I am starting to put thought into building the Theater 3pi speakers - I built Thermionic 3pi about a year ago. My reasons for doing this are three fold: 1) opportunity to hear what the better Delta woofer can do; 2) end up with a speaker that has a smaller footprint; 3) opportunity to build a nicer (waf) cabinet. Point three is where I'd like some advice from the woodworking gurus here. I really liked the beautiful speakers (Cherry Pi) done by jlharden and I'd like to do something similar (tall, and deeper rather than wide). I have a list of questions, hope I can get some of you to chime in...
1. When I build w/MDF and put veneer over it, the butt joints seem to show up under the veneer after severl months. It always looks great when first finished, but over time, where the veneer is over an MDF edge, the edge begins to show through. Thoughts? I normally use contact cement on top of plain MDF.
2. I'd like to have solid wood edges on the front baffle so I can round them or bevel them a bit. What is the best method to join solid to the MDF+veneer and create as little seem as possible? I have regular tools, nothing fancy like a jointer. Do have a router and table saw...
3. I've seen more posts lately from people using solid wood in the construction of their speakers. If I ended up with a front baffle of 42"x13.5" would that be too wide to expect a solid wood baffle to work well? I'd be building it up from narrower boards of cherry, dowled together. Would warping over time be an issue? If so, suggestions?
4. On the technical side, is there an optimum distance for the space between the woofer and the floor? If so, how do you figure it?
5. I've heard there may be issues with diminished bass response and narrow front baffles - is that true or myth? If true, is 14" too narrow for a 12" driver? If so, how do I compensate?
Wow, lots of questions! Thanks in advance for your help!!
Steve