gilmour Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 (edited) Before Christmas I purchased a new amp head (a lovely eden time traveller) and my Cabs, a Trace 4x10 and Peavy 1x15, just haven't been doing it justice. I've been looking to replce my cab with a nice fullrange one for a while, unfortunatley as a freelancer work is a little thin at this time of year and subsequently so is cash. So as I A] have a lot of time on my hands and B] can't afford the boutique cabs I wanted (sorry Robbie I really like those Dr Bass too) I decided to build my own. I did a lot of looking around at different plans, and without doubt the consensus was that Bill FitzMaurice plans were the best. I settled on the Omni 15 Tall Boy as it is a full range cab, which I figure will cover most gigging situations. (the tall boy version is has a smaller foot print but is taller than the other version, this will take up less of the stage and bring the sound nearer to ear level, both luses in my book) Anyway I bought the plans on 8th Jan and spend the next week sourcing parts (thanks Neds Beds and David Perry for all the links and suppliers), and finally got some construction started over the weekend. I promised a few other builders who've given me tips a build diary...so hear goes. [b]Saturday[/b] Build started well with me sitting on my digital camera, so not all the photos came out, and some might make you headspin It's taken a while to source all the parts, I'm still waiting on carpet and crossover components, but figure that's a way off so i'll start anyway. [attachment=5142:components.jpg] also this box in the living room is annoying Sally (my better half) ...not to mention this pile of wood, we haven't sat at the dinning table for days [attachment=5143:wood.jpg] She's ordered me to sort it out... and you don't want to make her angry [attachment=5147:domi0407.jpg] I started by marking up all the wood as per Bill's plans, he provides really usefull cut sheets, in theory this should mean that i can create my own 'flat pack' to work from. I'm lucky because my mum's fella, Larry, is not only a gifted musician but a bit of a DIY pro, so I trip over to their house and spend the day trying not cut my finger off with his table saw. I've done the old measure twice, cut once. The only tricky part are those involving cutting angles, particlularly the front of the cab which requires an angled cut going in the opposite direction to Larrys table saw, by then we were both knackered, and getting a little drunk so decided to cut it off using a Pendulum Jigsaw, it works ok but will need a good go of the belt sander at a later date. [b]Sunday[/b] I now have a pile of wood that looks like this... [attachment=5144:cutwood1.jpg] and this [attachment=5145:cutwood2.jpg] I really took my time over aligning the parts to ensue that they all fit ok, this is fidly, and gets more tricky as you run out of clamping angles etc. but you get the idea here... [attachment=5146:clamp.jpg] At this point my camera decides it's quite upset with me covering it in glue and sitting on it and dies I took some pics on my partners phone, but haven;t got the off it yet, I'll post them later. but by the end of day two I've built the cab walls and feel like i'm getting somewhere:) I should spare a mention for the glue, it is really lethal stuff, latex gloves are a must, fortunatley I do a lot of street art so I have them in abundance, unfortunatley I didn't realise that I had ripped the fingers on them, the glue melted the dried spray paint, and then stuck it to my fingers, which are now a funny sort of gray colour that I can;t scrub off - they are in fact sore from trying. I shall buy more Latex gloves, and be more careful with them lol. I'll post Monday/Tuesdays diary tomorrow Edited January 23, 2008 by gilmour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkThrust Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 I'll be looking forward to the next installment. I've built an Omni10 and a pair of Omni10.5s so it's all horribly familiar :-) No, not really, I quite enjoyed it, and it's very satisfying to self build cabs that kick the botty of anything that's commercially available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 Thanks Paul, It is really enjoyable, I'm not nearly finished yet, but it's great seeing it come together. I really liked the look of the Omni 10's but decided to go with the 15TB for a more full range sound. I'm already thinking about building a pair of Omni 10.5's as a more portable rig - Not sure if Sally will put up with the mess again though! As I'm writing this post the Carpet has just turned up - i better get cracking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 (edited) Right couldn't get the pics of the Mobile phone camera to work, so I'll have to skip those, sorry however I have got my digital camera working, albeit without screen, so some shots are a little off. [b] Monday[/b] I now have the basic walls for the cab up, the next task is to install the woofer baffle, I'm pretty nervous about this because it's important that it goes in right, and I have to cut a circular spacer for the 15" woofer to actually sit on and stop it hitting the wood. everythign else so far has been straight lines with guideboards. The circle came out ok, not perfect, but close enough for Jazz... [attachment=5166:wooferbafflefback.jpg] The baflle also installed quite easily , although fiddly to