glueing up bevelled edges

[gimpy]

Thx, Sarge. That sounds like a pretty nifty idea, especially for a dry fit. If it's not snowing/too cold Saturday, may give it a try. (You are correct, the front baffle is not mitered, all the sides are already cut).

Frank

[cgallery]

Sarge hit on what I did when making speaker enclosures... Tape!

I have 4" wide packing tape. I'd lay the pieces finished side up, and run a length of tape along each joint. Burnish the tape thoroughly and you won't get any squeeze out (glue) on the money side of the joint.

Then, I ran multiple lengths of the tape perpendicular to the joints running the length of the four sides.

Flip everything, spread your glue, wrap it up, and tape the final corner.

You can also use some web clamps around the entire thing to pull it even tighter, but if your miters are good, this is unnecessary.

A couple of important points: (1) Your boards must be square for this to work well. (2) You can burnish the mitered joints before the glue dries. Just use a screwdriver shank along the joint to close any gaps. But this must be done before the glue dries, or else the glue will often fill any gaps.

[Wood_workur]

Tape is golden. Does great work on mitered boxes.

[bruce hylton]

Wooden dowels, brads, sheet rock screws, wedges for clamps. Let your imagination run wild.

[SARGE..g-47]

Thx, Sarge. That sounds like a pretty nifty idea, especially for a dry fit. If it's not snowing/too cold Saturday, may give it a try. (You are correct, the front baffle is not mitered, all the sides are already cut).

Frank

Since you are glueing the molding to the front baffle (whatever that is as I am not a speaker kind of guy ) could you not miter the baffle (?) also to form the 4th side and then face-glue the molding to it?

Just a thought as I have no clue what the baffle does.. looks like.. etc.. But if feasible you would have the 4 mitered sides for what I call a "wrap up" or "fold-up" glue using tape. There's probably a reason you are butt jointing in the front but this ole man is just having a hard time figuring why knowing little about speaker design.

BTW.. what CG said about having the sides the same width should be said again. If you are off with the lenghts or.... your miters are not true 45 degrees, you are not going to get a professional glue-up accomplished. These are too wide but I do a small box (or whatever) on my TS in lieu of my SCMS. Using an Incra V27 (the cheapeast without a fence) I add a sacrificial fence that extends beyond the blade and make absolutely sure the blade is tilted 45*.

You cut one side and then add a stop block from the mitered cut off to the fence once one end is cut. Then turn it around to the other end using the mitered stop block to give you exact lenghts on all sides. The mitered end of the actual used stock is slid flush into the miter on the stop block which in essence is similar to using a "story stick". It gaurantees the exact lenght for any two sides.

Just rambling here... I'll go to the shop as small boxes await me there. Hope I have enough tape to "get er done" without a 4 mile trip to the BORG. ha.. ha...
Good luck...

[cabinetman]

A very simple method for the joint would be a splined miter. It can be done with a spline or biscuits. It will allow a dry fit or glue up without sliding. It could be a through spline or stopped short from the ends (blind).
.


.

[gimpy]

Thx, for all of the suggestions. It is supposed to snow later today and is really windy and cold now, but I plan on going out to the garage in an hour or two and trying some of these suggestions. Sorry, Sarge for being unclear. By baffle, I am just talking about the front of the speaker (it will have the speaker drivers in it--I just call it a baffle).

The reason the front will be butt jointed is because I really messed up (screwed up) when I bought the pre-veneered mdf (no veneer on the ends/edges of the mdf) and I want the front edges to be rounded-over (to match my existing speakers and it is also figured into the crossover design of the speaker--having rounded edges). Anyway the mdf was $75.00 and I decided to go ahead and use it--but it has really turned into a very difficult and confusing project for me (not an experienced or good woodworker). Actually, before I can butt joint the front, I will have to glue on the molding as the front baffle is only 6 inches tall, but the speaker is 7 1/2 inches tall, so like I said it is getting confusing and very difficult for me (all the sides/top/bottom will actually be butt jointed to the molding).

I don't know how far off I will be on the square of the box, but I did cut it using the bt3100, so should be pretty close. I tried doing some of the checks using carpenters squares, etc, but don't have any really accurate stuff, just the basic off the shelf stuff from HD. If, after the tape up, it is too far off, maybe I can make corrections and skim a little off here or there.

Still haven't decided yet on the actual glue-up, clamping process, might even try the splined meter method. But that is still a day or two or three away, probably.

Hey, thanks again for the good suggestions and giving an ear that I can talk to. It helps just talking about the project.

ps, Sarge, you kind of lost me in your explanation at the end of your last post (the story stick process?). Like I said earlier, I am just a little dense sometimes when something is explained--I don't imagine things well in my head:>).

Frank