Micro cab

[Pea Turgh]

Hello peeps!

 

I’ve finally started my house jam cab, designs courtesy of @Phil Starr!!

 

 

I had a big old offcut of 18mm ply that has served as a trestle table, desk, and shed work bench.  It’s very rough, with some delamination but overall solid (and I really hate waste).

 

I don’t have a huge variety of tools, so mostly I’ve been waiting to borrow a circular saw from my neighbour!  It’s a 1750w beast!!!

 

I used an old IKEA wardrobe door as my straight edge 🤦🏻.  I now have all the panels cut ready for assembly!

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Pea Turgh]

This little cab was going to be for me, but my lad has started playing recently, and he needs something small for his room.  Perfect!

 

Popped out the shed during my lunch break to cut the front baffle hole and stick some bits together.  I’m glueing and screwing through lack of clamps, so will pop the screws out to round over the edges, then either reinsert or fill with skinny dowel.

 

I messed up measurements on the side panels - they are a bit too short.  I failed to take account of the 3mm blade width when setting my straight edge.  Ah well.

 

Got the lad in to help (never mind the GCSE revision 🤪).

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Phil Starr]

This is a coincidence, spent last night playing a pub in Hereford with the original little cab. I take it on holiday with a Warwick Gnome for impromptu performances and practice. It does fill quite a decent sized pub so long as you aren't trying to match a drumkit.

 

Good to see this about to happen, hope you enjoy it and your son get's the grades he wants

 

[Pea Turgh]

All stuck together now.  Though my cutting isn’t perfect - small gaps and overhangs.  Nothing copious amounts of filler and sanding can’t sort.  I had an old tube of No More Nails to use as filler and extra grip between the gaps.  It’s actually helped quite a lot.

 

I’ll leave it dry fully, then take a sander to it to make all the panels and edges as flat to each other as possible.  Then find a router somewhere (popping the screws out to do the roundovers).  Maybe try the new Library Of Things that’s recently been set up in town.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Pea Turgh]

Roundover done!  This ply is a nice colour - contemplating several hours with the sander for a natural finish.

 

Any guesses on the wood type?  Very red.  Looks like mahogany, but mahogany ply doesn’t exist, does it?

 

 

 

 

[Phil Starr]

It's probably just a generic 'hardwood' ply. Judging by the pics it looks like one of the outer faces is a decent hardwood and is darker and redder than the others. Ply is graded with the outer faces of various qualities so A/B would have one good face and one OK but with the odd filled bit/knot etc. Hopefully you will have all the good faces on the outside. It won't be mahogany but an african/Brazilian or other tropical hardwood which looks mahogany ish. 

 

If you don't mind the effort sand it and see what it looks like. wipe the sanded surface with a damp cloth and it will give you a reasonable glimpse of how it will look when oiled/varnished. If you don't like it then the sanding will give you a better finish for painting with Tuff Cote or whatever else you decide to use.

 

For a cab that size I might have an off-cut of vinyl. I'll look when I get back home next week.

[Pea Turgh]

After cleaning it up for filler, I realise there is too much tear out to make a good job of a natural finish.  I shall go with paint.  Fancy a dark greyish blue.  Looks like Tuff Cab is all out of stock in the colours I want, so will see what I can get elsewhere.

 

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Phil Starr]

Hmm, Tuff Cab is water based, and smells like an acrylic emulsion. I wonder if it would take the pigments they use to colourise emulsion paints. Out local shop will have a go at colourising pretty much anything. I wonder if you got a lighter blue or grey you could get near the colour you want by getting someone to add in more pigment. Obviously that risks wasting a can of paint. The base paint they use for dark emulsions are the same colours as the grey undercoats you use for for dark paint. Damn you @Pea Turgh you have me thinking

[Pea Turgh]

Filler filler filler filler…..

 

I’m amazed at how this is turning out (ie I haven’t effed it up yet).

 

Once the filler is sanded back, I shall be a painting.

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Pea Turgh]

Looking at the image above, I clearly used the wrong edge to run the router bearing guide thing along - it dipped in the screw holes.  Guess I’ll be using more filler then!

[Pea Turgh]

Sanding and filling and sanding done.  On with the paint.  Accidentally bought satin black, and made a mess of the spray job, so it’ll be out with the sander again tomorrow 🤦🏻
However, I have mixed a nice shade of blue (in emulsion, then will seal it in with Matt varnish).  Will paint over the black bit with it too.  Maybe.

 

 

[Pea Turgh]

I now have the front grill and back plate.  Chrome corners and leather handle still in the post.  Just put the last coat of blue on, I shall coat it in matt varnish tomorrow hopefully.

 

 

[MoonBassAlpha]

Matches your Workmate nicely!

[Pea Turgh]

Had to paint over a couple of bits, so progress has slowed, but just put the final coat of varnish on the last two panels, and murdered a pillow for wadding the inside.  Tried to staple it in but that didn’t work, so went with drawing pins.  That plus friction fit seems to have worked out nicely!

 

Feet fitted, too.

 

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Pea Turgh]

Chrome corners turned up early!  Looking sah-weeeetttt…

 

 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Pea Turgh]

My super scientific way of determining centre of gravity for handle placement - balance it on a bit of wood!

 

It’s a beast - 5kg.  Hopefully that will translate to audio heft too.

 

waiting for two things now; spade clips to wire it internally, and a jack-to-jack speaker lead to connect the blighter up.

[Pea Turgh]

Oh and I need a bit of pipe for the port.

 

However, visually, I’m done!

 

 

[Pea Turgh]

The handle is more of a tan leather in real life - looks orange in the pics.

[Pea Turgh]

Finally fitted the port.

 

The cab has been in daily use with my son since I posted the last pics, so I don’t know whether it’s just because I forgot how it sounds, the speaker is “burned in”, or confirmation bias, but this tiny thing sounds absolutely ridiculous!  I’ll get the lad to give it a hiding when he gets in to see if he notices such a vast improvement.

 

 

Thanks again @Phil Starrfor the plans and encouragement 👍

 

Will be back on to the Peterson mods next!!!

Edited June 22, 2022 by Pea Turgh

[Phil Starr]

Congratulations on the birth of your baby cab. It looks gorgeous. I hope the noise keeps you up all night

[JohnDaBass]

Great looking cab, well done @Pea Turgh.

Did you use the same Fane speaker that @Phil Starr used?

[Pea Turgh]

1 hour ago, JohnDaBass said:

Great looking cab, well done @Pea Turgh.

Did you use the same Fane speaker that @Phil Starr used?

Yep - Fane Sovereign 6-100.  Sounds great!

[MoonBassAlpha]

Nifty! Good work that man!

[Pea Turgh]

Haven’t seen much of this cab since I finished it.  My lad has gone full tilt in to bass playing and has cobbled together this rig for Royal-Blood- type sounds.  Pretty effective!

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Luvvit!