Custom veneered CBM-170s finally done (300kb+)

[JohnnyCasaba]

WOW, nice work BradJudy, that veneer is really unique.

[curtis]

NICE STUFF!! Hmmm....maybe makes them worth $1500 now? :D

Do you think the CMT-340 would be harder to do since the radiused edge is tighter?



-curtis

[smokey]

Hey, great job! I actually kind of like the unassuming air of the black Ascends, but I could probably get the wife behind my upgrade project if they looked like those. Very very nice!

-Smokey

Thanks, the Management.

[Quinn]

SWEET!!!!!!!!

[BradJudy]

Curtis:

I don't think I could do the CMT-340 radius with this veneer unless I tried steaming it. The radius on the CBM-170 was just at the most I could pull off dry and there are actually a couple of small cracks. The advantage of just showing the pictures is that you can't tell how flawed they really are. :)

The fine detail that makes the leap from a first timers job to a professional one just isn't there. I'm sure if I continued and made a whole set that these would probably end up as rears and the next ones as fronts since I learned a lot in the process. Unfortunately, it was more labor intensive than I anticipated and I'm not sure if I'll take the plunge again. Although it would be cool to do this same look in bird's eye maple. :D

BTW: In the background of the last pic are my Rega P2, DishNetwork 508 and JVC VCR on the A/V rack that I made out of 3/4" oak plywood and 3/8" steel pipe - very overbuilt.

[curtis]

Brad:

Heck...if you want to practice...I wonder if there is an easy way for me to strip down my cabinets for you? :)

Bird's eye maple? Hmmm....I wonder what speaker it would look like then?? :D

-curtis

[ez-v]

Wow Brad! That's a pretty impressive job you did on those Ascends. If that's what your FIRST attempt at veneering looks like, highly anticipating what your next projet may look like. That's a SWEET looking veneer.

Wonder if those discussions David Fabrikant had with MLS of av123 about possibly having Mark manufacture some cabinets in China for Ascend will ever come to fruition. Imagine, bird's eye maple and piano black Ascends. That would be a sight to behold and put a stop to all that talk about how, "Ascends are great sounding speakers but are outright hideous looking...."

Personally, I like the way they look... But then again, I don't have a wife to gain the approval of either!

[MRose]

Those look very nice. I'm sure I speak for a number of people when saying that I'd love to see the photos of the various stages. Maybe a breakdown of time/cost for those of us contemplating a similar project?

[BradJudy]

Damn - I was almost finished typing up my 20+ step process and accidentally hit tab at the wrong time and lost it. I'll come back and try again later - maybe I'll type it in notepad first so I don't lose it again.

[BradJudy]

1. Sand bare cabinets - mainly to smooth the seams between MDF pieces
2. Mask off the middle of the cabinets (for painting the tops and bottoms)
3. Spray primer the tops and bottoms (not required, but made next step easier)
4. Apply wood filler to tops and bottoms, scraping it to a very thin film (to fill spots in the MDF

and the seams between pieces)
5. sand tops and bottoms
6. Spray primer and sand (x2-3)
7. Spray on black lacquer (x3-4)

Repeat steps 1-7 for the top and bottom of each cabinet

Veneering - each cabinet required four pieces of veneer with the seams going to the middle of the

sides and front and back

8. Remove masking from cabinets

Oops...
8.5 Screw flathead woodscrews into grill post holes (alternatively one could drill them out and glue

in magnets)

9. Measure and cut veneer
10. Lay two matching pieces of veneer next to each other and tape together (making one larger piece

of veneer)
11. Mask around the middle area of the front/rear half of a cabinet
12. Apply contact cement to middle of half of a cabinet and to the back of a pair of veneer pieces (

from step 10)
13. Remove masking tape from cabinet
14. Apply the veneer to the cabinet
14.1. Place two pieces of parchment/wax paper on the cabinet covering the contact cement
14.2. place veneer cement side down on paper
14.3. Align the veneer seam with the center of the speaker front/rear
14.4. while holding veneer in place, move paper from under a section of the veneer
14.5. Press veneer to cabinet using roller
14.6. Continue to move the paper back a section at a time and press veneer
14.7. On corners, carefully bend a little at a time to prevent cracking
15. once complete, cut the extra veneer along the middle of the side of the speaker

Repeat steps 8-15 for the front and back of each speaker. When doing the second sheet, you will have

to carefully cut off the excess veneer to make it fit tightly with the first sheet.

16. Let set for at least 48 hours
17. Using exacto/razor cut the component holes in the veneer following the holes in the MDF
18. Clean up gaps by gluing slivers of veneering into them
19. Apply Deft glossy clear wood finish (lacquer) with brush (x6) allowing at least 2 hours between

coats (6 sides per speaker x 6 coats x 2 hours = at least 72 hours to complete, but at least you can

do the two speakers at once)

Grills

20. Pull out grill posts with pliers
21. Drill out hole to 1/2"
22. Epoxy 1/2" disc neodymium magnets into holes
23. Apply felt pads to magnets

Quick cost estimates:

Veneer: $40
Black spray lacquer: $6
Spray primer: $6
Deft lacquer: $20
Magnets: $8

Tools:
Brushes: $5
Sandpaper: $6
Roller: $15
Exacto/razor: cheap

[Gman]

Wow BradJudy that's what I call a man who loves his Ascends!
Thanks for the steps and cost break down. Nothing I would ever try, but the speakers look stunning. Did you do this for WAF factor or just to see if you could? A lot of work to make your speaker look as good as it sounds. I have the 340 center and I actually like the way that it looks.. Not ugly at all.


Excellent job and thanks for the post and pics.

G

[BradJudy]

Some work-in-progress pics:

Between steps 2 and 3 (sanded and masked, but not primed):

http://foxtrot.colorado.edu/judy/www/CBM170e.JPG

Between steps 8.5 and 9 (top and bottom spray lacquered):

http://foxtrot.colorado.edu/judy/www/CBM170f.JPG

Between steps 11 and 12 (I forgot a step of using wood filler on the screwheads):

http://foxtrot.colorado.edu/judy/www/CBM170g.JPG

Between steps 18 and 19 (veneer on, but not lacquered):

http://foxtrot.colorado.edu/judy/www/CBM170h.JPG