Dayton DVC31088 12" Build Thread

[Argroft]

After a ton of help from a few people on this forum, espeinfo to cially from @rojo, I've decided to start a build thread for my first subwoofer build. This will be my third DIY enclosure, but my first sub. The last two builds were for a center channel and front main speakers for a 5.1 system I'm working on. I was so impressed by the quality vs cost that I decided to keep going and build the sub too.

As I mentioned already, @rojo was a major help in choosing a sub for this project. The goals I was trying to achieve were fairly simple: I needed a fairly small (but not compact) enclosure the had decent tuning for use with both home theater and music and would be suited for a decent sized room. Cost had to be relatively low as well (less than $200). The end result was a 3ft³ with a 4" by 26 11/16" port tuned to 19.5Hz. You can check the progress of how we got there and other more in-depth specs here. Another suggestion that came up was to put this into a down-firing enclosure that is disguised as an end table.

Anyway, on to the more exciting part: the build! I haven't started cutting yet, but that's planned to start later today. While you wait for more progress, here are some photos of the proposed build:

There's 4" gap on the bottom for airflow.

This is another idea with a different top. The materials used are mahogany, black vinyl, and 1/8th inch stainless steel rods. The reason for this combo is to match the rest of my speakers.

One of my mains on a stand I'm working on to show what I'm trying to match to.

Here's a list of all the pieces I'll need for each end table. I intend to build 2 tables, one with a sub and one without that still has an enclosure in it just in case I should decide I want/ need 2 subwoofers.

If you have any comments, suggestions or concerns, please leave a reply! I will gladly take any and all feedback and information you guys are willing to provide!

 

[ARES24]

I intend to build 2 tables, one with a sub and one without that still has an enclosure in it just in case I should decide I want/ need 2 subwoofers.

If you have any comments, suggestions or concerns, please leave a reply! I will gladly take any and all feedback and information you guys are willing to provide!

You will want/need 2. I say this because I just put in my order for my second driver...

 

[Argroft]

You will want/need 2. I say this because I just put in my order for my second driver...

Yeah, I figured I'd likely need a second one at some point, but I can't drop another $130 for a second driver right now. So to compromise, I'll build a second table with a cutout for the driver and the wiring and port already installed, do when funds are available I can just plug-n-play. To be honest, I haven't even ordered the first driver yet... so we'll see how that goes.

 

[Argroft]

I finally found some time to get in the woodshop. So far I have most of the pieces cut for the first table and I have a ton of mahogany to get things started. I also have the corners assembled for the first table. The outer layer is getting wrapped in black vinyl while the inner layer is there to attach to the inner box and cut down on the amount of mahogany I need to use.

Hopefully I can get the baffle and braces finished tonight as well. I'll keep you guys updated as I get things done!

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[Argroft]

More progress made this afternoon! I started work on the bottom baffle and the main brace. All the enclosure sides are now cut to size as well.

All the enclosure sides cut to size.

The baffle and main brace. The hole in the baffle was cut with a jigsaw, I still need to take the router to it to cut a lip for the driver to mount to. The port is cut slightly long so I can adjust it if needed after it all glued together. I cut an octagonal brace for the port to mount to the baffle since it isn't going through the baffle (the baffle is getting a 3/4" flare). Nothing is fastened yet, I'm only test fitting. I still need to cut some openings in the brace yet, but I'm still figuring that out.

I also got the mahogany side panels sorted out. For both tables I needed 16 6.25" by 24.25" panels. I had 7 pieces wide enough so I had to sort and match up pieces to make the other 9 I needed. I got those glued up and clamped. Now I just need to decide if I'm going with a solid mahogany top or a the mixed style top (the one with the black border). Either way, I'll get back at it on either Monday or Tuesday, so I'll keep y'all posted!

 

[TheWarrior]

Do you have an electric planer for those panels, or doing it properly, by hand? ;-)

 

[Argroft]

They are an inch thick currently and need to be 5/8" thick, do they will be taking a ride through a 15" spiral cutting head on my planer. After that they'll be going through a 15" open ended belt sander/ planer. I'm all for doing things by hand but some things would just take way too long!

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[ARES24]

Do you have an electric planer for those panels, or doing it properly, by hand? ;-)

Are you amish?

 

[TheWarrior]

Are you amish?

No, my collection of Festool verifies this. But I still love hand planing!

 

[Argroft]

Are you amish?

The Amish actually make some really good stuff. Living next to Lancaster, I see a lot of Amish made furniture around and it's all very high quality. It may cost a bit more but it's definitely gonna last!

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[Argroft]

Alright, I was able to get back in the shop this weekend, and I made some more progress on things.

