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SBLs

Thanks both, that looks great Gary! Part of the issue is the tools; I was doing that with a hand drill on an old carpet :D

In the long run I may file down and re-spray but for now I'm just glad the posts (kind of) fit!
 
I've not had much time to progress this any further, but did manage to wire up the boards tonight.

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With the lid on, and from the front, it almost looks presentable!

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I'm not sure where the amp and crossovers will be sat yet so I'll hold off making any cables until then. I also need to think about where I'm going to position the speakers themselves... they won't be allowed in the living room so will likely be in the office. The office is 3x5m and ideally I'd tuck them away firing down the length of the room. They would be pretty close to the corners though so probably not ideal...
 
I've not been looking forward to doing the fiddly bits on the baffles and tonight just confirmed what I'd feared... it's a pig of a job!

I don't have any fancy tools so this was all done with a scalpel and sandpaper. Started by sticking one piece and trying to create 90 degree angles at the corners:

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Then continued going round each corner, attempting to slice a matching angle at one end of the veneer before setting it down. Not easy at all and definitely one I'll be attempting one per evening at the most.

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It does make a big difference though, I'm glad I didn't settle for painting the whole front baffle.

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There is the old trick of sanding some of the spare veneer to get dust mix with superglue to fill gaps for sanding, does not look bad from where i am standing though
 
Well, I couldn't bring myself to try another baffle front tonight, so did some more painting instead. I'm comfortable now that I can get a good finish with a brush and sanding off any excess on the adjacent surfaces. This is after one coat:

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I hadn't decided on whether to veneer the upper surfaces of the lower cabinet either, but based on how easy it was to get a decent finish on the edges I decided to paint this too. Here they are almost ready for sanding:

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I then did another couple of coats on the rears and lower surfaces of the remaining cabinets. These should just need a final touch up on the edges once I've finished veneering the baffles:

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Definitely the more enjoyable side of the build... fingers crossed the lacquer goes on nicely on top of all the work.
 
Oh this is looking very good indeed! I'm increasingly glad I didn't bid on them just to take the Bass drivers out and throw the rest away.

I hope the drivers are actually OK when you get them back together.
 
Yeah I have had Mark 1s with mrk 2 drivers and Mark 2, all over veeners. I do miss them. NBLs make up for it somewhat :)
 
Oh this is looking very good indeed! I'm increasingly glad I didn't bid on them just to take the Bass drivers out and throw the rest away.

I hope the drivers are actually OK when you get them back together.

I'm glad too! Presuming the drivers are all in order it feels like good value even including all the materials
 
I'm glad too! Presuming the drivers are all in order it feels like good value even including all the materials
Once you get them up and running they will be a joy to look at as well as listen too. I reveneered a pair of Kans which had been aesthetically mullered by a previous owner and, as my pride and joy, they will be here long after my SBLS and es14s are sold off even though the latter sound better.
I'm hoping to keep them all though.
 
Yeah I have had Mark 1s with mrk 2 drivers and Mark 2, all over veeners. I do miss them. NBLs make up for it somewhat :)

Indeed, there aren't many things that can follow SBL's entirely satisfactorily but the NBL's manage it fairly well.
 
Once you get them up and running they will be a joy to look at as well as listen too. I reveneered a pair of Kans which had been aesthetically mullered by a previous owner and, as my pride and joy, they will be here long after my SBLS and es14s are sold off even though the latter sound better.
I'm hoping to keep them all though.
Sounds promising! :)

Looking at these pictures makes me realise the cabs might look a bit better with the upper surfaces veneered as well...
 
The black edge doesn't show when you put the grilles on, which is probably why they didn't veneer it until the very latest (and much more expensive) final versions.

I never did actually get to try a pair with Hornslett cabs but it was something on the wish list.
 


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