[strangedaze39]

With the grado wood headphones. Is the whole enclosure wood including the "bottom" part under that mess that goes up against your ear with holes in it. Or is a plastic panel with the wood cylinder like air chamber ?

I've been looking at tons of pics and can't figure it out, considering no one takes apart RS-1's. If any one could take pictures of they're grado's that are wood. Or can describe more in depth about the design with me That would be amazing, Thanks.

I'm going to have an accomplished woodworker do these for me but I need a layout of the design. So any thoughts or knowledge of grado's would help. Feel free to sketch up different things.

BTW I need measurements of the RS-1 or 2.

 

[tomb]

Most of the Grado mods are documented on Headwize here:
The Collected Grado Headphone Mods Follow this link and scroll down the page about halfway (it's a big page). There you will find "New Earcups for the Grado SR-80" by Mike Lin, complete with sketches/drawings of all the dimensions. He used PVC pipe, of course, but there's no reason you couldn't follow all of this using wood if you have access to a turning lathe and other tools - or the woodworker.

 

[Rav]

RS1/RS2 is one piece of wood, with the driver unit (which has a plastic housing, that's what the white cloth is attatched to) glued into it, so it's not easy to take them apart unless you know exactly what you're doing.

Generally, most woody mods only replace the outer cup, leaving the driver mounted in the inner (plastic) part. Of course, with HF1s for instance, the inner enclosure is wood, so you get a full woody. Your best bet would be to measure the headphones that are to be woodied, so you can get the dimensions right to fit what you have.

 

[strangedaze39]

Thanks Rav good advice, do you think it would be dumb to do the full wood enclosure like HF1 just because transplanting the drivers would be reckless. I am quite good with electronics, modding, and soldering, but I don't know the first thing about driver implants. If it's worth it sound wise sounds probable, but if its just for boasting rights I wouldn't be to interested.

And tomb I've check that PVC mod out a few times and was thinking about doing it similar as far as how he mounted them to the PVC which in my case would be wood. But maybe grind down the plastic cup down to make it as much wood as possible.

Thanks for input and I would still love anymore details or thoughts on the mod. -SD

 

[Rav]

I suppose it depends on how easy it is to seperate the drivers from the original housings, and how neatly you can glue them into new wooden ones. I beleive Grado uses a certain type of glue, but afaik no one knows exactly what it is. A Full Wooden Jacket would definately complicate the mod, and you'd only see it when the pads were removed. Don't know how/if it would affect the sound - if it's just chamber size that has the most affect then it probably wouldn't be worth it.

Which model are you modding?

 

[strangedaze39]

I plan on using the sr225. Although they say the sr125 use the same drivers. I believe their is more to it that they aren't mentioning. Also they're only 30usd more then the 125's so why not right. I have a pair of beat MS-1's that would help me with the driver aspect as far as glue and seating.

I will definitely be making the chambers bigger then the current 225's also. I have a few sketches already that seam approachable for the guy doing the wood. What kind of tool do they use for the wood working. I'm almost positive it's not the lathe. Because I think rather then the wood spinning like a lathe. It's the bit that spins a special kind of bit obviously but I can't figure out what that tools called.

 

[Rav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by strangedaze39 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I will definitely be making the chambers bigger then the current 225's also. I have a few sketches already that seam approachable for the guy doing the wood. What kind of tool do they use for the wood working. I'm almost positive it's not the lathe. Because I think rather then the wood spinning like a lathe. It's the bit that spins a special kind of bit obviously but I can't figure out what that tools called.

I believe a lathe is most commonly used for the outside, in conjunction with a pillar drill and a forstner bit for the inside, although it depends on which way the wood grain is going.

 

[en480c4]

It has been my experience that the drivers are glued into the driver enclosure using something like superglue, and you will ruin the drivers if you try to remove them. So for the plastic and metal Prestige series Grados, all you can do is add a wood outer cup.

The cups I've made have all been turned with a lathe and drilled out using forstner bits and a drill press. The base measurements at Headwize are a great place to start, and then you can be as creative as you want with repsect to chamber depth, shape at the end and opening size for the screens. I've seen others use different methods for making cups, but since I have the tools to turn them, it's the best option for me.

At some point I'd love to do a tutorial on turning your own cups, with step-by-step instructions and photos, but I just never get around to it...

Good luck with your project. It's very rewarding, and in my experience, the benefits are more than just visual.

