Part 5 of 8 of the NB Audio beginner guide to speaker building. Start at Part 1 and the series contents.
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A good cabinet is mostly a matter of doing things in an order you can check. This is that order, from labelled panels to a finished box ready for its drivers and crossover.
Expansion Guide 4 uses the same example box as Guide 3, so the joints and panel sizes carry straight over.
The cut list
Measure the actual board first, then check and label every panel as two sets, A and B. If you're cutting yourself, set up on scrap first. Mark the driver openings from one reference edge, and test the fit before drilling the final screw holes.
The dry fit
Assemble the whole cabinet without glue, check it for square, then rehearse fitting the crossover, terminals and port. The glue-up shouldn't be your first full rehearsal.
The build
Glue a manageable group of joints at a time, fit the braces, close the shell and take a photo inside before you do. Then sand and finish with the drivers out of the way, fit the lining and crossover, and fit the drivers last.
Who it's for
It's written for a first build. You can start with panels cut by a workshop; you don't have to learn every woodworking operation on your first pair. It explains the cabinet sequence, not how to run a saw you haven't used.
What it won't do is let you fix a short panel with extra glue, or sand with the drivers fitted.
Expansion Guide 4: Building the Cabinet
Free PDF, 10 pages. Every stage step by step, with the joint and square-check drawings and the checklists.
Check out for $0 and the download link comes by email.
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Previous: Part 4: Planning the enclosure: check the box on paper before you cut (Beginner Guide, Part 4)
Next: Part 6: Your first speaker measurement: repeat it, then compare the pair (Beginner Guide, Part 6)