10 mil on a table saw would be a disaster even with a 200 tooth blade. Some suppliers offer veneer in 20 to 25 mil (same wood veneer thickness usually, thicker paper backing) and cutting that stuff would be iffy also on a table saw. Use your laminate trimmer with a flush cut bit to trim the excess from the edges after application. Slow down trimming across the grain to prevent chipping. Good Luck - Rick