Head/ Cab woodwork advice

[amplifiednation]

Table saws are the best!!! I have a vintage 3hp Powermatic 66...you could use it to build a house.

I think it took me well over a year to fully tool up my shop. But I have built over 500 cabs since then.

If you want to do box joints you are gonna need a saw that takes a dado and none of those cool job site saws have enough room on the arbor- so you would need a bigger saw.

I would recommend buying the cabs and have your way with the tolex and cloth.

[rp]

Nice outlet cover you made there, rp! I see you even put the center hole for the retaining screw. I don't understand why you didn't stain it!

[Shawnobi]

Had a bit of a result the weekend. The Brother in law (Who is a carpenter/joiner) came up to stay. After picking his brain he offerered to build it all for cost of wood if I give him a drawing. Score!

Thanks for everybodies advice on this. One more question I have. Is there a fixed gap to leave to allow for assembly once the tolex has been fitted?

[rp]

Is there a fixed gap to leave to allow for assembly once the tolex has been fitted?

You bet, grill cloth too. It's about 1/8 total for tolex, but I do this so infrequently I have to re-learn/calculate it every time. Get some scraps of the tolex you'll be using and measure in real space. