So. Cal. veneer specialist?

Greetings, Friends,

As I've written before, I'm trying to get together my "Dream Speakers". Got the components, which was the really hard part. But, now, I need cabinets for them. I can, and probably will, build them myself. But, time, space, and facility is not in my favor right now. I certainly don't want to mess with fancy plywood, for fear of marring it beyond redemption. So, I'll very probably use high density particle board, braced very well, screwed and glued, and vented properly for the drivers on hand.

My question is: Are there any veneer specialists in So. Cal. that might be able to do a very nice job of veneering my boxes, once they have been made? If you Gentlemen, or Ladies, know of someone trustworthy, that does a nice job, I'd love to hear about them. I've been trying to come up with JBL cabinets that have been emptied of their components, and thereby obviate the need for my actually building them. But, aside from a kind JBL Brother in Arkansas, nothing's come my way, so far.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or comments, please. Thanks, very much, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

If you are competant enough to build the boxes, you probably could buy a router and apply the veneer yourself.

Veneer can be purchased from the Net and, depending on what wood you want, is not too dear, I suppse.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robertbartsch

If you are competant enough to build the boxes, you probably could buy a router and apply the veneer yourself.

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These guys have excellent product, good prices, and useful tips and advice.

http://www.oakwoodveneer.com/


Widget

I'll add a word of caution here.

I used the 3M sticky backed red oak from the above link over my MDF cabinets.

The product was very nice, easy to work with and stunning in appearance after I was all done. I followed the directions to a T, I think.

It has become a bit of a nightmare for me because the veneer keeps lifting off the surface of the MDF.

I did ruff it up prior to application and I did wipe the surface clean and dust free with denatured Alcohol.

So far my best solution has been to cover it with an old bed sheet and iron it down with a hot clothes iron.

I am not an expert on this veneering operation but I doubt I will ever use the 3M peel and stick ever again.

I do love building cabinets from scratch but anyone who thinks they can save money by DIY rather then finding a nice pair of empties and paying the shipping is way off base with todays materials prices. I spent over $250 on the veneer alone to do these.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...d/DSCN1653.jpg

There is a great deal of satisfaction by doing it yourself but it is not cheaper or without obsticles.

Gary

Greetings, Gentlemen,

Many thanks for all your suggestions and comments. I have, in the past, very much enjoyed building stereo and PA cabinets, and believe that I can cobble together a decent enclosure that is accoustically dead, and a good base for whatever transducers I mount into it. I have played with tuning, and also believe that can do a good job of that, too, tuning any cabinet to the actual transducer that is going into it.

However, though I have skills to make a good speaker cabinet, the only veneers I have experience in using are laminates like Formica, and other such "plastic" sheets. I have done fine on those, but very much hesitate trying my hand at actual wood veneers, especially on a project that is supposed to be my "Dream Speaker"!! Just the thought of it scares the pants off me, and fills me with dread!! :blink::blink: I'd much rather buy empty enclosures, made by someone (JBL) who knows what they are about, and doing that should guarantee a very nicely finished cabinet, and one that I would be very proud to own. I may end up buying cabinets, or may end up just making my own. But, getting into the veneer side of it, is something I'm not really ready to do. Yes, I have all the power tools, including a router. But, what I don't have is a clean and easily used work area, and also the experience to do a really good job of it without wasting my money. This is really what would keep me from trying my hand at veneering. If I were going to do something like that, I'd rather buy good Baltic Birch, and then just finish the outside in whatever manner is pleasing to Sweet Bride and myself.

Thanks, again, Friends, for your comments, and I'll let you know how it all turns out. But, I'm beginning to believe that there are very few empty JBL cabinets out there for sale, or at least in my area, here in So. Cal. Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

I'm with you on all of this stuff Doc. I do love the building and finishing portion of working with real wood and even with the MDF. I don't particularly have a good feeling with the veneering process except on fairly small projects.

I saw in one of your other threads where Subwoof showed some pics of his empty JBL cabinets. He sure has a bunch of them. If he has something that will fill your needs I have to suggest you contact him and work something out. We have emailed back and forth a few times and a nicer guy will be hard to find.

Empty cabinets might be a little expensive to ship and buy but one thing you will never be able to reproduce in any shop is the real, actual Vintage ones like he has. When you start adding up all the cost for materials and the time involved to build your "Dream speakers" it probably won't cost much more to just buy the real deals and have them shipped so you can load your raw drivers and have that dream WET because you will have totally Vintage in the end..

As I have said many times before, we might be able to build nice cabinets and possibly even better ones but none of us can build the real ones that will always maintain their Vintage value.

Gary

Gary

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gary L

I'll add a word of caution here.
...I doubt I will ever use the 3M peel and stick ever again.

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I have a great deal of respect for 3M in general, but pressure sensitive adhesive on wood is typically an iffy proposition. I'm a little surprised that the folks at Oakwood would sell it if it is that problematic... sorry to hear about your troubles. Years ago I ruined some stunningly beautiful Brazilian Rosewood when I tried to use contact cement with the stuff as recommended by Constantine out of New York. Never again. Now days if I am using the thicker grades of veneer I always use a vacuum bag veneer press.

I would recommend wood on wood veneer with solvent based contact cement or paper backed veneer with wood glue and plenty of clamps.


Widget

Hmmm...

I have used the solvent-based contact cement and real wood veneer with good success. Sometimes the hardest part is making a low rise table with carpeting and in a place AWAY from shop traffic and cutting area's. These cabs are a pig to flip around...

I finally have a shop with enough space to do all that ( where the cabs are currently ) but I cannot do a single thing until after move-in day at the college rental I am refurbing for my daughter in late august. Figure another 30 days to redo the shop tools and such.

The "real" boxes I have all need:

(A) Additional mounting holes filled. I use a forstner bit and enlarge them then glue in a plug of the same material. This way it's swell factor is identical. Sometimes this solves the veneer problem too if I have a donor piece with grain match but grain tear-out means a 10% rate if lucky.

(B) One of the 4 ways and (3) of the others need new bottoms because someone parked them in the proverbial back room and the lucky side that met the concrete suffered. Once the wood swells that much it becomes like a marsmallow treat and no amount of work will fix.

(C) On the above remedy, the 4331 and 4333 models do not have bases SO by making a new bottom ( that no one will ever see ) that matches the larger 4341/3/5 a good idea.

(D) If a cabinet needs complete reveneering, I was planning on installing a 1/4" thick strip of solid walnut on the BACK edge to give some "ding" strength. The back edges always seem to get the abuse.

(E) Any cab that gets shipped will be gutted except for networks... It makes no sense to ship complete and put stress on the baffle.

(F) I was planning on making companion cabinets that sit on top for the midrange horn so the empty 4331's can be converted to 4 way ( the original conical horn cutout becomes a doghouse for the 10 ) since I do not have the long horns for them. I was planning on the partially finished 2397 and 2440's for this. These cabinets could also be blank for DIY.

In short until I actually get these ALL inspected and checked out for hidden issues, nothing can be decided as to their eventual fate. As for shipping, Forward air has a price that is pretty hard to beat and it's the SAME DAY for many markets so a trip to the airport with the minivan night be the best ticket.

However the last time I did this gas was <2 bux a gallon so the whole shipping equation needs to be revisited.

sub