If you've got any finishing tips that might be of use to other users, please post them here!
My experience is mostly with gluing and finishing kits for spraypainting (Waplington stuff) and not with veneering, but if you have any questions I'll do my best to find answers for you.
General tips:+ Drybuild the kit first so you know exactly what's going on. If something doesn't fit well, don't force it - instead try flipping the panels around into a different configuration. We drybuild every kit in the factory before shipping, so you can be sure that it does go together correctly, but if you're having a lot of trouble getting things to work please get in touch.
+ More glue is almost always better than less glue
+ Gaps can be filled in a variety of ways, depending on how you're going to finish your speaker. If you plan to veneer your speaker you can just leave small gaps unfilled or use an inexpensive water-based filler such as Timbermate. For painted speakers you'll need something that dries hard, such as Builder's Bog (actual brand name) or automotive car putty. Be warned, automotive putty smells like absolute death and stains things really, really well, so be sure to wear some sort of dust mask, work outside, wear gloves, etc.
+ Clamps are your friend, use as many as you've got. When I find it I'll post a picture showing the number of clamps we use for Waplington finished stock, it's pretty ridiculous. If you don't have clamps you can obviously use bricks, phonebooks and so on.
+ If you're using wooden clamping blocks, avoid putting them directly on the kit's surface as they inevitably get glue on them and glue themselves to the kit. This is annoying, and can frequently cause damage to the wood surface of the kit when you try to chip them off. I personally recommend smooth plastic (eg. cut up icecream containers) or a few layers of paper in between the block and the kit.
+ The faceplate of a kit is obviously weaker than other sides, so take extra care when clamping this surface. Try using large clamping blocks to spread the force of the clamp evenly across the surface.
+ If you've got more than a couple of speakers to build, it's well worth investing in a cheap power sander and some sanding discs - sanding a whole package will take about 20 minutes instead of a whole afternoon. A "Random Orbital Sander" is probably the item to go for because it doesn't leave swirl/scratch patterns in the wood.
+ If you're going to paint your speakers, the smoother you can sand the surface, the better. We use an 80 grit disc then 120 and then 240 grit rotary sanding discs, followed by hand sanding with a 'superfine' sanding sponge, which gives a ridiculously smooth finish. Seriously, you could skate on it.
Routed edgesThe routed edge finish is pretty popular on painted kits, but can be expensive to do if you don't have the right equipment. Some customers have had success taking their cabinets to a local woodworker's and paying them to do it, but it's not hard to do yourself if you've got the time.
To start with you'll need a hand router such as
this offering from Black and Decker. You can also pick something inexpensive up at Cash Converters or a similar store.
You will also need a router bit; I very highly recommend one with a roller on the end, to reduce hassle and expletives. You will most likely want a
rounding over bit for the rounded edge finish, but there's no reason why you couldn't use a 45 degree bevel or whatever else floats your boat. While buying I'd suggest you bring your router along so you can make sure the bit will fit in it; if you buy a new router it'll probably come with a bunch of different collets ("adapter thingies") to fit different shank sizes ("router bit sizes").
The radius of the bit will depend on personal preference and on the kit you're routing - on our smaller kits (M4s, M5s) we use a 6mm radius bit, and 10mm on the larger kits (towers). Don't go too large or you can weaken the edges of the speaker cabinet.
There's not a lot to actually routing the cabinets, but make sure you calibrate the router correctly and do a bunch of test routs on a spare bit of MDF. Also wear safety glasses, earmuffs, a dust mask and some old clothes because you'll likely be
covered in sawdust by the end of it all.
Under the island, middle of a mountain / There is a big bad boomin' system
Blowin' speakers, woofers and tweeters / Amplifiers, melted wires
