How to Apply Wood Veneer to MDF Speakers
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2024
- I show you how to apply wood veneer to a MDF speaker. Nothing more...nothing less.
Patreon: / merwinmusic
Website: www.lukemerwin.com
Twitter: / merwinmusic
0:00 Intro
0:16 Prep Work
1:30 Sanding
2:09 Veneer Layout
3:34 Glue
5:38 Contact
6:17 Rolling
6:54 Trimming
7:35 Finish - เพลง
Great tutorial. You've given me confidence to tackle my project.
Nice production value. I'm glad you're enjoying your speakers. You should be proud. Awesome work and thanks for the video.
Thanks for the great video! I followed it when I veneered my Tritrix speaker build kit. I had good luck using the Gel type contact cement on my wood veneer. Then I used "Seal-A-Cell" from General Finishes as the finish as it gives a nice pop to the grain in the veneer. With "Sea-A-Cell", the oils penetrate to highlight the warm natural look and the urethane ensures a good hard film build. For the wood veneer, I used the Sapele because it gives a lovely brown mahogany color, but it's just a bit more sophisticated looking than plain mahogany.
Thanks for making this simple to the point video. Very similar to applying high pressure laminates but a router isn't needed to trim. Only omitted was cutting the driver holes but I see you posted a comment on that.
Must admit the end product looks fantastic. We manufacture and veneer speaker cabinets for a company in the UK using a heated vacuum press as we find it far less tricky than contact glue (especially when using expensive veneers). Great work and cracking video.
Great video. Nice job. Made it look very straightforward and easily doable if you take your time. Learned a lot. Thanks.
These are techniques I still need to learn. Thanks for sharing!!!
I enjoyed watching it! so easy to do with appropriate tools for furniture
Tip - cover the edges of the veneer face with painter's tape before you apply contact adhesive. You were getting glue on the veneer face after using that foam roller.
Very nice, systematically done. Thanks for the video.
Looks absolutely beautiful! Great veneer!
Liked and loved your idea of putting wood batons before sticking shhet to the enclosure.
Excellent Video Explained the prep and 1st steps perfectly....
thank you for this video, I'll be using it to help me in my upcoming speaker project.
That's an awesome improvement! Great video
Greetings from Gdansk, Poland. Nice job.
Very good and complete video! Thank you!
What a great tutorial! Thank you!
Phenomenal video man !! Thank you
Great video! You are very concise and smart!
dude, again great video. Thanks
Nice job.Congratulations
very nice and beautifully done veneer
thank you
Another gluing method that works quite well and is easier is to spread wood glue on both surfaces.Use a hard rubber roller so it goes on evenly. After everything's dry use an iron to adhere. It works with a much better degree of control and sicks incredibly well.
Don't you read previous comments?
@@georgemacdonald3087 I do. But I don't go too far back when I see there are over 200. What a waste of time. Almost as useless as leaving snarky comments that don't actually address the topic. But it took you over 2 years to get here and point out my minor redundancy. Have you been busy annoying other people around the world or is being pedantic a new thing?
Excellent video - thanks!
Dang that looks so good! thanks for this video
Great Video! I used the white glue for wood, apply one or two layers on the speaker cabinet and the veneer. Let it dry seperately for about half an hour. Then ask gently the iron of your wife (where you iron your laundry with), DONT TELL WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO USE IT FOR!! Set the temp to mid-range and then place the veneer on your speaker cabinet and gently iron your veneer to you speaker. You will notice your glue is melting again, it sort of re-generates. So your veneer is glued/dryed at the same time. Works excelent!
How long does that last?
Hello richard, if you mean how long it lasts to dry; it is during ironing, like ironing your jeans, the glue dries in seconds. Thats the beauty of it, you press, slide and dry... it all happens at the same time. I did this method years ago on my speakers and the veneer looks as day one. No loose edges, nothing. Really sharp and neath..
Remko de Jong I’m going to have to try this method. However, I wonder how they last if exposed to less heat when compared to the traditional contract cement.
Hello richard; you should not expose this white glue to more then 60 degrees when applied (this states the manufacturer of the glue). My speakers are inside my livingroom, but the sun sometimes shines through the window on them and that is no problem at all
You mean PVA type white glue? Doesn't it cause the veneer to wrinkle and curl as I have seen in many videos and read online....
Man I wish you showed gluing the sides and cutting/sanding them. Also would have been great to see them finished.
Real solid video
Excellent work! Your build is super inspirational! Might have a go at building my own speakers, although I am not DIY gifted by any measure, so I'm expecting bad results
Looks pretty cool thanks
Great video! Thanks!
Looks good , need to hear them .
Good video. Thanks!
Nice video. Others showed different glue types that needed pressing. This way seems easier.
Great vid man, thank you!
Absolutely great 👍
Good job 👍 excellent video! Using a router with the appropriate bit also does a great job on the edges although if you are careful a razor blade as suggested can do the trick!
wow awesome pal, i hate it when people make stuff like this look so easy lol!!
