My K-Horn Project

[bigdnfay]

Hi All,

Been about 3 weeks into the project now(mostly nights and weekends). Many ups and downs. Had alot of fun doing this But the journey is not over yet. Here are some pics to give you an idea what i've been up to. They are varied stages of completion. Please excuse the quality(I'm no photographer).

Bigdnfay

[bigdnfay]

More Pics

[Tom Mobley]

Dude,

I see you're not easily intimidated. You are kicking some serious wooden butt there. They look great. Look better than great. I hope I have the guts to do that some day. My wood-working buddies don't owe me that many favors, I'll be doing most of it myself.

Tom

[ShapeShifter]

Wow! Very nice work!!

I truly admire your woodworking skills.

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KLIPSCH IS MUSICf>

My Systems f>s>c>

[HornEd]

A little running commentary with your more-than-adequate photo skills would be appreciated. You obviously seem to have what it takes to be a "Horn Loaded Tooter Tutor!" -HornED

[j-malotky]

Big D

GOOD JOB... Quite the project!!!!

Keep up the GREAT work....

JM

[bigdnfay]

mdeneen,

Thanks for the positive comments. I had three sets of plans to work from. All three had different measurements for the same parts. I already own a set of '74 model C K-horns, so i took measurements from them. I wanted to stay as true to the original as possible.

Just let me say,( for those who are planning to tackle this project) a table saw,a radial arm saw and a router are a must have. They make the job go so much easier.

Tom,

I was definitly intimidated, but with the proper planning and tools it's not so bad. Had alot of sleepless nights thinking about how to best go about the project. I assembled each sub-assembly with screws to start with(no glue). once each sub-assembly was complete, I disassembled and reassembled them using wood glue and screws. All joints went together well. Used caulking to assure that the woofer chamber would be air tight.

Shape & horned,

thanks for the positive comments. It would take a novel sized thread to explain how i put each part together. I think it might be easier just to answer questions as they come up. I'm not much of a novelist, nothing like HDBR.

Once again, thanks guys

[HDBRbuilder]

Good Work! I kinda wonder which set of plans of the three came closest to the real thing. And, which sets were you working from? PWK had numerous licensees building direct copies of k-horns in the 50's...but some varied the plans somewhat to suit their particular manufacturing techniques.

At this point in time I am looking into getting a set of plans for k-horns myself, but don't want to invest in a set that is not accurate to the original. The bass horn cabinet is all I am worried about, since the top end is not that big of a deal.

I am also looking into another project at the moment...a re-orientation of the flow of the bass horn in its enclosure...flowing from the driver around the sides instead over the top and bottom...outta be interesting to say the least!!

It appears you used birch plywood for the front panel...did you use 7-ply or 9-ply? How do you intend to finish them?

Let me know which plans came out truest for you!

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If you want to send a private message, or have already done so, be aware I have not as yet been able to retrieve them. Send e-maill instead, please...just note Klipsch forum in the heading so it doesn't get deleted.

[bigdnfay]

HDBR,

I didn't actually use any measurements from the plans I had. I pulled all the measurements from a set of '74 model C k-horns I have. They are identical except I used 7-ply A/B birch plywood. All the research I did said the enclosure had to be rigid. Since most of the pieces are not that large, I thought 7-ply would work well. the truth will be in the listening(can hardly wait)...we'll see.

As far as the finish, I had planned to paint them satin black. so the grain wasn't really that important. Want to band the edges. I'm sure you know plywood edges don't take paint very well. My dad has a spray booth. That's where I'll be doing the finishing. Gonna be about 2 weeks though, he's got a big cabinet project going on himself. No room for me....Yet

They will be loaded with stock parts(e/v t -35b,k-55-v's w/ k-400 horns and k-33-e) except for the network.I'll use a set of ALK's design I built about 6 months ago(been using them in my '74's). Al..YOU DA MAN!

I downloaded a set of measurement from the internet(can't remember the site). they weren't very complete but the numbers were very close if not right on.

Thanks,

Bigdnfay

[Klipschorn Cretin]

Wow, looks like you've done what I considered the impossible! I tried my hand at it, failed miserably. So I just bought my k-horns on ebay. Now that I have a pair (klipshorns that is), I might take another whack at it. It was hard to picture the final outcome with the poor plans I had. Of course, I sold the parts I had (your welcome Tom Mobley). But I think I'll build the cabs before buying the speakers this time, that way I won't have speakers waiting for me to build them a home.

[Q-Man]

As a fellow bass horn builder, I can appreciate what you did. Since your a rather new member to this forum, I wasn't sure if you were just full of hot air or not when you first started talking about this project.

I'm glad to see that your full of pressurized air.

Q.

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Q-Man

[bigdnfay]

K Gretin,

having a pair of k-horns on hand was definitly a plus. It allowed me to see exactly how everything went together. Give it another try..second times the charm.

Q-Man,

Thanks for the positive affirmation.Coming from you and your handy work....I am honored. Your projects are legend.

Thanks guys,

Bigdnfay

[hetmann]

Yes indeed they are lovely and fit appears to be top notch. I am pursuing my own khorn project and not having any real ones at my disposal I decided to build a pair of half size prototypes using scrap material and quarter inch birch ply. Although I have 2 sets of plans, I followed the Speakerlab plans, due to their higher level of detail.

At first, the pieces went together quite well. Unlike bigdnfay, I did not have the foresight to dry fit everything first, so I was screwing and gluing as I went along. Anyway, as these things go, you find out later what you could have done different before. Any errors in fit or alignment get amplified as construction proceeds. I did get them finished, but lets say they have a little more glue and chalk in some joints than I would have liked.

My mini khorns are 2-way. 8" woofer and little horn tweeter that I bought from a radioshack.com nearby that was closing. Cheap-o drivers with a 2-way cheap-o crossover. The sound? Not klipsch, but they do play loud and are a lot better than my previous shop speakers. These are not throwaway by any means.

I will post my progress with my full size project as I can.

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Klipschorns and Moondogs