Any woodworkers here?

[GTOguy]

Much respect for anybody who can accomplish this with wood, especially using obsolete technology and tools. I never had the feel for it and always cut off too much in wood shop as a kid. Can do better today (have done some gunstock repairs, etc. ) but I admire and respect true craftsman, as shown here. I hate hate hate it when people paint over nice wood. See it all the time and it makes me cringe. Natural grain is the way to go.
Very nice, gents.

[DAB]

i have 2 dovetail jigs for use with my router and matching bits.

i still don't know the difference between pins and tails. i've done a few drawers with that joinery, some for a kitchen long ago, some for a coffee table pair of drawers.

not my favorite corner joint.

[snide]

Originally Posted by DJ_Critterus

Nice work. Have you considered dabbling in the art of making humidors? If so, I'd purchase one from you.

Originally Posted by Tikiman

Never made one, but it can't be very difficult. Make a box, line it with Spanish cedar, and add a commercial hygrometer.

Never sold a box either. Everything you have seen, and more, have all been given away as gifts.

Was going to ask the same question as DJ. But I don't know if I want to start smoking cigars again.

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by DAB

i have 2 dovetail jigs for use with my router and matching bits.

i still don't know the difference between pins and tails. i've done a few drawers with that joinery, some for a kitchen long ago, some for a coffee table pair of drawers.

not my favorite corner joint.

Pins are on the right and the tails are on the left. Pins go into tails. "London pins" are when the pins are so fine you cannot slip a dime between the tails.

I have a Leigh D4 dovetail jig, but only pull it out when I am doing large carcass work like blanket chests or something. For boxes, I prefer the finer hand cut dovetails.

[Tikiman]

Sometimes, when I am just fooling around, I try to see just how fine I can cut them.

[SQUIRMIN VERMIN 84]

Love those big pencils!

[DAB]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

the tails are on the left, Pins are on the right. Pins go into tails. "London pins" are when the pins are so fine you cannot slip a dime between the tails.

I have a Leigh D4 dovetail jig, but only pull it out when I am doing large carcass work like blanket chests or something. For boxes, I prefer the finer hand cut dovetails.

small pro tip:

run your text in the same order as the picture.

i could stare at this all day long, and tomorrow, i'd still fail a quiz about dovetails.

not something i mess with often enough to remember it or care about it.

[Black95]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

Line some thin plywood for the bottoms. Mucho sanding and then the coats of oil are applied. Really makes this padauk pop.

I really admire your boxes and dovetail joints. I have not developed that talent yet. I am still pretty much a “butt” jointer. Now you guys can have fun with that statement! LOL

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Black95

I really admire your boxes and dovetail joints. I have not developed that talent yet. I am still pretty much a “butt” jointer. Now you guys can have fun with that statement! LOL

When making my kitchen cabinets some 20 years ago, I just used butttttt joints, and the smell was a bit off......

[Louie Detroit]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

Ah, speakers always interest me. I have a particular fondness for two-way speakers. Always have. Not really sure why. A few years back, I decided to scratch that itch and I built these. My budget was $1,000 and, when the dust had settled, they came in at $950.

The mid-woofers are Scan-Speak 15W/8530K-00 Revelators and the tweeters are the incomparable Hiquphon OW1, regarded by most audiophile magazines as the finest 3/4" soft dome tweeter in the world. The crossovers are fairly simple, yet use quality components. The tweeter filter is third order electrical and the woofer filter is second order electrical. Air core inductors used throughout.

I made the cabinet from void-free furniture grade plywood. I doubled the plywood all over, making for 1-1/2" walls. I wanted no resonance. The finished cabinet was lined with 1-1/2" acoustic foam to dampen any standing waves. The cabinet is ported in the back with a 2" diameter vent that is 7" long. This tunes the enclosure to 43 Hz with an F3 of 39 Hz. Scan-Speak bass at its very finest. I really had a great deal of fun building these. I set them up next to some Polk Audio towers that we've had for years and they sound so much better than the Polks that we haven't listened to anything else since.

They look a bit funny because they are actually deeper than they are tall, but the sound is nothing short of incredible. The Hiquphons resolve cymbals better than any tweeter I have ever heard and bells actually "shimmer". Now I have an itch to do this project one more time - this time using Illuminator mid-woofers from Scan-Speak. However, that will double the cost of the build to just under $2k.

Dude, your speaker game is tight af. What tunes do you use to evaluate the fruits of your labor?

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by Louie Detroit

Dude, your speaker game is tight af. What tunes do you use to evaluate the fruits of your labor?

Interesting question. Primarily acoustic music. While I like AC/DC as much as the next guy, it's still going to sound like shit no matter what speakers you play it through. In my opinion, to really hear what a speaker is capable of, you must know what the source really sounds like in person. While my main listening preference leans towards big band swing, when I am testing speakers I tend to pull out some exotica. Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny, Robert Drasnin, Les Baxter, etc... Listening to "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" by Les Baxter through these speakers is a sheer delight. As is "Brazil" as played by Tino Contreras. Listening to "Solitude" off the Duke Ellington and John Coltrane album, you would swear that they were in the room with you. Same with the Diana Krall trio on the "All For You" CD (a dedication to Nat King Cole). Owning a grand piano myself, I know what they are supposed to sound like. I also pay particular attention to the percussion sounds. Many speakers struggle with resolving cymbals without making them sound "splashy". And I tend to avoid tweeters with metallic domes because, no matter how good they may sound at first, I have yet to hear one that doesn't lead to listener fatigue. My opinion only.

[DJ_Critterus]

Originally Posted by snide

Was going to ask the same question as DJ. But I don't know if I want to start smoking cigars again.

I keep a few for special occasions, but don't smoke them regularly. Right now, I have 10 Cuba Cuba Acid flavored sticks in a portable humidor.

When I was in Afghanistan, people would send us thousands of sticks every month so we turned a conex into a humidity controlled storage room and sent boxes of sticks out on every convoy and supply delivery. I'd pick through the left overs with a couple of other officers and usually kept about $1K worth in my office and another in my quarters. Hoarding....greed...smoking? Nope. They were used to bribe contractors to extend their orders and finish the work I needed done. Worked pretty well, too. It got to the point where contractors from Bagram would jump at the chance to fly out to my FOB to do some of the commo repairs I needed because of it.

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by DJ_Critterus

I keep a few for special occasions, but don't smoke them regularly. Right now, I have 10 Cuba Cuba Acid flavored sticks in a portable humidor.

When I was in Afghanistan, people would send us thousands of sticks every month so we turned a conex into a humidity controlled storage room and sent boxes of sticks out on every convoy and supply delivery. I'd pick through the left overs with a couple of other officers and usually kept about $1K worth in my office and another in my quarters. Hoarding....greed...smoking? Nope. They were used to bribe contractors to extend their orders and finish the work I needed done. Worked pretty well, too. It got to the point where contractors from Bagram would jump at the chance to fly out to my FOB to do some of the commo repairs I needed because of it.

I enjoy the occasional Nub with a maduro wrapper.

[DJ_Critterus]

Originally Posted by Tikiman

I enjoy the occasional Nub with a maduro wrapper.

double maduro during cold weather.... lighter wraps when it's warmer