Nice making
The woodworkers glue and iron method mentioned by Remko de Jong in this thread is the best method. No problem with lining it up, unlike with contact adhesive. The thing I would add is to iron the veneer BEFORE applying the woodworkers adhesive to pre-shrink the veneer. This is especially important if you need to make a join because your cabinets are too wide for the width of veneer you have. You would make this join in the middle so that the veneers are symmetrical. If you have to do this, ensure you purchase matching veneers. i.e. veneers cut from the same piece of wood. You flip one veneer sheet over and it should have the same grain pattern as the other one you are making the join to.
In this case, you would iron on the two matching veneers up to about an inch before the overlapping join. Once set, (almost instant) cut through both overlapping joins with a very sharp craft knife and straight edge. Remove the bottom piece of waste veneer. Then iron the remaining inch to complete the join.
I have cabinets I veneered 50 years ago with this method which are still perfect.
i have used iron with wood glue and have gotten bubbles, are u talking abiout a special adheiseive
?
@@joshsoorlin579 Apply wood glue like titebond to both entire surfaces and allow both to dry completely. Then offer up the veneer and iron. The heat regenerates the glue momentarily but cools quickly. No bubbles as long as you don't miss any areas with the glue.
Doesn't titebond or any similar PVA glue cause the veneer to wrinkle and curl as I have seen in many videos and read online....
@@HashMeister did this method, the veneer can and will curl a bit but you can just iron it out. I actually used tape (the plastic kind used to tape boxes) to tape the oversize edges on a panel. Those extreme edges wont get glue, but you cut those off anyways the extra glue sits on the tape. It makes it easy to roll on the tape, less messy and less curling. If you match the edge you tape the other parts that you're not matching (2 opposites sides max to match like this). When I didnt tape it curled more obviously, but it also didn't really matter. Dont use paper tape since it could glue to the veneer. Just makes a mess. Edit: I should add I've only done this for small surfaces, like 20 x 30 cm. I have not veneered larger surfaced. Might make a difference although I highly doubt it will.
Thanks!! great video!!
Excellent video. I would point out that when deciding which order to place the veneer in, the paper backing tends to be a dark strip. So that is typically why I do the top before I do the front. So when I’m sitting listening to the music I am not looking at the paper strip backing. However I have switched to Roya would Venere and the hot PVA glue method.. It is a little bit more temperamental because the Venere can crack as you were applying heat. But you certainly have a wider selection of veneers to choose from.
great vid!
Great video, I wish you showed a little more of the final result.
Agreed :p
Ditto!
Awesome love seeing young people into DIY i build speakers also it's a great hobby the Tritrix are a popular kit i bet they sound great. And your using a Yamaha CR 1020 that is awesome i have a ultra rare Yamaha CR 3020 but my CR 1020 believe it or not sounds better both have been recapped. Also great video to the point i like that great job !!!!!
Beautiful!!
Nice job!
Great job!! Subbed.
Very helpful and thanks for posting! Would have been good to see how you trimmed for the speaker holes -- because the final result looks great!
Just worked slow with a utility blade. It went from a hexagon to octagon and so forth until it became a clean circle.
Great video 😍 tank's bro
Good jop. So useful thanks a lot.
jeez, great job.
From ordinary MDF to beautiful!
Very interesting!
Nice job.
The veneer looks good...It's the best finish.
nagyon ügyes vagy, gratulálok
How did you do the veneer around the speaker whole? I wish I saw that part.
You veneer over it and flush trim it with a router
@@saiancantin7667 seems like it could have been worth it to show that step.
@@motodork he probably struggled with that one using just a knife 😄
Yeah the driver cutouts are critical. Why no showie ?
you should look into "Milk Shake" for your speakers, It is a Bondo/Resin Mixture and it is used to line the inside to reduce resonance. Love this Video!
Love it
Thanks Waldo
Nice job ...
Very Nice job, looks great. Do you have a video on how you built the speakers. Thanks for sharing!
I do! th-cam.com/video/C_EQL2J6YgE/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the vid, your speakers look good! Tip for you: instead of using a Stanley blade to cut flush, use a “flush trim” bit in a router 👌🏼👍🏼
The tweeter opening is very shallow. I bought a flush trim bit and it does not fit.
Достойная работа, контактный клей для шпона это лучшее!
Very good....
Disappointing that you don't show the cutting where two pieces of veneer meet at the corners. That's the difficult part.
Funny: I came here looking for tips on refinishing the wood veneer on my CR 1020, surprising to see it in the video
Would love to see some video about how you handled the corners. My greatest concert is having wonky seams.
Awesome
nice that
Only thing me I'd use the fiberglas less chance of bubbling down the road. Like you said as If you where going to paint it. When doing quality body work they use the fiberglas filler and, using an ultra light weight bondo.
Nice. Look like a pair of Living Voice speakers.
Nice CR-1020. I have the CR-620, but am looking to upgrade to either a 1020 or 2020.
