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How to flush mount loudspeaker drivers on a baffle? (with or without router)

Peter StrassackerDr. Peter Strassacker
involved in loudspeaker design for 25 years
Books on material and field research
speaker development

Baffle with flush mounted loudspeaker drivers
Peter Strassacker interviewed by
Frank Kleiber (8/2006).
 

Frank:
So, how do I flush mount a loudspeaker driver on a baffle?
 Oberfraese

... with router ...

Peter:
Using a router , the outline of the driver has to be shaped first. The following tools may be employed as a guide:
- for circular drivers an arbour to draw a circle
- for rectangular ribbons a board that is attached to the baffle with screw clamps;
- for other shapes a stencil has to be built

In any case, first the groove has to be cut, only afterwards the hole for the driver is cut-out. The picture on the right shows the individual steps from top to bottom.
 

... without router ...
 
Frank:
I don't own a router. What can I do?ohne Oberfraese

Peter:
In the past I didn't have a router either. But even then I had a few options:

The most popular method is to assemble the baffle using two boards. The lower, thicker board holds the driver. The second board, glued on top of the bottom one, makes sure that the drivers eventually are flush with the surface. The procedure: the driver should be placed facedown on the top board. Using a pencil, draw the outline of the driver. The use a jigsaw to cut-out the outline of the driver, making sure that the pencil line is not touched. Finally, when all drivers fit perfectly, the top board is glued to the bottom board that holds the drivers.
 
Frank:
Are there any other methods? Actually, I don't feel like sawing that much.ohne Oberfraese

Peter:
Some bass drivers like e.g. by Mivoc or Newtronics don't require to be embedded or mounted countersunk since they are quite flat. In that case it makes sense to use different methods for bass drivers and tweeters. For the tweeter the twin-board method could be used, for the bass drivers this won't be necessary. If the rim of the tweeter is quite high, the tweeter section would be protruding. The solution is to use a board for the bass driver section that is exactly the thickness of both boards of the tweeter section.
 
Frank:
... and if I am not so good at woodworking?aus dem ADM-Magazin von Udo Wohlgemuth

Peter:
Well, in this case just use cellular rubber instead of the second board. The cutting of the bottom panel is not critical since the driver will eventually cover the hole. The cellular rubber layer is attached to the bottom panel with double-sided adhesive tape. The drivers are placed facedown on the rubber, the outline is drawn or immediately cut with a carpet knife. Finally the rubber covering the driver cut-out is removed. The cellular rubber layer has to have a gauge that it is flush with the edges of the cabinet. Instead of cellular rubber, imitation leather or other attractive materials could be used.
 
Frank:
Great, with these instructions everyone should be able to mount drivers countersunk ...

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