simonms

Gary-thanks so much again for the advice. I know have 5 plans and they are all very similar give or take a few mm. I would love to have a pair to work from but they don't come up often in the UK hence asvice needed-i/m off to a mates to start CAD drawings now and will post when fin. Regards Simon

Gary, Thanks so much for the pictures-very helpful to see the original. It does seem like the originals were built in 1/2 ply throughout. I think I am going to use 1/2" for all of the insides apart from the 2 identical horn folds that meet at the centre back of the cabinet. The tops bottoms and sides of my Belles are 3/4" and I want the same on my build. Thanks for all the help, any other suggestions would be most welcome, Regards Simon

LarryC-Wow what a great read! So nothing at all in between driver and chamber, just directly mountedonto 1/2" ply...if I understand correctly. Thanks a lot Si

...May I add that a sheet or two of timber in getting to grips with such a great design is a lot less than a term at Uni these days so money well spent.

a LarryC, you are on the money with everything you have said, this thread may seem a little chop and change re my build but I am learning more every day (there is alot of it to learn), I'm just taking it slowly as as much as building them I am fascinated with history and design as much as anything.I am in the process of drawing up my plans and they are changing day to day but I am going down the road of 1/2" ply for the internals and IF I use a separate motor board for the bass driver (I have not seen a plan yet that does not use one) I will try both 1/2" and 3/4" so that I can hear whats happening but I suspect after reading about this that I will not use a motor board at all- it will be interesting to hear what the differences are just to put what has been written here into perspective. At the moment I am intending to utilize 3/4" ply for the front, sides and tail board but off course with your expert help this is all subject to change but I hope I am on the right track with the planning process-it really helps to draw this plan up as its a design that you have to get your head around and I think that is important when it comes down to the practical build (i still expect to have a few failed cuts etc as Gary has warned)....well Morandi said of his painting "I expect to fail 9/10ths of the time but its the 1/10th that is important". I like that sentiment as it is shows intent and understandind of a creative process and one that I may be wise to adopt. Is D-Man Danna? He was kind enough to send me the plans for the Jamboree and his posts are full of insight shame he does not post so much noe - seems a wealth of knowledge! Ta Si

Thanks for the input Nat-is the pic by your name your speakers? Lavera horn ontop of jamborees? I considered this myself but I am no expert with cross overs, do you feel that the Jamboree is a beter sounding speaker to the speakerlabs? How would you describe the difference in sound?...and did you build them? Gary, many thanks for all your advice and pictures-really helpful, it does seem that a few designs have internals made from 1/2" and exteriors with 3/4" so am re drawing with that in mind but do worry about cabinet resonance (oh the motor board is made with 3/4" to). All the more reason to make sure they are joined glued and sealed accurately-it does seem closer to the original design though. Thanks all any other thoughts welcome. Si

Great!, Many thanks, Yes reading further today it does seem that the motorboard is somthing that I may not use but I think I will try it with and without to see which I prefer-also some interesting notes about the 3x13" cut out in the motorboard with regards to rounding out the 3" cuts to follow the line of the drive unit.I am also looking at a plan from the Volvetreter web page that is metric and seems closer to the North Reading Engineering build than the Speakerlab k. Thanks again-hugely appreciated! Si

Thanks very much for the replies so far, Gary you are off course correct to tread carefully and the links were very helpful in forming an approach to the build-I think my passion for the originals will drive me forward here and in some respects am attracted to the complicity of the build-I had considered Jubilee's and Jamborees but feel that the Khorn will be better suited to my space-I think there (for me) a fine line between HiFi and PA systems if that makes sense when it comes to big speakers and the Khorn would sit in my space beter and although big would not overpower the room with size. Aesthetically I prefer the Khorn-it just seems "right" as most succesful designs do. HDBbuilder's offerings are a credit to the site-i have trawled through 50+ threads and his consistent understanding and help are really helpful to me as well as a facinating insight into the workplace at Klipsch. Invidiosulus-thanks yes I need to move on with positivity as working with the 3 set of plans I have although all good there are things that I prefer fromone than the other so drawing up my own plans is a headache and will take me a while,but thats part of the fun I guess. I have been looking closely at the pics on the North Reading Engineering site and they seem to be using 3/4" ply throughout, and as you said cabinet resonance would be a worry for me with 1/2". I am more drawn towards using 3/4" throughought so would be interested if anyone feels that this is a good idea or not....I'm certainly drawn up my plans implimenting 3/4". I am preparing for a few practical fails in the workshop before they come together! Thanks all so far...really helpful, nice to be a part of such a passionate bunch!