clamp and secure inplace, my 'flat pack' idea seems to be holding up, I just hope it lasts longer than Ikea! [attachment=5167:wooferbafflefront.jpg] Next was the midrange horn, now this really was tricky, in the plans Bill gives you a panel jig to make building this part easier, but every time i used it i just kept making a mess. I can only assume that I've cut the jig out wrong. I decided to have a go at doing it without the jig and tacking the parts in place. and after several hours of playing with my wood I had the Horn... (sorry couldn't resist the nob pun) once the glue had set I scrapped off the exess and then went back and filled all the edges and holes from screwing the jig in with a wood filler that expands and contracts with the wood (in theory) then I sanded it to buggery, I'm pleased with the results. [attachment=5168:midhorn.jpg] By the end of Monday night it looks like this... [attachment=5169:monday_night.jpg] it's begining to look like the cab should The mess all along the top is where I tried to wipe the glue off beofre it set, I now understand why other builders recommend waiting for it to dry and then removing with a sharp chisel, much quicker and neater, I've had to add this to my growing 'sanding' list. [b]Tuesday[/b] Haven't had much time to work on it today as I have to do my bloody tax return (Grrrrrr) I just wanted to get the mid range Horn into the cab, and the Midrange Baffle installed. This involves cutting into the cab front at a specific angle by dropping the running circular saw onto the cab - this terrified me and I bottled it (I am quite fond of all my limbs) instead I reverted to the trusty pendulum jigsaw. This was pretty straightforward, although the cut wasn't perfect so i've gone overboard with Adhesive, which will also need sanded *sighs* it's really important that this bit is airtight. [attachment=5170:hornfornt.jpg] once it had dried I inserted the midrange baffle. [attachment=5171:midrangebaffle.jpg] I feel like I'm nearly there with the woodwork. [attachment=5172:tuesdaynight.jpg] but every time i look at that glue, it looks so messy, I might have to sand it off before I go any further, just for my sanity. John at www.audio-components.co.uk has been a legend helping me out with all the crossover parts, I called him up explained what i was building and he has sorted me out, in one case custom winding one of the coils, the crossover components are quite pricey (around £50) It also turns out that he's just down the road from me so I'm going to collect them on friday, that gives me the goal of finishing woodwork by Friday, shouldn't take to much longer now it's pretty much just the internal bracing, and i need to decide wether or not I want to recess to tweeter. [b] Wednesday[/b] I'd much rather be doing this than my tax return *sobs* [attachment=5173:tax.jpg] In fact the cab build is tidier than the bloody tax return, ho hum, I'll do the final woodwork Thrsday, and start carpeting friday, I hope Edited January 24, 2008 by gilmour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernmeister Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Keep up the good work, its good to see someone who isn't fully confident in woodwork making an effort. I can see that as you go along & see some progress being made your gaining more confidence along the way. I'm sure this will turn out great. Well done, i can't wait for your next installment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 The bulk of the excess adhesive can be easily removed with a sharp chisel, using a planing action. Much faster than sanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkThrust Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Great stuff. That looks like a really interesting cab to build. Oh dear. I feel a large sheet of plywood coming on and my Wife becoming a Fitzmaurice widow once again while I disappear into the garage for days on end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 [quote name='gilmour' post='125882' date='Jan 23 2008, 03:07 AM']I should spare a mention for the glue, it is really lethal stuff, latex gloves are a must, fortunatley I do a lot of street art so I have them in abundance, unfortunatley I didn't realise that I had ripped the fingers on them, the glue melted the dried spray paint, and then stuck it to my fingers, which are now a funny sort of gray colour that I can;t scrub off - they are in fact sore from trying. I shall buy more Latex gloves, and be more careful with them lol.[/quote] [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='126618' date='Jan 24 2008, 03:24 AM']The bulk of the excess adhesive can be easily removed with a sharp chisel, using a planing action. Much faster than sanding.[/quote] DIY alert!!!! - Bill means from the CABS!! (I'm always grateful when people explain DIY stuff to me, so I'm just passing on the help ) Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 [quote name='Hamster' post='126663' date='Jan 24 2008, 09:03 AM']DIY alert!!!! - Bill means from the CABS!! (I'm always grateful when people explain DIY stuff to me, so I'm just passing on the help ) Hamster[/quote] hehehe I'll try to chisel/scrpae most of it off, annoyingly it's where I've tried to wipe it off before it's dry that will need sanded. Had band practice last nights, turns out the best way from removing glue from fingers is playing bass, so that was a happy coinicidence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_l_perry Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Looking good so far Rob Bit late now, but I found the best way to get the PL off the ply was not to try and wipe it off (as that makes the ply look a real mess...), but allow it to expand and then just scrape it off with a chisel. Now you have it all over the ply, just sand the whole shebang down with a power sander and fairly rough grade pad/disc. I now own a Random orbit sander, belt sander and standard Pad sander, the orbit sander and belt sander can be deadly to your nice timber box with the wrong application...... