Having had no real woodworking experience to speak of I needed to learn a lot of basics live without a net. I had no tools except an electric screwdriver.

First job - determine whether I was going to rabet or miter. Looking at the cost of the routers I decided to go with the miter. Purchased a sabre saw for $40, made sure the base could tilt 45deg. Tried my first cut and it would not go in a straight line, it kept veering to the right. My guess was that the blade was not rigid enough so I bought a circular saw for $50. Same thing happened, veering to the right. I was told by my buddy at Home Depot that I needed a Carbon blade. I bought one for $40. Worked like a charm! Had some trouble learning about how to properly make a straight lines at 90deg angles but I got though it. Used a compass and the sabre saw to cut the holes for the drivers, port and binding posts. So far I have spent 9 hours and $130.

Time to fit the pieces together. They fit better than I expected. I screwed them all together first drilling the holes for the screws. I then took it apart, drilled the 'outside' holes bigger so that the screws would squeeze the two together. I then applied glue and re-screwed them. The glue cost $8.00 I thought that the mdf (MDF cost $15.00) would be soft enough that the flathead screws would countersink themselves. Wrong! Now the screw heads are sticking out slightly. (Do I remove them and then countersink them or do I remove them and add wood putty?) Time spent assembling - 4 hours.

I am not going to veneer them as I am now broke so I am going to paint them. I purchased a quart of primer for $7.00. I purchased around 90 inches of R13 insulation for about $30.00.

So there it sits. Time spent so far - 13 hours. I need to brace it, insulate it, sand it, prime it, paint it, and then install the drivers and the binding posts.

Then I will start on speaker number 2. I am expecting the time to drop dramatically.

ITEM 2 spkrs Tools

Saber Saw 40.00
Circular Saw 50.00
Carbon Blade 40.00
MDF 30.00
Glue 8.00
Primer 7.00
Insulation 30.00
Screws 10.00
Paint ?
Sandpaper ?
Braces ?

Total So Far $85.00 $130.00

Unless everyone objects, I will continue the saga as it unfolds.

cheers,

george

don't give up... this pair of boxes may not turn out as well as somthing you buy, but they will only get better and be more rewarding than buying.

Hang in there and good luck!!

I need to remember the journey can be made as enjoyable as the destination.

Fresno