I got the main internal brace finished as well as the baffle. I don't think I'll be adding any more bracing other than a support to keep the port from moving. I'll likely mount it between the top of the enclosure and the brace with a hole in it so the port can't turn. Cutting the driver cutout was a pain since my circle cutting jig only cuts up to 7.5". I ultimately ended up tracing out a circle, cutting it out with a jigsaw, then using a rabbiting bit on a router so I could flush mount the driver. The hole isn't perfect, but I didn't see the point in trying to get it exact since it won't be seen by anyone but me. It's close enough to get a good seal, but it has a few imperfections. Anyway, I put a 1/2" roundover at the end of the port to flare it.

I got the mahogany side panels cut to size as well. They were fairly simple, I made a pattern with the curve I needed and used a pattern bit to cut all 16 panels the same. The still need sanded good then stained and polyurethane. I also test fit one of the side together to make sure everything still looked good.

My next step is to hopefully get the enclosure glued together and the get the top cut and the mahogany panel glued together. I'm waiting on the stainless steel roundbar I ordered. I was told it would be 2-3 days. It's been over two weeks, so I may need to find a new supplier. Whatever I do next, I'll try to keep you guys updated as soon as I can.

 

[Argroft]

So no progress last night, I was busy working on another project. My order from parts express came in yesterday so I was finally able to finish the speaker stands I was working on for my mains.

I filled the column with sand after I ran the wire down the inside and attaching it to the binding posts. I put a set of spikes on it under the wooden feet so it is more stable on carpet.

Anyway, I plan to get back in the shop tonight to get the main project here on its way to getting finished.

 

[Argroft]

Another productive night in the shop. I got the enclosure put together, at least the "inner" enclosure. I mounted the top, bottom, 2 sides, the braces and port together first. I used a nail gun to hold the pieces together before I got the clamps on everything. The port was epoxied in place then sealed with silicone to ensure it was airtight. Once it's good and dry, I'll flush trim any edges. I'm not real concerned how the inner box turns out from an aesthetic view as you'll never see it. As long as it's square (which it is) that's all I care about.

On a side note, I finally got a computer with internet wired up in the shop, so now I can post everything as soon as I finish it. Either that or I'll get trapped on this forum and not do anything productive.

Oh well, I'll be back at it tonight and tomorrow. I'll keep y'all posted!

 

[annunaki]

Wow, Excellent work and progress! You appear to be a fine craftsman.

 

[TheWarrior]

On a side note, I finally got a computer with internet wired up in the shop, so now I can post everything as soon as I finish it. Either that or I'll get trapped on this forum and not do anything productive.

Aw crap, you're doing Real Time DIY Updates!? Way to raise the bar too high, bro! Lol!

 

[Argroft]

Ok, maybe I won't do quite real time updates, but I'll at least try to post things periodically while I'm working.

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[TheWarrior]

It looks like you do great work, keep it up!

 

[Argroft]

Slow day of working today as I got to watch contact cement dry for a while. I got the corner posts wrapped in vinyl (hence the contact cement) and started attaching them to the box. For now I only glued them to the box but I may go back and add some screws from the inside so I know they won't come off. I'll make sure to seal every screw with silicone if I go that route.

I put the first corner on by itself and found after clamping it, even with a block of wood to disperse the pressure, I had ended up with a flat spot in the vinyl. This time around I opted to put in some larger blocks and some soft materials to keep it from dented things up.

Speaking of denting things... I knocked one of my corners off the bench and ended up cutting the vinyl in 3 places along the edge. I'm thinking I can salvage it by carefully adding some glue to the cuts to keep them from getting any larger, then painting over it. Since the cuts are so small, I don't think it will ever be noticed.

I also got the mahogany side panels stained. I'll likely go back over some of them later with a second coat to help even out the lighter ones. Because of my limited availability to mahogany, I ended up with a few pieces of african mahogany, which stained a bit darker than the rest. At the moment, the pieces are laid out in pairs I had decided upon before staining them, so there may be some reordering of the pairs to rematch them.

Next steps: get the fourth corner fixed and attached, continue finishing the mahogany (stain and poly), get the top cut and glued, and order the driver when I get my next check.

 

[Argroft]

I got the clamps off the legs of the table and the fourth corner/ leg attached. I test fitted two of the extra mahogany pieces to ensure they had a snug fit into the corners. In case it's not clear in the photos, the corners have a 3/4" by 1/4" inset to allow the mahogany side panel to slide into it, thus helping to keep it in place. It also allowed me to wrap the vinyl around that edge and use the mahogany to hold it in place so it can't come undone or show a visible seam. The feet on the bottom and the top panel will help clamp the vinyl down on the ends to keep those nicely secured.

I also cut and glued the panels I'm going to use for the tops. I cut both panels from the same piece of wood, which I left aside because it was the most attractive since it had a nice ribbon grain to it. It also allowed me to keep a very consistent look that gives an appearance of being one solid piece.

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[rojo]

Looks like they're coming together very nicely. I'm anxious to know your impressions of how they sound once you get them all put together. I'm also curious which direction you'll go with the table tops.