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneythedog Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 excellent diary - I'm finding myself GLUED to your progress (another cheap pun ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 [b]Thursday[/b] Sorry no update today. I had a meeting in the morning and managed to lock myself out *doh* and couldn't get in until my girlfriend got home from work, which means no cab building On the bright side (as if anyone cares) the meeting went well and I picked up a bit of freelance work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 [quote name='barneythedog' post='127206' date='Jan 24 2008, 07:18 PM']excellent diary - I'm finding myself GLUED to your progress (another cheap pun )[/quote] I keep finding myself Glued to anything I touch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 (edited) [b]Friday[/b] After yesterdays debcale I'm a day behind, I was hoping to be carpetting today I've scrapped/sanded all the excess glue on the exterior away. I left it on the inside figuring it will help make it airtight. All of the internal bracing is in (I didn;t take pics it's not very exciting, and with the screen on my camera not working it's also very difficult), except for the bracing over the rear acces panel, I realised that if I put this in then I won;t be able to fit the driver through the gaps, so I'm gonna do as much as possible, then install the driver, then the last two braces. Not sure why it won't fit, I've used the recommeded driver, nevermind I'm not worried about this it will be fine. Last night I was looking at the new range of Schroeder cabs and thinking that I really like the look of them and that is the look I'll copy. So I've decided to add a reccessed grill. It would probably be better if I had thought of this in advance as I could make the sides top and bottom slightly larger. Instead I Have added wood around all four corners, the wood is slightly thicker than the ply, but i think this will give it a really nice chunky look. Here are some pics of how far I've got. [attachment=5188:recesswhole.jpg] and up close... [attachment=5189:recess.jpg] Of course the grill is an extra cost, and an extra part to source, but I've found a buyer for my old Trace amp and head so that will go some way to funding this build. I'm off to collect the crossover components now, hopefully i'll be back in time to start rounding off the edges for carpetting. Peace Rob Edited January 25, 2008 by gilmour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 (edited) [quote name='gilmour' post='127799' date='Jan 25 2008, 10:19 AM']All of the internal bracing is in (I didn;t take pics it's not very exciting, and with the screen on my camera not working it's also very difficult), except for the bracing over the rear acces panel, I realised that if I put this in then I won;t be able to fit the driver through the gaps.[/quote] Right. The driver should fit through the opening on an angle, but it's a tight fit. I'll alter the plans specifying the opening size . Edited January 25, 2008 by Bill Fitzmaurice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 (edited) Wow that was quick, thanks bill, unfirtunatley it's to late for me, but I;' confident it will be ok. The driver radius does just squeekze through on the angle, it's the magnet at the back that prevents it going through. It's good to know this thread is of use to you for the plans (at least that's what I'm telling myself, rather than it generating you work!) Edited January 25, 2008 by gilmour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) Sorry for dleayed updates, but I've been to busy with actually building the thing! [b]Friday PM[/b] Went to collect my crossover Components from john at audio-component.co.uk and what I nice man, he invited me into his listening room where he has a set of (hi fi) spekers designed specifically for that room, they are the best sounding speakers I've ever heard, everything I've listened to since sounds rubbish (I know BFM does plans for home speakers, hmmm I wonder if Sally can put up with the mess any longer?) John also explained a lot about crossovers, and how the inductors and capacitors work, I understand more completeley how this cab will work now. [attachment=5259:crossove...mponents.jpg] aren't they beatiuful? [b]Saturday[/b] I started off by re-doing the rear bracing, it didn;t work quite as I hoped, so I wound up cutting out the bracing that was there moving it up a few inches (probably more than I needed to) and after clamping cursing and screwing glued it in place. Next I sanded and profiled the edges, I don;t own a router and really can;t afford to buy one so I used a belt sander and rotary sander. I've used this method quite a lot with street art and found materials so wasn;t worried. Basically use the