First WW Project = YUCK (pic)

[Todd Bin]

It's made out of Baltic Birch ply.
Rob

Two words. Gel Stain.

Gel stain works the best on birch and maple and even cherry. All of these woods tend to blotch.

[Rob Watanabe]

.... - the other product that I would recommend is a good dye and stain finish such as the NGR method. Look into it - you will never go back - I am not a fan of water based stains or urethanes for that matter- they do a poor job in my opinion. alcohol dye and 2nd application, over tone of rubbing stain and you will be surprised on the final outcome.
Brian

Brian, would this be the same as using Aniline dye sold at Lee Valley?http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...190,42996&ap=1 I've seen projects where they used this dye on Maple, looked horrible, but once they applied Varathane, it looked outstanding. This dye is water-based, not alcohol as you mentioned so maybe not.

[Brian Weick]

It is alcohol Ngr dye - Call your local "paint" store and ask the about the NGR method of finishing. Most high end furniture makers like to use this as I was told and I can see why- really makes the grain pop when it's used.
Brian

[Bob Feeser]

What a great time to learn about veneering.
You are going to have a challenge no matter how you deal with this. Trying to sand deep enough to get an absolutely virgin surface, something that is preferable when you are staining, in order to get even-ness, (there are of course exceptions to that rule) runs too big of a possibility of a sand through.
You could take the liberty of sanding it down to a rough surface, and apply 1/4" stock to the outside. Glue it on. Overextend one set of surfaces, the use a laminate trim router bit to dress the edges.
Pertaining to the ability to build speaker question, you can build a great set of speakers. Conventional wisdom only requires MDF internals that you have already done, a breathing hole for the woofer to be free to flex with, and a good set of speakers to install. Insulation inside of the cabinet helps to reduce boxiness to the sound. I did some basic research and built speaker cabinets before, and they sound and look great. You are on the right path. Sometimes the speaker manufacturers get into measuring some aspects of speakerage, that is more verbiage than speaker technology. The upper crust speaker community are willing to shell out some serious money, but they want to hear why they are buying the best, and the stereo stores are willing to give them what they want. Wear your wading boots, and just listen to the sound.
Of course there are fine tuning and adjustments that can make a difference in sound, but don't let that scare you. What if someone told JBL or Altec not to build speakers because that was better left to the pro's. You're a pro literally because you are getting paid to build speaker cabinets.
The shortest distance between 2 points on this set is of course to paint them. You have sharp corners that won't take to sanding too much with ply. You can see already that there are chips being taken out. A primer coat, filler, then reprime, then resand lightly with finer grit, and top coat.
If you are looking to impress the boss, who wants custom made cabinets with a natural finish, capping them with solid wood is an alternative, but faces challenges on its own. Doable, but a little help from your friends here at SMC is a good idea. Ask first, then move forward.

[Rob Watanabe]

What a great time to learn about veneering.

NOT!

I sanded mosted of it off but a slight tinge is still visible but is pretty even throughout. I'm not going any further than that. This time around I got a bigger piece of scrap, and applied the same steps as I did on the speakers. Same conditioner, SP grit, coats, and sanded it all back down again to make it look the same way as the speakers do now (after the sanding). BTW, when I was staining my scrap it looked beautiful. John Revilla's point was definately a factor. If I only spent the same care and attention staining as I did building I wouldn't be in this mess. Anyhow, I have a scrap piece now that's in the same state as the speaker. I'm going to try water soluble analine dye. I finally found zinsser sealcoat in my parts of the world so I'll apply it after the dye. Then apply a finish coat and see how it looks. If it looks bad then I'll try gel stain on before the finish coat. I'll have lots of scrap pieces to test this. Something tells me that I should go back to the way I stained it in the first place. Now I know how to apply the stain properly instead of sloppy it on and not wiping it well enough.

My boss is the audiophile so I can't engage in speaker-talk. He had the same design built by a woodworker that builds furniture for a living which he ended up selling. The one I'm building he is keeping. That woodworker isn't interested in making anymore for him and he's had a hard time finding any other woodworker that is willing to build speakers. Not quite sure why that is but that's another thread.

PS. There are 2 x 2" holes for the baffle in the back of the cabinet which I'm assuming this is the breathing hole you are talking about. He says he puts in egg carton like material inside and brags about using solid silver wires. Whether that is good or bad I do not know (or care ) I just have to follow his design and make the outside look pretty.

[Bob Feeser]

Rob,
I guess I am sort of playing armchair quarterback, so I respect what you are doing in the hands on state. Just as a point of interest, the finest speakers out there are made from MDF with veneer top coats. I have a $3200 pair of Sonys, that are made that way in Cherry veneer, and a good buddy of mine bought over $4000 Vienna Beethovens, and they have a beautiful select veneer coverings, with rounded corners on the top. (Did I hear vacuum press?) A lot of speaker manufacturers leave solid woods out of the picture because they create resonating tones. They prefer something like MDF that will absorb sound, not reflect it. That is what I understand, it has been a long time since I have been dealing with speaker construction. These days whatever you want to know, either go to SMC, or Google it.
PS: I can not help you with the gel stains, since I have never used them. You could say that staining is an art form, or you could look at it the way I do. I carefully choose my wood to match the color I am looking for, then finish it with a clear finish. If I ever have a problem like a scratch, clear repairs turn out real fine. Even with clear finishes you have to be careful. I think it was Bob Flexners book at Amazon that was a really great one when it comes to finishing. Yeah, "Understanding Wood Finishing" It's a killer book on refinishing, the best. Check it out. This guy really knows, and has tips that come from years of practice. Every finish, every technique, every problem covered. I read it through, but have it in my "downstaris bathroom library" as a reference when I need it.

NOT!

I sanded mosted of it off but a slight tinge is still visible but is pretty even throughout. I'm not going any further than that. This time around I got a bigger piece of scrap, and applied the same steps as I did on the speakers. Same conditioner, SP grit, coats, and sanded it all back down again to make it look the same way as the speakers do now (after the sanding). BTW, when I was staining my scrap it looked beautiful. John Revilla's point was definately a factor. If I only spent the same care and attention staining as I did building I wouldn't be in this mess. Anyhow, I have a scrap piece now that's in the same state as the speaker. I'm going to try water soluble analine dye. I finally found zinsser sealcoat in my parts of the world so I'll apply it after the dye. Then apply a finish coat and see how it looks. If it looks bad then I'll try gel stain on before the finish coat. I'll have lots of scrap pieces to test this. Something tells me that I should go back to the way I stained it in the first place. Now I know how to apply the stain properly instead of sloppy it on and not wiping it well enough.

My boss is the audiophile so I can't engage in speaker-talk. He had the same design built by a woodworker that builds furniture for a living which he ended up selling. The one I'm building he is keeping. That woodworker isn't interested in making anymore for him and he's had a hard time finding any other woodworker that is willing to build speakers. Not quite sure why that is but that's another thread.

PS. There are 2 x 2" holes for the baffle in the back of the cabinet which I'm assuming this is the breathing hole you are talking about. He says he puts in egg carton like material inside and brags about using solid silver wires. Whether that is good or bad I do not know (or care ) I just have to follow his design and make the outside look pretty.

[Rob Watanabe]

I agree with you 100% regarding veneering. My "NOT" comment was towards my limited experience and right now I feel like I can't even "finish" a book! I didn't mean to come across any other way.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.