baok Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Last year, I built a bed out of cherry and I’ve been saving the odd cutoffs since then. I decided to use some of them for this project: an iPod Dock. I like listening to music via my iPhone and figured it would be easy enough to make something like a speaker box with the appropriate electronics. I have a small audio amp that I use for this and robbed two speakers from an old TV that bit the dust. Here’s a photo of the front panel. I just brought the front panel of the amp out as-is. I thought of taking the controls out and using them with some sort of vintage-looking knobs but there comes a time when you have to stop envisioning and start building. I spent enough time designing the Art Deco-looking speaker grills that were actually easy to cut out. I envisioned some that were better looking (to me) but these were actually doable without a CNC router so they won out. I also toyed with the idea of adding a Bluetooth capability but the simple audio cable from the earbud jack works right now so that’s what I’m gonna run out through the top. This wood has a bit of checking here and there; I’m not sure whether to try and fill the cracks or just leave them alone. They aren’t all that noticeable. This wood was rejected for the bed because although the grain near where the branches were is very cool looking, there are the aforementioned checks and it is the very devil to plane. I’ve been using a scraper often. So this project is off and running. Shouldn’t be too long before I complete the box and begin on the finishing. I finished my bed with some Watco Danish Oil and a bit of shellac on some of the top-facing surfaces; I guess that since I want to put this thing in the same room with the bed, it would make sense to finish it the same way. But I seem to recall that most of the old radios I see from this period were finished with a shiny film finish like lacquer or shellac and the bed is more of a satiny feel-good finish. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 I like it ! The results should look like an old radio of sorts to my eye. Recycled electronics should keep the expenses way down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Pretty cool look on those grills! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Use the same finish as the bed and it will look and feel better. Don't forget to shoot pictures of the case as you build it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted April 15, 2014 Report Share Posted April 15, 2014 Looking great so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted April 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 Quick update. Case done and sanded. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 Awesome! It's really looking nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted April 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 And what a difference one coat of Watco Danish oil makes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 Beautiful finish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 Very nice! It really has a great retro appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markpelly Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 I like it. What do you do for the acoustics for the inside of the box? If you have not seen it before, I have heard many people use this calculator to get great results out of their homemade speakers: http://reaudio.com/box.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Looks great. I especially like that joinery you implemented with the the round over. Although, I can't figure out looking at my phone if that vertical line I see to the left of the speaker is a round over thumbnail or a rabbet where the side meets the front? Edit: Ahhh a computer screen....I can see it now! Thumbnail. I originally thought it was a crazy half lap joint with a mitered corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted April 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Markpelly: you touch on a significant issue that I have chosen to ignore. When I want to listen to music with my phone and I don’t want to use earbuds, I usually just use the phone speakers which (as you probably know) are teeny and don’t sound too good; therefore, anything at all will sound much better. So I was just going to attach two speakers directly to the front panel on the inside and give no thought to the acoustical properties. In fact, I wasn’t even going to enclose the back much less seal the cavity. We’ll see how it sounds. The speakers I have are two that I removed from an old TV so this cannot in any sense be considered high fidelity. My workbench that I use inside the house is actually a hollow-core interior door and I’ve used a simple surface transducer as a speaker with great results. The hollow core of the door resonates pretty well. With that in mind, I just decided not to worry too much about a lot of math as far as the speaker enclosure is concerned. Janello: you’re looking too closely. This is a project where I gave a lot of thought to the joinery but when I decided to put a large roundover on all corners to give it the Art Deco look, I decided that a butt joint would be good enough. Furthermore, I committed the sin of using biscuits for the joints. The case is pretty severe looking in that sense but with the edges rounded over it all works out pretty well. The butt joint line falls right where the roundover ends so it (to me) doesn’t look as ugly as a butt joint might otherwise look. If it weren’t for the large roundover, I would have used some actual joinery. My overarching goal was to get the project done in an expedient manner – hence the biscuits. I actually like biscuits when I just need to stick something together. Nicer looking than pocket screws. We all make choices whenever we’re not following a drawing and I’m always interested in the decisions other people make and why. I learn a lot in this way. I lean towards getting the project done while maintaining the look I want when looking at it from the most common sightline – in this case, straight on.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markpelly Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Markpelly: you touch on a significant issue that I have chosen to ignore. When I want to listen to music with my phone and I don’t want to use earbuds, I usually just use the phone speakers which (as you probably know) are teeny and don’t sound too good; therefore, anything at all will sound much better. So I was just going to attach two speakers directly to the front panel on the inside and give no thought to the acoustical properties. In fact, I wasn’t even going to enclose the back much less seal the cavity. We’ll see how it sounds. The speakers I have are two that I removed from an old TV so this cannot in any sense be considered high fidelity. My workbench that I use inside the house is actually a hollow-core interior door and I’ve used a simple surface transducer as a speaker with great results. The hollow core of the door resonates pretty well. With that in mind, I just decided not to worry too much about a lot of math as far as the speaker enclosure is concerned. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Honestly I just posted it in case it was something anyone was interested in. I have actually never built any speakers but I think it is pretty interested. Maybe in the future you might want to check it out *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Greg, Obviously it's obvious to others (since no one else has asked) how you made the slots in the front. I can only guess you made a template and used a collar in your plunge router?Now, back to the obvious to me: Great Job!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Very cool. Amazing how the watco changes things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markpelly Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Greg, Obviously it's obvious to others (since no one else has asked) how you made the slots in the front. I can only guess you made a template and used a collar in your plunge router? Now, back to the obvious to me: Great Job!! If he was without a router, I could assume you could drill a hole the width of the slot and then use a coping saw to cutout the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 I was going to use a router but ended up drilling a hole at each end of each slot and cutting the waste out with my jigsaw which makes an amazingly smooth cut. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted April 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 OK here's the final product. Electronics installed. Finished with Watco with some paste wax on top. Not Bluetooth capable though. Sounds good though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Beautiful work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 That is really sweet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Gorgeous! I'd love to see a photo of it atop a neutral background....really see that wood stand out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markpelly Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Such a cool project, nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baok Posted April 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 Here's a photo against a less distracting background. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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