Yeah, I was thinking dominos but worried the treated 4x4s would shrink down and cause issues with solid connections to hardwood.

Wood doesn't appreciably move lengthwise, so you can minimize the effect from wood movement by constructing accordingly.

Yeah, my concern was the 4x4s shrinking/twisting while glued to a non-stretching hardwood in the middle. I think an inset domino job will be the best way to go…if I can remember how to do one of those. 

Or maybe a welded steel holder for it. 

4x4's should be pretty stable. Softwood doesn't move any more than hardwood. But if it is a concern, you can build your own stable 4x4's from 2x12's using this trick:

 

 

If I end up getting the sign built without a disaster, any stand will be acceptable. 

Finished the biggest pocket and moved to the second largest, which is on the opposite side of the sign from the other and the CNC just screamed back to the middle of the big one and was going to try to cut it there. 

Everything runs right in simulation so I have no idea what I have screwed up. 

12 minutes ago, VPI said:

If I end up getting the sign built without a disaster, any stand will be acceptable. 

Finished the biggest pocket and moved to the second largest, which is on the opposite side of the sign from the other and the CNC just screamed back to the middle of the big one and was going to try to cut it there. 

Everything runs right in simulation so I have no idea what I have screwed up. 

Saying that part of the G-code cut right then it went somewhere is shouldn’t have?

Nope. Never started, I stopped it when I saw it go way past the part of the sign it was supposed to be doing and was about to put my street number right in the top part of the lake.  Half the sign away from where it was supposed to start. 
 

Check where you have the origin set in V-Carve and where you have it set on the machine. 

Bottom left, just like it was on the lake and everything else as I think it is set once for the whole project. 
 

 

1 minute ago, VPI said:

Bottom left, just like it was on the lake and everything else as I think it is set once for the whole project. 
 

 

If it models right but it’s going somewhere else something isn’t set right. It’s a dumb machine and does what it’s told. 

I am going to turn it off and turn it back on again.  It was a full 7.5 inches too Y but the X seemed close.  Had it return it it's X,Y Zero and it went right where it was supposed to.

Edited May 14, 20224 yr by VPI

Seems like the old IT trick worked. 

 

 

Wrapping up the yard sign with Total Boat Halcyon varnish all day today. 

The only thing that will not be completely sealed is the sides  where they will domino/glue into the 4x4s. Should I varnish the outside edges of the side to keep this waterproof or will a tight glue up with Tb3 be sufficient?

General rule of thumb (that I've been taught anyway) is that to the maximum extent possible finish all sides of the piece the same.  The hope is that it helps to avoid warping/twisting/cracking from uneven moisture absorption or loss.  

Regardless, it looks great.

1 hour ago, VPI said:

Wrapping up the yard sign with Total Boat Halcyon varnish all day today. 

The only thing that will not be completely sealed is the sides  where they will domino/glue into the 4x4s. Should I varnish the outside edges of the side to keep this waterproof or will a tight glue up with Tb3 be sufficient?

I would seal it all the same except for the domino holes (if you already made them) and let the TB3 seal those. Make sure you don’t use the beech dominos, they make ones specifically for outdoor/wet use. 

I agree with both the smart men above.

Edited May 22, 20224 yr by swt61

On a different note, has anyone used Valchromat yet? It has some properties that I could find plenty of uses for. With the color throughout, multiple colors and the resin core, I can see this as a great medium for speaker builds as just one promising option. Also all kinds of shop jigs, tablesaw sleds, sacrificial fences, splining jigs and so many others.

 

Edited May 22, 20224 yr by swt61

Good point on the Sipo dominos. Had to order those online as no one local has them. 

More delays as the cold front we are having here is making everything go really slowly. Garage is hovering around 55 degrees and no heat in the forecast until next weekend at this point. Made pouring epoxy resin a pain in the ass. 

16 minutes ago, VPI said:

Good point on the Sipo dominos. Had to order those online as no one local has them. 

More delays as the cold front we are having here is making everything go really slowly. Garage is hovering around 55 degrees and no heat in the forecast until next weekend at this point. Made pouring epoxy resin a pain in the ass. 

Time for a mini-split. I installed a Mr. Cool in mine and so far it’s been great. 

Must resist the sexual inuindos in that statement. Having great difficulty!

On 5/22/2022 at 11:21 AM, swt61 said:

On a different note, has anyone used Valchromat yet? It has some properties that I could find plenty of uses for. With the color throughout, multiple colors and the resin core, I can see this as a great medium for speaker builds as just one promising option. Also all kinds of shop jigs, tablesaw sleds, sacrificial fences, splining jigs and so many others.

 

Cool. I would love to try that out on a speaker build!

I don't know how it glues up. I believe it is compressed with epoxy, so it may need to be glued together with epoxy. But then it's just a matter of clear coating, or no coat for a flat finish.

The guy in the video runs this outfit https://www.lathamtimber.co.uk/products , and sells a whole lot of interesting decorative products including Valchromat. Different thicknesses and panel sizes.

Wonder what the acoustic properties are like? How dead etc.

Just seen this on his site "Please note: due to the nature of our business and our delivery vehicles, we are unable to supply to the general public."

Edited May 24, 20224 yr by Craig Sawyers

5 hours ago, swt61 said:

I don't know how it glues up. I believe it is compressed with epoxy, so it may need to be glued together with epoxy. But then it's just a matter of clear coating, or no coat for a flat finish.

I would probably build a open baffle speaker with a full ranger with an integrated h-frame or dipole sub. I have been wanting to try something called a slot load as well:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/0911/slot_loaded_open_baffle_speaker.htm