# What to use for Speaker Cabinet?



## TexasGator (Apr 2, 2015)

Hello everyone! I'm quite enexperienced with the router though I do posess some woodworking skill. I've built a speaker cabinet but I've ran up against a wall and was hoping you all could help.

I made a simple circle cutting jig as you can see here:










It's not the greatest but I think it will suffice for my purposes.

My problem comes in because I need to cut this hole a certain way. The entire diameter of the circle needs a 3/4" rabbet(or lip) all the way around it. It also needs to be an 1/8" deep. Just like my crude illustration:










What bit do I need to purchase and what is the absolute best way to go about this? I have a Ryobi 2hp Plunge Router that I'm less than thrilled with but it will be making the cut.

Thanks in advance for any help.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Your circle jig looks perfectly workable so use it and a 3/4 straight bit. You'll need to pin your speaker material to a sacrificial work top for safety. Otherwise, at the moment you part the circle loose it and the router will start bouncing around inside the cut out which is not good. So Drive a nail into the sacrificial top where you want the circle but for the radius of the rabbet. Then pull the nail and set it in the hole for your circle and drive it back through the original nail hole and cut your circle out.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Matt, Welcome to the Forum!

You've got a couple of different ways to do this.

First way, buy a bearing guided rabbeting bit. Cut the diameter of the thru hole using a straight cutter, and then use the rabbeting bit to make the rabbet.

Second way- No bit to buy other than a straight cutter. Cut the rabbet first using your handy dandy circle jig. After that shallow groove is cut, reposition your jig and cut the thru hole.

Be careful, once you start making speakers, you seem to have to make a lot of them. They financed a bunch of my tools early on.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Matt I've done that many times with my makita plunge router that is attached to a circle cutter jig. But it has a variable amount of adjustment . First I drill my 1/8" hole in the center as my jig has a 1/8" pin , and would set the plunge for the depth and do that inset or rabbit (not sure what it's called lol) at the outside perimeter , then after I have set the distance enough times to get that reccessed part done , I'd proceed to cut out the inner perimeter where the woofer drops in . Sorry if makes no sense lol


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Hello Matt welcome to the forum.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

G'day Matt, welcome to the forum.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

You might also consider cutting the rabbet first making it about 7/8" wide, larger to the inside radius then use jig saw to cut the center out. The extra 1/8" will leave you room for the blade and you can use the inside edge of the rabbet as your guide. This will not affect your final dimensions...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

clamp/anchor you panel to a piece of scrap and countersink screw the waste to the scrap also... you don't want it coming loose on the throug cut..
drill the center of the circle through to the scrap and insert a snug fitting roll pin through the panel into the scrap...
set your adjusted circle jig onto the roll pin and cut your rebate (rabbet) for depth...
reset the circle jig for the final hole size and cut...
RO (round over) the inside edge of the rebate aka rabbet..


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Matt.


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## TexasGator (Apr 2, 2015)

Thanks for all the welcomes!

Thank you very much everyone for your help. It helped tremendously. I ended up using a straight bit with an 1/8 height and just making 3 concentric passes. Then went ahead and cut out the hole for the driver.

Good advice on using sacrificial wood otherwise I think wood would've went flying.

I think a little of it had to do with just mustering up the courage to just do it and you guys helped me get there.

Here's a some pics of the progress:










and putting in some threaded wood inserts as well:










Certainly not the prettiest but it's all functional.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

#1 rule - it has to be safe 
#2 rule - it has to work. 

You've successfully satisfied rules #1 and #2.


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