It's killer but I probably should do a cap job on it soon.
, round small wooden dowels work best to support the veneer over your surface. 👍
Wax paper, cut in half. One side, then the other.
I used 1/16th inch welding rods, lots of 'em...
TnX ....
Handy tip, when trimming venners or edge banding tape. Use a OLD OLD Stanley/utility blade. Blunter the better trust me
Veneering can be very difficult without commercial equipment. You make it look easy! Bought veneers are usually only 0.6mm thick. Trimming the edges is tricky. I found Iron on preglued is easier and longer lasting but more expensive. You can get contact adhesive that allows you a bit of movement initially. If you are a woodworker you can cut your own thicker veneers.. You can buy ready veneered mdf. Getting veneer flat without a vacuum press is difficult. Those are ideas that come to my mind.
Interesting video and great result. You can buy really interesting grained veneer.
Well last minute was tooo good
I’m in south Jersey and it’s horrible for me. There aren’t any good lumber yards or anything here anymore. They all closed in the early 90s so I cannot literally go somewhere and look at the veneer. I do not trust ordering it online either just in case there are voids. At any rate, amazing job and it looks beautiful.
How did you trim the veneer around the speaker recesses?
Excelent video and technique, by the way, you can write down directly to the veneer, then later delete the marks with isopropilic alcohol or spirits, thanks !!
Awesome video! Planning on doing this myself, did you use the same trimming technique with a craft knife to cut out the speaker holes?
yep. Then I followed it up with a disc cut from a piece of wood with a hole saw to sand it smooth.
They make a router blade for trimming work like that.
Any tips with dealing with the holes in the speaker?
how does a sheet of veneer go for like that? Thank you for the tips.
Great video, very informative. I know I’m a year a so late to the party here, I’m wondering why apply the first coat of contact cement and let it dry then adding a second. What’s the benefit of this technique?
stronger bond id assume
Because some of the first coat will soak into the wood and you want the second coat to go on evenly.
I just picked up a set of 5 DIYSG speakers that are complete and assembled, but are bare MDF. Considering veneer....but oh man, doing five speakers would be a LOT of work. Also, why no video of how to cut the holes in the front? That seems kinda important lol.
What does the wiring look like are there snap on terminal connecters for home theater wire?
Great video, I was wondering how do you trim out the holes for your speakers after you put veneer on especially on the inside holes used to flush mount speakers are using.
Same way as outside. It just starts as a triangle, then square, octagon until it becomes a clean circle.
Great video ! How did you cut the holes for the drivers ?
Austin Powers! Speakers are your bag baby!
Do you have a video of cutting the speaker holes? I am thinking whether or not to free hand that cut, or use a router with a flush cut bit.
what do you do if you get the contact glue on the finish side? will it just come off with the sanding before the stain process. or do you need to get it off with something some kind of cleaner first?
Thanks for doing this video! I've never veneer'd before but I'm almost done with this same speaker build. I just have a question regarding when is the right time to do the veneer. Did you put the crossover and all internal components beforehand, I assume you then soldering the remaining connections to the tweeter and 2 woofers, then inserted those, screwed them in, and bam done? Was wondering if you could confirm as I don't want to screw up the order and have to pull it apart
I would plan out where things will mount, drill your holes and screws and make sure things fit before/while you are assembling. But then I took everything out to veneer and finish.
Noice!
Thanks for video. I want to veneer some speakers to match my stereo cabinet. But you didn't show the one thing I was looking for... the speaker cutouts on the face. How did you get the round hole a smooth finish? Did you just cut inside a little, trim with your blade like you showed when doing the edge and sand it until smooth? I also have some allen key holes in the corners of my speakers. I'm thinking the same principle. Cut a little hole in the centre, roll up a bit of sandpaper tight and pull it in and out gradually making the hole bigger until they are smooth and round. What's your thoughts?
I just trimmed in with the utility knife. Basically it went from a hexagon to octagon and so on until it kept getting more and more round. I think in the end I used a circle piece of wood that was the plug from a hole saw to sand it perfect.
I am surprised you didn't use a veneer trimmer.
Nice. Thanks for this!
I would think that trimming the veneer around the speaker holes in the front baffle would be the trickiest part to this. Any tips?
Just run the razor against the edge the same as the outer edges, you start with kind of a octagon that gets more sides the more you go around until it is flush and circular.
I wouldn't say harder, just more time consuming.
MerwinMusic OK. I may get up the nerve to do this. Thanks for the encouragement!
Doesn't the speaker have a flange that will help cover the curved edge? At any rate, I always use a very sharp, brand new razor knife, and always cut on the downstroke (towards the speaker, not away from it) to avoid any possibility that the veneer will lift off or tear. Also, sneak up on the final cut. You'll find that if your final cut is only a 1/16" or so, the veneer just slices and curls very obediently away from your desired cut line. If there's any tiny bit left over, you can clean it up with a sand block. Again, I always sand with a downstroke. Good luck with your project!