I learned to build furniture the old fashioned way - I took good old furniture apart to see how it was put together, then I gradually added (over the course of 35 years) modern materials, improved techniques and Titebond glue. To my knowledge, all of the furniture I've built (even the very first piece), is still gracing someone's home, still doing what it was designed and built to do. When I hung it up, I had signed and dated furniture in 38 states, going back to 1973.

When it comes to building speakers, you have to look at what works, then get inside it and see why it works. I figure to start with 3/4" 9-ply hardwood and go from there. I've been inside plenty of good old speaker cabinets and they simply aren't as hard to build as roll-top desks. I've got about 70 different speaker enclosures right here in my house to study, so I don't think design issues are going to be a problem. How can you go wrong replicating good old Fender cabinets, especially with upgraded materials?

I think I'll take my initial efforts, throw speakers in them and test them on site, then let a couple of my rock-star buddies take them for a spin. THEN, if I think I can make a go of it, I'll think about production. But it's got to be fun, too! The first speakers weren't designed on a computer and science wasn't much of a factor - the biggest thing to happen with speaker cabinets was good old trial and error.

Let's face it, price of materials and bottom-line profit are still the biggest factors in mass production cabinets today. And the variety of speakers to put into cabinets is mind numbing. I just wanna build 'em and you have to start somewhere. I've got no plans to go farther than my garage, I'm not going to look for investors and I'm getting too old to start a factory. If I can come up with some good no-nonsense cabinets and make a little side money in the process, so be it. I'll still sign and date them, though.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

Sounds like you have a good plan.

One thing to look into, there is a semi-burgeoning 'amp-kit' cottage industry.

A lot of the guys furnishing the kits are into the electronics, but not the woodworking.
It might be viable to contract with some of them to supply the cabinets. Often you'll see them selling amp kits, but not having all the boxes to put 'em in.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Well like I said, all the best with it. I really do hope you come up with great product. Cos to be frank, the industry needs it.
Go conquer the world mate. Or atleast the bit of it that has magnets and cones inside it.

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No no and no

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll add the idea to my R&D plan. I just remembered (haven't thought of this in decades) - I built solid wood cabinets for a now defunct computer manufacturer in Dallas a long, long time ago. I made about 20 in three different designs.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963