belt sander to do the heavy take down and rough angle, then the rotary sander to profile and smooth it nicely. It turned out really nicely but the pics aren't so good [attachment=5310:edge.jpg] That is pretty much the end of the woodwork (yay I'm nearly there) Next i primed the front of the cab, once dry i spray painted it matt black, with a plastic based spray paint, this should be reasonably tough wearing, but it will be behind a grill. [b]Sunday[/b] Loads of progress today. Carpeted the cab, other builders seem to find this quite tricky and time consuming but I really enjoyed it, didn't take long at all just over an hour. Again the glue and techinques are really similar to those that I use for street aart which is probably why. Next I added the corners, handles, recess for the speakon socket. I think I've done a pretty neat job. [attachment=5258:cornerready.jpg] Suddenly it looks like a bass cab. [attachment=5256:nearlythere.jpg] I quite like it like this, I'm not sure if I want to add a grill now? Then I put all the dampening on the interior. This was more fiddly and took an hour or two, but was quite enjoyable, the inside of the cab looks all snug now Then finished the day by installing the woofer. This was the only tricky bit as one of the tee nuts popped out, grrrr I don't know why it happened they all fitted beofre it was together. I'll have to try and find a way to sort it during the week. So this is pretty much where I'm at. [attachment=5257:interior.jpg] I just have to pop in the tweeter horn and the midrange speaker, unfortunatley I need to wait for my PXB lamp to arrive before I can solder it all together, so I guess the build halts here for a few days Rob Edited January 31, 2008 by gilmour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Nice work! I like the way you don't need a grill with the Omni cabs - it's amazing quite how heavy and expensive a full front grill is, left me wondering if I can go with speaker cloth instead. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) [quote name='alexclaber' post='129230' date='Jan 28 2008, 12:55 PM']Nice work! I like the way you don't need a grill with the Omni cabs - it's amazing quite how heavy and expensive a full front grill is, left me wondering if I can go with speaker cloth instead. Alex[/quote] Thanks, I am quite pleased. The plans don't give you a recess for a grill or cloth, without which the cab will be cheaper and lighter. I was gonna add a grill, but I quite like it with just the recess, I'm really not sure? I thought about grill cloth and giving it a really retro look, but the parts are a little harder to source and a little more expensive (I was thinking about that gold/brown fender look). But I don;t think it would be difficult to add cloth with some nice pipping. Edited January 28, 2008 by gilmour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I'm still waiting for my PXB Lamp (tweeter fuse) to arrive. Everything else is done, just need this part, an argument with the soldering Iron, and then screw on the back. THis part is the bit that John had to custom order for me, so can't really rush it along Ho-hum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernmeister Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Its looking good, you may find that when you start gigging that a grille may be required, just to offer the speakers just a little protection for when its being transported. But well done, nearly there now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) Thanks Bernmeister. Whilst I've been waiting for the fuse to arrive I've removed all the speakers and added a grill into the back of the horn's for protection, it looks quite smart and should offer all the protection I need. I'm still unsure whether or not to add a large black grill to the front or not, this woul be purely cosmetic now I have the smaller grills in place but it will give it a pro finish, however as AlexClabber pointed out it is exensive, and adds extra weight. hmmm decisions, decisions... I'll try and add some pics of the grills tonight Edited February 5, 2008 by gilmour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eude Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 You could just go with a grill cloth maybe? Perhaps a nice sliver one for a cool vintage vibe... Would afford at least a little protection, keep dust out and probably wouldn't add much weight-wise at all... Just my 2p Eude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 [quote name='eude' post='134246' date='Feb 5 2008, 12:31 PM']You could just go with a grill cloth maybe? Perhaps a nice sliver one for a cool vintage vibe... Would afford at least a little protection, keep dust out and probably wouldn't add much weight-wise at all... Just my 2p Eude[/quote] Exactly what I'd suggest... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 yeah I've been thinking more and more about grill cloth as a cheap alternative, unfortunatley the retro stuff is quite expensive and that is becoming an issue, I keep buying bits for this build (there were loads of hidden costs in screws, glue etc, and it really adds up) I'm wondering if the grill cloth might look a littl odd with the carpet? most of the cabs I can think of with grill cloth have buffalo skin or tolex coverings? Knowing me I'll wind up doing nothing lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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