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Saw for Christmas?

post #1 of 19
12/14/09 at 9:02pm
Thread Starter 
So I want to start building DIY speakers yet have no wood working tools to speak of other than the most basic stuff my father owns. I have been eying some full range designs that I am pretty interested in but don't have the tools to do the cutting. For say around $150 - $250 any suggestions on a beginners wood cutting / working toolset?
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post #2 of 19
12/14/09 at 10:10pm
This will take care of your $250..............

$169 at Lowes


$60 at Lowes
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post #3 of 19
12/14/09 at 11:16pm
Thread Starter 
Any chance you could send me product* names?

edit: produce -> product
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post #4 of 19
12/15/09 at 1:39am
Just how much woodwork do you plan to do? If you're just going to build a pair or two, you might be better off renting tools. Home Depot rents and you should be able to find independent hardware stores that rent, too.

You can also have a woodworking shop or cabinetmaker make the cuts for you. It will cost less than you expect. The biggest expense is finishing woodwork. It's labor intensive and you'll get charged for it. The good news is that you can DIY the finish with a minimum of tools.

If you want to build, you'll need a tablesaw and a router at minimum. Those will exceed your budget if you get halfway decent ones. A jigsaw and a power sander are nice, too. You'll also need a drill and a number of clamps.

My advice would be to find a woodworking shop or cabinetmaker to make the cuts. They'll charge something like $1-$3 a cut or maybe $60-$80 an hour. But if they charge $80 an hour and spend 30 minutes cutting your MDF, $40 is very reasonable. You'llprobably spend about the same renting tools, but a cabinetmaker will have better tools and will make beautiful cuts. You can take it from there with your own drill, sander and finishing.
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post #5 of 19
12/15/09 at 2:28am
Uncle Erick hit the nail (pun intended) on the HEAD!! I've been a wood/metal worker my whole life and when I've wanted to build speakers/equip.cabinets for myself or others through the years, I've always found a good lumber yard or cabinet maker and let them cut and sometimes assemble my cabinet designs and then I do all the--- as Uncle Erick states the high $$$$ work. (I.E.) bracing, crossovers, binding post,finishing,etc.etc and most importantly the drivers....You'll be able to control the Quality of work on your speakers much better during this stage of the project! Besides as Uncle Erick would agree, the cutting is soooo messy, not fun!! Just Old Fart Experience
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post #6 of 19
12/15/09 at 2:40am
Not this kind of saw?

I just had to.

I also second renting from a home improvement store. I've done so before for mini projects.
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post #7 of 19
12/15/09 at 3:15am
If you want to get your feet wet without buying all the tools to start, Parts Express has pre-made cabinets and even kits.
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post #8 of 19
12/15/09 at 3:51am
That's an Excellent suggestion, Juaquin! They really have nice cabinets, maybe give them a glance Malldian!!! I just never suggested that in my 1st reply because I just got accused of "Working for them" (Parts Express that is) on a post....oh well, by all means Malldin look at Madisound also..But Back to your original question, what Saw?? I would start with a Skill "Worm-Gear" 7" elect hand Saw and buy a few good blades and "HAVE AT IT".......PS WATCH YOUR HANDS, EYES and most important YOUR EARS!!!!!!!!
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post #9 of 19
12/15/09 at 3:57am
A small tablesaw like in FatCat's post is not a very good tool for cutting full sheets of plywood. Even with help holding the sheets, the saw's table and base are too unstable cutting such large pieces (the wood can bow while cutting and make the cut inaccurate). I have a much larger tablesaw with extension tables for cutting full sheets, but I usually just use a saw guide straightedge and circular saw. The saw guide is clamped to the wood, and the base of the saw is kept against the guide as you make the cut. The relatively cheap one (~$20) I got at Lowes or Home Depot has worked well for me for years, but there are nicer, fancier ones at specialty tool stores for $40 - $100+. Either way, tablesaw or circular saw, takes practice to get accurate cuts. Practice on some cheap sheets before cutting expensive wood.
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post #10 of 19
12/15/09 at 6:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 9pintube View Post
That's an Excellent suggestion, Juaquin! They really have nice cabinets, maybe give them a glance Malldian!!!
Yeah, I asked for the Dayton Monitor kit for Xmas because I wanted to DIY some speakers, but I don't have the tools or the room in my apartment for wood-working. If all goes well I might try actually building some towers over summer.
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post #11 of 19
12/15/09 at 11:06am
I lived (sorta) for a year without a saw, because I got tired of the space it took - until last year, and got this:

Ryobi 10 in Table Saw w/ Transp Stand - BTS21 at The Home Depot

A good compromise, if you are cramped for space.
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post #12 of 19
12/15/09 at 1:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
Just how much woodwork do you plan to do? If you're just going to build a pair or two, you might be better off renting tools. Home Depot rents and you should be able to find independent hardware stores that rent, too.
Hopefully pretty heavily. I have been collecting older speakers (low budget.. life of a college student) but want to spend a good part of my winter break and summer learning to build speakers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
If you want to build, you'll need a tablesaw and a router at minimum. Those will exceed your budget if you get halfway decent ones. A jigsaw and a power sander are nice, too. You'll also need a drill and a number of clamps.
That is what I am trying to feel out - say minus the jigsaw, sander, and drill where would you put my costs at for getting started here?
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post #13 of 19
12/15/09 at 1:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by srserl View Post
A small tablesaw like in FatCat's post is not a very good tool for cutting full sheets of plywood. Even with help holding the sheets, the saw's table and base are too unstable cutting such large pieces (the wood can bow while cutting and make the cut inaccurate). I have a much larger tablesaw with extension tables for cutting full sheets, but I usually just use a saw guide straightedge and circular saw. The saw guide is clamped to the wood, and the base of the saw is kept against the guide as you make the cut. The relatively cheap one (~$20) I got at Lowes or Home Depot has worked well for me for years, but there are nicer, fancier ones at specialty tool stores for $40 - $100+. Either way, tablesaw or circular saw, takes practice to get accurate cuts. Practice on some cheap sheets before cutting expensive wood.
Thanks for the advice and to the comments. To the comments about buying cabinets I appreciate them and have looked into that but I am not really trying to just make a cheaper speaker that I screw together. I want to learn about the process and design as well as developing some woodworking skills of my own. Maybe I will put this project off a few years until I could spring for more equipment.
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post #14 of 19
12/15/09 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by malldian View Post
Any chance you could send me product* names?

edit: produce -> product
The Table Saw is a Skil and the sander obviously is DeWalt. Go to the Lowe's web site to get the specs on both tools
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post #15 of 19
12/15/09 at 4:24pm
Also, don't discount craigslist - shop tools are often sold at about half of the store price, and will work a lifetime for hobby use.

Your "needs" would be a table saw, router, hand sander and jigsaw, along with pipe clamps. Everything else is specialty in cabinet making. You could probably pick all that up for what your budget is, especially AFTER Christmas, and into the new year.
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