Building A Custom Subwoofer Box - It's Hip To Be Square- Atoz

We'll be starting this new column by concentrating on basics and simple fabrication techniques for the first few months. If you build subwoofer enclosures at home, you'll learn some different things that will help inject some flash into your builds without adding extra hours of labor.

Here we are building a simple rectangle enclosure using basic geometry to calculate its internal volume: base x height x width. After calculating the enclosure size (and remembering to include the wood thickness for our cut sheet), cut out the pieces from 3/4" MDF to assemble the enclosure.

Since you will be upholstering this enclosure with vinyl, use a 1" roundover router bit to give the edges of the enclosure a finished radius and also help with upholstery.

Correct any jigsaw imperfections with a sanding block and 80-grit sandpaper. This will now become the router template.

For this project I'm using a JL Audio W7 subwoofer that comes packaged with an MDF ring that can be used as a router guide. Before the hole is routed, trace its inside edge onto the face of the enclosure and trim it with a jigsaw, leaving 1/8" of material behind.

With a sanding block and 80-grit sandpaper, remove the router marks left behind from the roundover bit and any uneven edges so that no imperfections show up in the vinyl.

Using the template as a bearing guide, cut an exact duplicate oval out of 1/2" MDF.

Using small pieces of 3M double-sided tape, secure the supplied MDF ring to the face of the enclosure. Use a flush trim router bit to remove the excess material with the W7 ring as a bearing guide.

To give this enclosure some character, we will include an oval-shaped plaque inserted above the woofer. Start by drawing the shape on a piece of 1/2" MDF and carefully cut it out with a jigsaw.

The duplicated oval will be used for the enclosure. Applying 3M double-sided tape around the edges of the oval will compensate for the thickness of vinyl to be applied later.

Using a heat gun, apply heat to the ABS to form it perfectly around the tight radius at each end of the oval and finish with staples.