Loudspeakers (Tung Oil finish)

[gainphile]

This is my first time working with hardwood and I must say it's really nice!

First I tested the workpiece




Using Tung oil, first coat:




The tung oil smells nice too!

This is the unfinished baffle:

[gainphile]

After few coats

[Sir Stinkalot]

Great looking finish in the making there.

[antiphile]

Very often IMHO, as in this case, a "simple" job looks way better than a complicated design! The beautiful "simple" and even bevel just suits this piece, and the Tung Oil really does the timber justice!

Great work and thanks for the pics so far.

Cheers
Phil

[gainphile]

Thanks for the kind comments.

Indeed the design is simple as my tools are extremely limited (circ. saw, router, sander).

I've now done 4 coats. And although looking nice and feels very smooth I do not see a "satin film" develop. Or is that just the way Tung Oil work?

I've been looking at numerous YouTube to observe, but I guess I really need to see myself a properly finished tung oil work...

[gainphile]

I managed to put the pieces together tonight. Running out of time and only got one side...

[gainphile]

The finish in more natural light (daylight).

You can see a hit of sheen when placed on an angle (right speakers)

[antiphile]

Absolutely beautiful!

And I must admit I don't know an awful lot about the technical side of audio, but I'm guessing with the downward orientation of the lowest speakers, you know a lot more than many (or at least me!)

Cheers

[gainphile]

They're dipole firing loudspeakers so both woofers are moving in the opposite direction "pumping" the air forward and back (the backs are open too).

I found out that the finish looks excellent in natural light, but not so good in those indoor halogen light. The grains do not show articulately and the colours turn to reddish.

I wonder why.

Outdoor pic:

[antiphile]

Please wait for an experienced member's advice on this one because I would hate to think someone other than me might ruin all their good work on my hunch. But I would consider waiting four weeks (as per the instructions on my Feast Watson Tung Oil) to allow it to fully "dry" properly.

If it were still an issue under halogen lighting, I'd then put some coats of cabinetmakers wax or carnauba wax or similar.

Cheers
Phillip

All suggestions come with my standard "no care, no responsibility" policy!

[boneaus]

This is the unfinished baffle:

Are you concerned about splitting and warping? Very few commercial speakers use solid timber for the baffles. Even the expensive Sonus Faber speakers use solid wood strips for the other panels and mdf for the baffle. The strips have a special glued construction which makes them more predictable and consistent. The woofer driver are going to shake up the solid wood baffle a lot. They do look lovely though.

[gainphile]

Please wait for an experienced member's advice on this one because I would hate to think someone other than me might ruin all their good work on my hunch. But I would consider waiting four weeks (as per the instructions on my Feast Watson Tung Oil) to allow it to fully "dry" properly.

If it were still an issue under halogen lighting, I'd then put some coats of cabinetmakers wax or carnauba wax or similar.

Cheers
Phillip

All suggestions come with my standard "no care, no responsibility" policy!

Hmm interesting about that 4 weeks thing. I should have read the instruction. We'll see then.

[gainphile]

Are you concerned about splitting and warping? Very few commercial speakers use solid timber for the baffles. Even the expensive Sonus Faber speakers use solid wood strips for the other panels and mdf for the baffle. The strips have a special glued construction which makes them more predictable and consistent. The woofer driver are going to shake up the solid wood baffle a lot. They do look lovely though.

Not until you tell me .

I have zero experience with hardwood actually. What do you mean by "warping" are they going to bend or something ?

I intend to keep these speakers for many years..

[mrpedersen]

I found out that the finish looks excellent in natural light, but not so good in those indoor halogen light. The grains do not show articulately and the colours turn to reddish.

I wonder why.

Outdoor pic:

Outside you have the nature of the sun in full spectrum that catches the grain and reflects it as it is. Whereas artificial light has a subset of the true spectrum. If I want to find any tiny scatches , flaws from the 220 / 320 g sanding I'll take my project into the sunlight - sure does reveal !! The Ott lights are near natural by pricey.

They'll look good in any light, nice work.

glenn

[boneaus]

Not until you tell me .

I have zero experience with hardwood actually. What do you mean by "warping" are they going to bend or something ?

I intend to keep these speakers for many years..

It is just that natural timbers tend to move around as they dry out or absorb moisture. In a cabinet, the bracing effect of the glued up pieces holds everything tight. If you left a piece of timber standing upright like your baffle I wouldn't expect it to stay straight for long. It would depend on the timber moisture content and the enviroment. When hardwood beams are joined to make a frame they usually stay straight. With wooden instruments it is the joinery and glue that holds everything straight. I thought I could already see a crack in one of your pictures, or was it just a grain effect? Not trying to be negative because I would love to use timber in my speaker projects.