In order to bring me over to the dark side DMason lent me a set of 10 inch Calrad full range drivers and recommended I build some JE open baffles to run them in. Since the plan is so simple I figured it would be an easy project. All together the cost of the project was under 40 bucks.
DMason recommended ¾ spruce so I headed off to Home Depot with plans in hand. After a few dry runs I found ¾ spruce and they made the required cuts except the back wings. I was able to fit the pieces in the back of my Yaris with no problem at all.
Since the fronts are cut to size already the most work is cutting the holes in for the speakers to fit into. It would be really easy if you could just cut a hole and mount the speaker to the back but it’s recommended that you inset the speaker and bevel the edge. This is where it gets complicated.
Measure in and over to get the center. I put a nail in it so I could drill it through.
Now get some stiff non-corrugated cardboard. I used a package of wings.
Make a ruler about 14-15 inches long and drill a hole though an end point and through the plywood at the point you measured. Leave the drill bit in the hole and ruler. Make one hole on the ruler equal to the radius of the speaker you are using and another at the isdie radius. The Calrad was 14cm and 15.5cm.
Now use it to draw two circles by putting your pen in the holes and rotating around.
Flip over and do the exact same thing.
Use the INSIDE line to cut it out. Cut from the front to the back as spruce likes to splinter. To help this I also trace all the lines with an exacto knife.
If you are rich and own a router, which I do not, you could rout(sp?) out a back lip to inset the speaker. Since I do not I had to get creative. In my meager tool collection I had this little saw blade that fits in my dremel or drill.
I used this to cut down all the way around. This took a while and my drill kept on needing battery charges. Some how I got through this stage without any bloodshed.
I used a chisel and sandpaper to make a lip all the way around.
Once the inset is all the way around and smooth. Flip the baffle over to the front. Place a speaker in the inset and mark the bolt holes. Drill these through being very careful to not get too close to the edge. Also drill with a really small bit first then move to the bigger size. Mark on the front about ½ and inch on either side of the hole.
Use a jigsaw to bevel the edge of the plywood at 45 degrees up to the lines you drew. Then use sandpaper to smooth these out. I did not take many pictures of this process as I way over shot the line and messed it up good. I had to use a lot of glue and clamps to fix this. I got mad and went to bed after this.
Bolt the wings on the back and the top plate. Lay the speaker on the bench with the bolts in and lower the speaker on. I used really long bolts and washers. On the back I used a washer and then a rubber washer.
Since my floor was installed in the late 60’s it’s a bit warpy so I put some feet on my baffles. These are just rubber disks with a nail though them.
Installed and testing!
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