stevie

Once the glue has set, turn the cab over and fit the bottom. Same procedure.

Just top and bottom to fit now. This is when you are most likely to need your clamps. Here's an illustration. Although you're unlikely to have to do this, the clamps make it easy to get adjoining panels perfectly flush. You'll appreciate this when you come to paint the cab.

Second side panel fitted.

Now for the second side panel. Here's a view showing the CNC'd rebates that help everything slot together.

OK. We're half way there and your box is looking like this. Time for a coffee perhaps while the glue sets.

Any bending of the plywood can be sorted by using a clamp. Here's an example.

It should fit like this.

Once the glue in the side panel has set, fit the baffle by tapping it into place with your hammer.

Don't hesitate to use your clamps to pull the panels together if necessary. As in the photo. You may not need them now - it's pot luck really. But just be aware that using the clamps is the easiest way of making sure that the panels fit perfectly.

This is the kind of fit you are looking for.

Here's what it looks like fitted.

The back panel should be set now and we can add one of the side panels. Again, notice how it's fully rebated so that it easily locks into place.

If you're going to fit t-nuts, now is the time to do it. Also, be sure to cut and fit the port now. You can do it later, but it's a tight fit and a lot easier to tap in from the back of the baffle. When I did my resonance testing to decide on the bracing layout, it was clear that the baffle was by far the worst offender for spurious resonances. So you'll notice that the baffle is braced at the top, in the centre, and at both sides of the driver opening. This bracing structure is also firmly attached to the sides and back of the cab, which is how it should be done.

Finally, the front panel. Here is the brace that strengthens the section of baffle between the horn and the port. Very important. Glue the recess and tap it into place.

Me too!😀

Same with the bottom panel. We're using the piece of plywood from the top handle cutout to strengthen and stiffen the bottom panel. Waste not want not, as my old grandad used to say. Just glue it into place. You can put a weight on it if you like. The bottom panel is the least critical in terms of damping. So this works perfectly well.

The last thing you'll need to do is to fit the input panel at the top of the back panel. It is simply glued into a rebate provided. Unfortunately, my CNC specialist wasn't able to cut the hole out in time for the Bass Bash - so you'll just have to imagine it. All future cabs will have the back panel routed out to take an input panel with two Speakons. While you're waiting for the glue to dry, you can carry out some of the smaller jobs. This is the support piece for the top panel. It has two functions: it braces the top panel to reduce vibrations and it strengthens the connection with the handle.

The final vertical braces simply slot into place. Is this easy, or what?

Now fit the second brace.

Now fit the two vertical braces as shown. A quick tap with the hammer is all you need.

All the panels are a very snug fit. You therefore need to tap them into place with your hammer. It is advisable to use a piece of scrap wood between the poplar ply and your hammer. You should end up with a joint like this.

For (my) convenience, these photos show a dry run without any glue. You can see that the back panel is rebated to take all the braces. Insert the main figure-of-eight brace into the recess. Tap it into place with your hammer.

Here we go. To assemble a cab you'll need: Tube of PVA glue. I recommend the UHU PVA, which sets in an hour. If you want to build this cab really quickly, use their ultra-fast setting glue, which sets in ten minutes. It’s expensive though. Perhaps better to take your time and enjoy the creative process. You can easily build this cab in a day, but most of the time is spent waiting for the glue to dry. Hammer. Soft-faced is best, but any will do as long as you use a scrap piece of wood when hammering on the face of the plywood, although the poplar we’re using has a much tougher surface than most. ½” brush to brush the glue into the rebates. Also recommended: Set of long clamps. Three clamps as shown in the photos are about £15 delivered from Ebay. These will be used to pull panels together, if required, so that they mate flush. They are definitely worth it, but you could get away with using weights and gaffa tape, or weights and woodscrews. Drill. All the holes you need are predrilled, but if you’d like to fit t-nuts for the bass driver or the carrying handle, you’ll need to open up the holes a bit. The holes provided are fine if you want to use wood screws. I'd recommend t-nuts for the bass driver and four for the handle, but because of the light weight of the cab and the bass driver, normal woodscrews will be fine. Start with the back panel.

CNC cabinet assembly photos coming this afternoon. Watch this space.....

Here is a photo of the crossover in the cab at the SW Bass Bash. This is the one I was originally going to include with the kit. After the Bash, I spent half a day revisiting the crossover design and "revoicing" the cabinet to reduce the 2kHz to 6kHz region slightly. I and one or two of those present at the shootout heard a slight excess in that area. As luck would have it, I managed to simplify the crossover somewhat in the process. As soon as I have built another one up, I'll post another photo. It will basically be the same build quality but with fewer parts.