Pimp My LP THT

Welcome to my LP THT build thread. Here's my progress thus far:



Ok that's about it so far...gotta start somewhere.

I'll be powering with one channel of a QSC RMX850 - 280W @ 4 ohms, so should be plenty. Looking for a used FBD too.

I don't even have a working theater yet, so hopefully I don't slow down my progress on that too much. Couldn't resist the temptation to get started on this. My current subwoofer is a pretty ancient Velodyne VA-1215X.

Mmm, DTS-10, nice! Yeah I've been needing an upgrade for a long time, I had the Velodyne in the living room, just brought it to the HT to test out the new receiver, once I have the THT done, the Velodyne will go back inside I guess, or maybe sell, but probably can't get much for them these days.

elapsed time: 10 days.
progress: parts order arrived, bought plywood (arauco)/PL/screws, cut 4 pieces from the first supply sheet.

Yes, I am ripping right along.

Same here, received the plans on June 7th, created this thread 3 months later. Oh well, noone can accuse us of not taking the time to adequately digest all the nuances of the plan before diving in. Looks like I'm in good company with my pace. How'd your THT work out for you (I read your build thread, just wondering whether the results were what you were looking for / expecting)?

Might be cheaper to eBay the 110 ac amp, and buy a 220?

>> What width are you going to make?

24.5", the suggested size to minimize plywood waste - that size also works out well as far as dimensions that I can accommodate behind my screen wall, laying on its side, while still leaving room for LCRs at appropriate height.

>> Are your sheets of plywood 4x8 or 5x5 or is 5x5 just Baltic birch?

4x8 1/2" Arauco from Lowes - they didn't show it online at my store, but when I visited there, they had it. I don't have a truck, so I had to rent the Lowes truck to get it home.

>> What finish are you going to do? Any ideas?

Just basic black, maybe the Duratex stuff I hear about unless I can find something cheaper. Mine is going to be hidden, so no need to make it look too nice - plus the grain on the Arauco isn't all that nice looking IMO anyway.

Tonight I got panel 1 cut for the driver, attached, and got one of the sides attached woo. I'll take the obligatory pictures tomorrow to show my mediocre carpentry. Full disclosure!

I finished precutting all the sheets earlier this week after work (thanks to whoever it was who posted the link to CutList btw, invaluable). Cut the driver hole (used jigsaw and then wood file to clean it up; followed by and angled router bit to give some relief on one side for the driver surround to clear), got the hurricane nuts set, and installed panel 1 on Thursday. Then went at it and made good progress yesterday after work (thankfully I telecommute on Fridays, so as soon as I ended work, I went at it and got in about four hours).

The plywood in the background is for something else - nicely warped 1/4" plywood. Actually one of the sheets I used for the THT was pretty warped too, hence the pipe clamps straightening it out.



I got a little overzealous trying to compensate for the warped panel, and was working a bit too fast, and ended up shoving the 2/8 braces in a bit too far / hard, resulting in a somewhat pregnant bulge on one side. On the left side you can see the panel curving out a bit, I think it won't be too bad once I mount the last panel and pull it in before screwing it down.









CutList printout in the background, and some more braces marked and clamped, ready to work some more today after I get back from my son's soccer game, and from the supermarket (having people over tonight, need to get cooking stuff - going to make some crockpot pulled pork and some seasoned fries and onion rings). The pile of panels and braces is getting significantly smaller, yay!



Looks like I have some scraping to do to cleanup the extra PL. I don't know why people make such a big deal out of the messiness of PL, I didn't find it that hard to get off my hands with soap and water.



Hitting 1/2" plywood on edge with a screw is kind of hit and miss - here are a couple of the misses.





Thanks for the feedback on finishes. I'll look for something cheap, Duratex seems pretty pricey, maybe I'll just get a can of primer and black latex paint at Home Depot. I wonder if a quart or would be enough, or if I should just get a gallon.

Got the top on, the last bracing, installed binding post. Still have to mount the driver, wire, check for leaks, attach the chamber cover, test, fill holes, prime, paint. Need to remember to pick up some auto body filler, truck camper shell weather strip, 3' plastic / latex tubing. Oh also going to make a speaker grill for the front to keep it from filling up with random debris.

Thanks!


Thanks LTD02. Its my first speaker build, so far the only mistakes have been recoverable/cosmetic, crossing my fingers the rest of the way. I got a little excited to put the top on, and mounted it upside down before I noticed (good side to the inside - outside isn't too bad though, just some knots, but I'm painting it anyway). So much for predrilling all the little pilot holes.


No, and yes, respectively. I was having too much fun building the coffin to break in the driver - did download some test tones last night though, maybe I'll set that up tonight. I'll need to clean up the HT room before I drag it in there to test it though, floor still covered with sawdust and drywall mud dust. Really must get a shop vac one of these days.

The pulled pork turned out good, still have some leftovers, probably will throw it on some rice tonight. 4 lbs pork, 1 1/2 bottles of bbq sauce, 2 cans of rootbeer, in the crockpot for 6 hours on high, yum.

Well at least your cholesterol is probably trending better than mine after the pulled pork fiesta - time to mix in some salads.

Got the holes patched, sanded, primed, and painted.













Hopefully will get the cables I ordered from monoprice on Monday, so I can wire it up and test - not to mention break in the driver which I haven't done yet.

Thanks ts - interesting about the Duratex. As I mentioned, mine will be behind the screen at least initially, so went the cheap route (quart of the primer was about $10, same for a quart of the paint). If I decide to move it into the room, I'll probably pop for the Duratex, as it seems to cover the surface imperfections a bit better.