 

[strangedaze39]

Awesome thank you for words of advise, I figured I could even flatten the driver plastic housing as much as I can before making the new cups to stick on there. I was thinking of using a Oak or Mahogany just because they are fairly easy to get ahold of. We don't have a lathe at the house but the rest we have. (lathes are pricey) So I am going to need to figure out a different way to do the outside of the cup. Or it is possible to find a shop near by that has access to one.

That would be GREAT if you did a DIY for woodies, the webs been missing one of those for EVER

. I'll do some in progress pictures of my project and take notes so I can do a little write up. If you want I'll keep you posted so you can add stuff 2. LMK.

 

[heatmizer]

You don't need a lathe, forstner bits etc to make wood cups.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/grado-woody-247707/

 

[en480c4]

Well, here's what I'll do...
The following could be considered a draft for the tutorial on turning a pair of cups with a lathe. Any feedback from people is welcome, and considering I've done this a number of times, I may have skipped steps without thinking. So if there are any gaps in information, let me know and we can fill them in before finalizing things.

Keep in mind the usual disclaimers...

1. Working with the following tools can be very dangerous... Saws and drills are one thing, but the lathe in particular needs to be used with great care.
2. I've made no effort to outline the required safety measures that should be taken, of which there are many. If you don't know how to do it, don't. Find someone who can teach you and proceed only after you're comfortable with any of the steps going forward.
3. Modification to your Grados is done at your own risk, with no warranty expressed or implied.

Unless otherwise noted, pictures were taken throughout the process of turning a pair of basic Maple cups. Different woods and shapes provide different challenges, and this should be considered when choosing your wood.

1. Step 1 - Buy your wood
   
   
   
   (Zebrawood Pictured)
   For ease of turning, a 12" section of 3"x3" wood is recommended, but 6" sections can be turned. I get a lot of my wood from the local Woodcraft store, but there are a number of online stores and local lumber yards often have nice turning stock. My first cups were made with pieces of scrap 4x4 mahogany left over from a friend making a table.
2. Step 2 - Take the corners off the turning stock
   (Not Pictured)
   Using a table saw with the blade set to 45 degrees, cut the corners of the turning stock. This will result in an octagonal shape that will be much easier on your chisels, hands and wrists, and will make the experience much more enjoyable.
3. Step 3 - Mount the blank on the lathe and start turning
   
   
   
   I use a number of different chisels when turning cups. Usually I start with a rough gouge to get the general shape. Once the shape has been roughed out, then other chisels can be used to fine tune the desired shape. The roughing is usually done at the slowest speed, and sometimes I'll go up to the next speed when finalizing the shape.
   
   
   
   Keep in mind that you can't put material back on, so using calipers, check and recheck the OD of the wood. I usually keep it at least a tenth of an inch strong with the chisels, often more, and take it down to the final OD during the next step.
4. Step 4 - Do any preliminary finishing you can on the lathe
   
   
   
   You will save countless hours of sanding if you do as much sanding as you can while the wood is still mounted on the lathe. Depending on tooling marks, you can start with as rough a grit as you feel you need. Usually starting with 220, and progressing from there will yield good results.
5. Step 5 - Separate the cups
   You have a couple of options for doing this step. You can score the location of the cuts on the lathe, remove the wood and cut it with a band saw or hand saw.
   
   
   
   Or you can use a parting tool and cut through a majority of the material while it's still on the lathe. This is by far the easier way to do it, and usually will result in a better edge. Either way you'll end up with something like this:
   
   
   
   Then just make sure the ends of the cups are square and true and that you have a pair of cups that have the same outside dimensions.
6. Step 5 - Drill the cups
   Drilling the cups can be challenging. You can try to set up a jig to center the cups, or you can just eyeball it. Either way drilling a pilot hole to remove material and provide a place for shavings to exit can be a big help here. Using a forstner bit in the drill press, drill the screening side of the cup. Again, drilling this all the way through the cup will make things easier when drilling the larger hole that mounts to the driver enclosure.
   