Many thanks Gary, Yes there are pit falls by not having an original to work from but I have a few knowledgable people who are helping me with detailed e-mail and photos. The 3/4" and 1/2" ply is what is confusing me somewhat as there seems to be conflicting plans and statements-my 1983 Belles have 3/4" Birch on every exterior panal and I won't the exteriors of my Khorn copies to look that robust too-but the internals could be built with 1/2" is seems like there is not a difinitive answer to this even my Speakerlab K plans contradict themselves. I am drawing up my own plans based on these Speakerlab plans to familiarise myself and think I will specify that all interior contruction to be made with 1/2" and Outside cabinets with 3/4", lets see what people think of this idea. I will also be closing in the backs and building grille frames from 3/4". Your comments are very welcome. KR Si

Thanks Preston Tom and Coytee, Yes I have read in many threads that the Jubelee is an easier build but I like the Khorn's looks and I like a challenge too and I am confident that albiet with a few trial cuts and jigs that I can do it-I am meticulous and have really bad ocd when it comes to these matters. I agree about the various baffling options for matching drivers etc- this has prevented me from starting other builds but there seems to be some great options available for horns and drivers-I have the original K 33 Bass units a set of horns from my belles with thek55m plus tweeters but I think I willbe using Beyema drivers and Volti horns in the top hats. oh...T.H.E. Droid we also have the Laura Ashly problem LOL surrounded by patchwork quilts and Knitting I'm 35! Regards Simon

Many Thanks T.H.R. Droid for your thoughts-this really is a great place for supporting Paul's timeless designs-the key seems to be seemlessly putting these together so jigs and slowly slowly approach will be the order of the day. We have 3/4" Baltic Birch over here in 8x4 sheets so wil need 4 or 5 of those. I will bear in mind your recommendation of 3/4" for the entire build. I will build the top hats as close to the originals as i possibly can as the speakerlab top look too small for the bass bins visually for me but I have a feeling that will be the easy part. On closely comparing my spaekerlab k plans to some construction pictures by North Reading Engineering it seems that there are some, how do i put this "clumsy" areas for example the Speakerlab plans have 4 tabs at each corner of the bass chamber which are the start point when construction begins but the NRE plans have a rather more refined length of ply that runs the whole length of the chamber with 3 triangular cuts on each and 2 triangular cuts in the ajoining bass bin which seems a more robust design to my eyes-I can e-mail the pics if that is hard to picture. I am just after the best result possible with the bass bin section as all the drivers and crossovers would be wasted if partenered with a poor bass horn. Thanks again Simon......more advice please everyone!

Hi Folks, I am a newbie round here so hope that you can help me on this well trodden subject. Over the last few days I have been trawling this forum for info regarding a Khorn copy particularly threads regarding Speakerlab plans and builds. I want to try and build a pair as I have recently re furbed a pair of Belles and really enjoyed the project and want something a bit more challenging. ....oh and Khorns are not easy to come by in the UK. I specifically want to know about the Speakerlab K bass bin as this is going to be the key I feel to achieving my goal of building something akin to the Khorn. I have the plans for the Speakerlab K but am aware there was a speakerlab SK- Which of these plans would you say is the best to use?...and are there any other plans that would come recommended? I plan on using the Crites 15 inch woofers with a 3x13 inch motorboard cut out and have a workshop with a nice big tablesaw- has anyone got any hints or tips on the build as there are some difficult angles to cut for perfect joins-glue types, saw types ( I was looking at a festool plunge saw ), etc. There seems to be some using 1/2 inch, and some using 3/4 inch ply and some using a combination of the 2 i.e !/2 inch for the internal horn and 3/4 inch for the cabinet sides and tops...what is the opinion on the best contruction method here? The speakerlab plans seem to lend themselves to closing in the backs with the top and bottom being the same size...good idea? Just looking for any advice you may have really regarding your experiences and feelings about such a build in preparation for my own. And if there are any other recommended plans-I would be happy to pay you for them if useable. Thanks in advance Simon.

Cheers Danzo, Here is the first cabinet finished- http://www.flickr.com/photos/48329457@N06/ Si

Hi Everyone, Thought I'd post some pics of my restoration,regards Si http://www.flickr.com/photos/48329457@N06/

Thanks for the replies folks,they will be with me tomorrow so will post some pics-the cabinets apparently have some sun damage so could be a re veneering job or maybe I can sand and stain as I'm not looking for a perfect finish,we'll see. The cross overs are blown so will try Bob's A/4500, some CT125 tweeters and new diaphragms for the mids. Cheers Si