Speaker build - CNO4

Should do! No risk no gain! :slightly_smiling_face:
Cheers.

At the older end :wink:

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Hello Fred, I’m using a package called Modo (search modo foundry) but there’s also the free version of Sketchup which should be good for this as well.
There’s also an open source CAD package called FreeCAD which you could use to create files for CNC.
Cheers,
Mark

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That Faital certainly is a beefy stand mount! Tough choice :slightly_smiling_face:

Yes the flat section will vary depending on the front panel thickness.

I saw there was a new Ellipticor planned but not the Ekta, thanks!

I’m going to be building a test cabinet first so there’s no rush … need to be sure I can get a good enough finish for them to be allowed into the living room!

Cheers,
Mark

There is no shame in doing all the leg work and then passing the cabinet onto a professional to apply the finish. Absolutely none.

It will cost more obviously but the enjoyment of constructing the cabinet would make it worth while. How many people would entertain the notion of spraying their car rather than get a professional with all their expertise and the proper equipment to do it for you. The end result is going to be stunning in terms of finish and sound.

Something to think about.
Cheers, Steve

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Hello Steve, that’s a great point! I’ll be going for a satin white and gloss black combination and with MDF being tricky to paint, from what I’ve read, it may well be the most practical option.
Cheers,
Mark

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Thanks Mark

They all look to have a fairly steep learning curve but I’m definitely going to give it a go
I’ve downloaded FreeCad and now need to watch some tutorials …

Cheers

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I think I’ll just go for it, if it’s good enough it can be the final cabinet. If not, back to the drawing board!
But I’m unlikely to start anything until after summer.

I’m probably also going for satin white, but was thinking of having someone spray paint them as that should give the nicest finish. If I go for the Faitals (currently leaning that way), I might then try veneering the front panel with a light oak veneer. As the frontpanel sits inside/between the side/top/bottom panels I think that might look nice as you’ll see a white frame around it.

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In my experience it is pretty easy getting a decent satin white finish with a roller. You can sand the painted finish and then roll a sealer on to get a deeper finish. Just be sure to use all water based stuff do you don’t get yellowing! White is pretty forgiving. Gloss black on the other hand is not!

From my experience I can say with some confidence that if you have the space, the faital 3WC 15” will provide you with a sound that is very live and dynamic. The big drivers just have a way of making bass sound so good! They just move more air. It’s not just about the deepest (25-30 hz) notes which they probably don’t deliver anyway, but even 40,50,60 hz coming from a big driver is very different! I’m basing this on the sound of both the Fusion and my CNO 4. The body and weight to large instruments just sounds right.

For the record, I want to build that speaker one day. Just so I can have a large, high quality, high efficiency speaker.

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I once built a large shelf unit with MDF that I had professionally spray-painted (in its assembled finished state). The finish was miles better than anything I could have achieved with a brush, and in a fraction of the time. They did it in a couple of days if I recall correctly, just a bog standard job for them.

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Fantastic result and effort.Many thanks for bringing us along through the build.

I’ve received a firm “no, that’s too big” on the 15" variant. The 12" is as big as I can go. So likely either that or a slim floorstander.

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Well my Fusion was 12” and it was great. I suppose that is the downside to those speakers they are quite imposing!

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You’re welcome, I found FreeCAD quite hard to get into so decided to stick with what I know :slightly_smiling_face:
I think Sketchup might be easier to learn but only dabbled with them both for a short time.
Good luck!

Yes that does sound nice, a blend of contemporary and classic!

Thanks Mark, will definitely need do some experimenting. I’ll probably need some advice when I get to that stage!
Gloss black … yes probably a bit ambitious :slightly_smiling_face: It would tie in with the piano black sub and other furniture which is why I’m considering it. But @n-lot gave me an idea, perhaps veneering the front panel and giving it a black stain (in my case) and polish could look nice.
Or I could go mad and give it a carbon fibre vinyl wrap :rofl:

:grinning: sounds familiar!

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Yes that’s something I’ll look into depending on how my tests go, I’d just like to give it a try first!

I have a more fundamental issue first, can’t find anywhere in the UK that stocks 20mm MDF or birch ply, standard size is 18mm then up to 25mm (which is a bit over the top!)

I’ll keep looking but may have to laminate 12mm and 9mm which Troels said was fine, just another step to the process!

I haven’t heard of 20mm as a standard thickness. Is that what they specify to use? Laminating two sheets is tricky, the key is having a flat surface on which to place the two sheets while they are being glued, and plenty of evenly distributed weight on top. If the floor or table is not flat, the glued sheet is at risk of being shaped to the contour of that surface. My concrete garage floor for example is by no means flat.

It might be easier with 3mm on top of 18mm. If you cut the 18mm to size and then cut an oversized 3mm top, you could laminate in smaller, more manageable sections. Then use a trimming bit in a router to trim the 3mm to match the 18mm section.

Note: I obtained MDF seconds for a recent project. A local supplier had seconds sheets in stock that had only a bit of damage to the outside edges. It was a lot cheaper, in case that’s an option.