I have a type R sub and i don't like my box. they are pretty expensive to buy so i'm thinking of making my own. i wanna make one w/ a plexi window. I live in toronto, anyon kno where to get the plexi and carpet for it? Also how do i bend plexi, what kinda wood do i use, how do i make the circle for the sub. Thanx.

 

It would help if you had woodworking experience, and tools. You should be able to get the carpet at a car audio store, and the wood and plexi glass at a Home Depot or place like that. As for wood, a high-density particle board, or MDF, is best; about 1/2 or 3/4". To cut the circle in the wood, drill a hole with a 1" drill, then get a skill saw and cut the circle (use the cut-out provided with the sub). To bend the plexi, you have to heat it. What shape are you doing that you need a bend in the plexi? Oh, make sure you know what size of box to build, by looking at the specs of the sub, for air space. You can usually go with smaller air space and put some "fill" in it, if you don't want to sacrafice trunk space. Make sure you get some silicon sealant to seal the inside of the box. You want that baby air tight. Have you ever seen a box built before? You want to know how you want your system to look in its final stage, and where you are placing your components. Check out www.crutchfield.com ,if you want to learn more. If you need any more help, feel fre to ask... there are lots on here that are knowledable (you may want to post in the audio/electronics forum, though).

 

TL-QT:
"I have a type R sub and i don't like my box. they are pretty expensive to buy so i'm thinking of making my own. i wanna make one w/ a plexi window. I live in toronto, anyon kno where to get the plexi and carpet for it? Also how do i bend plexi, what kinda wood do i use, how do i make the circle for the sub. Thanx."

Well...as for getting stuff in Toronto...I can't help you there. There are quite a few places online to order materials however. Making a sub box isn't difficult if you have the right materials and tools, and you plan. The preferred wood is 3/4" MDF. To bend plexi you need to heat it and bend it. A friend of mine made a tool to do just that. To make a circle for the sub you need a jig saw...or at least that's what I use. Draw the circle on the inside of the board you want the hole in with pencil...then use a drill with a large drillbit to make a hole inside the circle. Insert your jigsaw and begine sawing up to the pencil line, slightly inside the mark. Cut the circle out leaving a very small edge left (with the pencil mark still showing). Use a power sander and sand it down smooth to where the pencil mark has just been sanded down. That's it.

Austin519

 

Like the previous replies said you can get carpet at the local car audio store. You can also get it from an auto upolstry (sp?) place, they could have over a hundred different kinds and colors. Also a lot of car part stores sell black carpet that is intented for recarpeting your trunk. Also use 3M spray adhesive to glue it down. Use the high strength 90 stuff if you can find it.

MDF is your first choice for wood. Also a good quality plywood (preferrably birch) is also good, it's lighter, but about 2x the cost.

Plexi glass is very hard to work with especially bending. Usually you need to have a form to bend the plexiglass onto and have an oven to heat it. You can use a propane torch to bend the plexiglass, but you can discolor the plexiglass very easily and the bend won't be very smooth. The plexiglass should be pretty thick so it won't vibrate too much (atleast 1/4 inch think but 1/2 is ideal). But 1/2 inch is nearly impossible to bend cleanly without the proper equipment.

Like the others said drawing a circle and using a jigsaw is the best bet, but there is a special attachment for routers that will allow you to cut a perfect circle, but thats probably overkill.

The most important thing is to take your time and have fun with it.

Rob