ryanm84 Posted September 16, 2013 Author Share Posted September 16, 2013 No because the surface of the board is covered in contact cement. The folding of the material over the back is cosmetic. If that makes sense. You are relying on the entire grille board surface area covered in cement to do all the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Can't wait to see them finished. They are gonna be beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Morbius Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Yea, a real super job Ryan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 I have ordered all my veneer off an eBay seller and this 4x10 roll didn't disappoint. It has a lot of figure and character. Splitting it right down the middle should have led to a matched pair of speakers. More on this later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 I carefully measured the cabinets to pre-cut the veneer. After splitting down the length, the side, top and side were cut so that the grain matched as the eye rolls over the visible surfaces. I numbered each sheet to keep them in the correct order and kept each stack separated. Again, this should have led to a matched set! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 The home stretch. Last surface to veneer. I started on the bottoms to try to perfect the process. The grain doesn't match on the bottom but for obvious reasons, I'm not that worried. I used contact cement for this project. The veneer was paper backed. I used two coats of contact cement letting them dry for approximately 30 minutes between first and second coat. I then placed wax paper on each surface and slowly worked my way down each surface. Middle first working out to the edges to ensure that any bubbles were taken out. Use a veneer scraper. A J roller isn't going to work. The scraper burnishes the veneer slightly but it does the trick to get bubbles out and ensure you get great contact between speaker and veneer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 I have a lot of tools for various woodworking projects that I do. I found that I needed a pretty small number of them for this project. A brand new knife and replacement blades did all the initial cutting of the veneer. A router with a flush bit to do all the final trimming once the cement had cured. 2 quarts of contact cement, a pack of fabric rollers and a few cheap disposable paint pans. I use foam sanding blocks on the edges and surface (fine grit) to knock down any edges that the router lifted as it cut and to gently sand the surface. The veneer isn't that thick and it is pretty smooth right from the supplier. No one wants rough surfaces after going through all the steps to take these beat up 30 year old cabinets and turn them into something really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 After I moved, most of my stuff is in storage or almost certainly not at arms length. So in this case, I'm using the cabinets own weight, a piece of 3/4 inch ply, and 2 cases of water to press the last 2 surfaces together overnight for curing. Yankee ingenuity is what I call it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 I purchased a 25 foot roll of walnut edge banding that is applied with an iron. For insurance, I've put down a light coat of contact cement on the front edge to hedge my bets. First thing tomorrow morning I will begin applying the edge on the front of the speakers. The bases will be put back on and everything lightly sanded prior to finishing. I've got my oil choices made (Watco oak and medium walnut). I'm not sure that I want or will put any other finish on beyond the oil. More pics of the nearly finished product will be posted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 great updates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 I worked out my finish on some practice pieces prior to attempting anything on the cabinets. One coat of golden oak followed by medium walnut to add some darker color. I'm soaking the surface with the golden oak Watco oil. It was allowed to sit for about 10-15 minutes before the excess was wiped off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 The cabinets were rotated to do two surfaces at one time. The walnut edge banding was super easy to apply with an iron and a small sheet of tin foil. I worked about 6 or so inches at a time to ensure that the inner edge of band was flush with the inner edge. I blacked out the inner edge all the way around where the grilles sit. I didn't want to mess around trying to veneer that little strip. Again, surface flooded with golden oak to get the same finish everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 This is why I LOVE WOOD and the interesting grain patterns that you can get. I didn't order anything special, just a 4x10' roll of paper backed veneer. The character that you get with this is SO much cooler than MDF or black speakers. No offense to anyone who likes black speakers. I was going for something that would match my furniture and something that my wife would like to have as an accompaniment to our furniture. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 I was starting to get excited with how quickly the project was coming together. I wanted to see my new grilles inside the cabinets while letting successive coats of medium walnut oil soak in. I almost didn't wait to put the drivers back in before attaching for good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 It's hard to appreciate here, but the final color between the two speakers is really nice. I added a third coat of medium walnut at the request of my wife who wanted to see a slightly darker final color than what I had originally planned. I think walnut with a medium brown color is some of the best looking wood around. Wanted to go a shade darker so that the "new" speakers would be in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 Not too much different from the previous pic, just a nice shot of what the top of this speaker will look like as the music plays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 Drivers back in. Thanks to Bob Crites for the new Type B crossovers and squawker driver gaskets. I don't want to ruin the suspense, but they sound great again too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 Backs re-installed. I put 2 coats of poly on them. I bought the speakers without the original Klipsch labels. I briefly considered painting them black or even veneering them in the same walnut as the rest. Instead, I didn't want to cover over the Klipsch stamping in the back edges and left everything alone. One step closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 Glamour shots. The finished product. They are currently sitting in my garage for the next few days to let the oil set and the odor calm down a bit. I have my 20 year old Sony AV and my ipad in the garage and played a little rock n roll to give the new speakers a little work out. They sound nice. I can't wait to get them inside and hooked up to my current set up (Denon AVR and Pioneer turntable). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 beautiful... want to do mine how much wood working skill does it take to do a complete veneer? I am very mechanical and meticulous, but I have NO wood skills... yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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