Stentorian build

It seems that my Interest in this hobby is not really Passing after all.
So I decided on a new name. This one seems more appropriate.

I got a (nearly) last minute request for a pair of PA speakers for small venues.
Curt Campbell's Stentorians fit the bill pretty nicely.
I had to look it up, but here is what I found--STENTORIAN : extremely loud. I like it already.

I ordered the parts this morning and now I need to hit Home Depot for the plywood. Too bad it's raining.

I hope to get these done in time for Christmas.

Now, on to Home Depot.

Uh-oh! Maybe I should have looked at the plans first! Just kidding.

Thanks! Glad to see you're still around.

I barely got started and I'm out of time for today already.
There are some Howitzer parts lurking beneath the workbench. They will get used next Spring if I don't get impatient this Winter.

Thanks guys! If I keep this up, I just might have to buy a shop heater, so Winter doesn't slow me down so much.



That's awfully kind of you to say so, Max!



All in good time, sir. But, there's really not much to see, since it's just my garage. But, thanks.

Well, with Erich H taking about 95% of the work out of it, I think a whole lot of Stentorians will be built this coming Spring.

Today, the pricing for just the parts (no enclosure) was under $200/pair, making these babies uber-affordable.

I believe some of the sweeps were done before the design was finalized.



I have been to the future and I can honestly say that you will soon be cranking out some fine designs.



Haha! Not a chance! I plan on keeping all the original Factory Equipment.

Kal--Sorry to disappoint. Thanks for looking anyway. Have a good day.

Fess-up Mike, you know you hope to find a Festool ETS 150/3 under the tree Christmas morning.

I am building according to Curt's PA Column option.




I need 2 Tops and 2 Bottoms which run the full 15" front-to-back.
Set a stop (red tab on the left.




The cut looks good. The lighting is poor, so I get a lot of yellow. I don't feel like correcting for it.



Next, I need 4 internal shelves. Each mid-woofer pair is in its own sealed chamber. Since these are internal, I need to subtract out 1.5" for the thickness of the front and back (3/4" + 3/4"). Right?

Let's double-check, just to make sure.




Okay, the thickness is 1/16" short of 1.5". So, we'll compensate for that when we set our stop.




Looks good.



I need 4 internal shelves at this setting. So far everything has been 3/4" (approx) plywood. I'll use 1/2" plywood scraps for bracing. I need 4 braces cut at this same setting.

Since the MTM portion of this cabinet has a little less depth than the rest, I need two braces that are a little bit shorter than the others. I can't use my built-in stop for a 9 1/2" cut, because it is too short. So I just drew a line instead.




4 sides, 2 fronts and 2 backs (rear stack).
2 tops, 2 bottoms and 4 shelves (middle stack).
4 braces and 2 MTM braces (front stack).

flyng_fool--You're on, Fly Guy. I'll PM you when they're done, which will be soon, as I've got to deliver them on Christmas Eve.

BeerParty--Chris, I'd really like to see these in a curved cabinet and I really don't think it will be much extra effort.


Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not going for a fine furniture finish on these, due to time constraints and expected rough handling to and from gigs. So, I won't be veneering these cabinets.

This is where a cross-cut sled comes in handy, since the 4 sides are too wide to cut on my miter saw.

I used a 4 1/4" hole saw.




Tip: Mark your holes once and pilot the stack, before using the hole saw on each individual board.




It looks like I've got some feet for a future build.




I took the hole out to the edge, because these braces are centered over the tweeter. It looks like my 3 1/4" hole saw is dull--it produced a lot of burning and had more drag than the larger one.

Here's a quick, easy way to do conversions, without leaving your shop.

tuxedocivic--I'm not sure if Curt has had a chance to update his measurements and conclusions yet, but he might if he gets the chance. The price for these makes them worth a try. And if they disappoint, there's always another build ahead, right? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!

Edit: Okay, I shouldn't have been flippant in my reply. I guess I was tired. The fact is, I am fully confident that these babies will impress, or I wouldn't waste my time building them.