   
   
   Remember, all your work will be wasted if you are not careful centering the cups. Securing the cups can be done any number of ways... A vice, clamps, or gloves and sandpaper. A second set of hands here can really help.
   It is also very important to make sure that the larger hole is drilled to the same depth on both cups. The chambers should be the same size, so if you drill press has a stop, set it so that both cups are identical.
7. Step 6 - Drill the holes for mounting the headband and running the cable
   (Not Pictured)
   Using the original cups, recreate the size and locations holes for the C that mounts the headband. If you are not recabling your Grado, you can recreate the notch that allows the cable to stay in place while you slide the cup on. If you are going to recable, you can go with a cleaner look by drilling a hole and passing the cable through.
8. Step 7 - Finish the cups
   Now it's time for final sanding of the cups. Again, all the work can be wasted if you don't take the time to do this step right. Spend as much time as you can making sure all surfaces and edges are as smooth as you can get them. I like to start with the same grit I ended with on the lathe. This is also a good time to test fit the screens in the cups and the cups on the headphones. You can take off additional material on the inside of the cups to get the fit you want.
   
   
   
   (Cups rough sanded and screens test fit, but requiring additional sanding and shaping)
   Depending on your choice of wood, you may want to use something to add depth and color. Stains and oils all can be used. I like using tung oil, finished with semi-gloss lacquer. I've also used clear enamels with good results.
   Once the finish has cured, it's time to reinstall the screening. You can reuse the stock screens, or use any number of materials. Grado uses hot glue to assemble their headphones, and this is usually what I use to reattach the screens. A tip here is to put the cup on the headphones with no screen with the bowl pads on. The cup should come down to the top of the pad. Mark the inside of the cups at the top of the driver enclosure for Step 8.
9. Step 8 - Reassembly
   The Headwize Grado Mods page has a ton of information on disassembly and reassembly, so I won't recreate it here. But you can use the marks outlined in Step 7 to know where the driver enclosure will rest. Make sure you only apply hot glue below this line. When you slide the cups on, it will push excess glue up towards the screens, so don't add too much. In the end you should end up with something like this:
   
   
   
   To be honest, my HF-1 with the current Zebrawood cups are just friction fit together, and have been for months. If you are careful with your work and measuring, you won't need a lot of glue to keep things together.
10. Step 9 - Enjoy
    This is a very rewarding project. Now it's time to just enjoy the music!

A few other items of note...

1. Cup depth makes a difference to my ears. The Grados seem to benefit from a deeper cup across the entire frequency range.
2. Wood choice may make a difference, but I haven't done two cups of different woods with identical dimensions, so I can't say if there is a difference or how much.
3. As with all DIY projects, you'll be disappointed if you really think this will save you money versus buying from an established company. That's not to say that it doesn't have its benefits, but unless you already have all tools and enough experience that you won't waste materials, there will be a large initial expense. Tools used include:
   1. Table Saw
   2. Lathe with quality chisels made of HSS
   3. Drill press with forstner bits
   And then there's the fact that if you enjoy doing it, you'll find yourself doing different cups for your Grados just for a change!
4. Sharp chisels are important, as are sharp bits.
5. Total time investment can range from 6-8 hours, depending on your experience, how 'perfect' you want it to end up and choices you make along the way.
6. Again, this can be a dangerous project, so be careful!

So, there's a draft. Hope that helps. If I get any input here, I'll try to incorporate as much as I can and eventually put together a new thread.

 

[strangedaze39]

Thats a beautiful draft. The only thing that could be a issue, most people don't have access to a lathe >.< . I'm going to think of a way to work around that though without sacrificing any quality. Although my buddy does have one that I will be using on my build, I'll try to do some other basic tools results and walkthrough .

Also noted was the cost issue that it will not save you money vs. professionally done work. Alot of people do have Drills and saws. Maybe not Drill presses, and table saws but if they take the extra time to find a friend of co-worker with one, or can even use their basic drill and saw but would have to be extra patient. Although you could be SOL on all those expensive tools and it really would cost alot more then sending them out to headphile.

Looks good and I hope to see you finalize it, because thats a true sticky quality post. I'm going to be starting my project this week so if you wanted to wait to see any results LMK. Thanks for the post, SD

 

[en480c4]

Well, to be clear, my first pair of mahogany cups (seen here) cost me nothing. The scrap wood and a family member with a ridiculous wood shop meant I had the materials and all the tools to do it. It was also very nice to have someone with a ton of woodworking experience to guide me through the process. But since then, I've bought a lot of the tools required because I enjoy using them, and a friend's shop provides the rest. I just wanted to make sure that people realized that there was a lot more than just the wood for potential costs.

 

[strangedaze39]

Definitly agree with you, just don't want to scare people off that might want to try it. I mean I guess a disclaimer could take care of letting them know it's a life threatening DIY, headphones wise

 

[Rav]

Ian, thanks for the tutoral and the pictures, answered a bunch of questions i had about the process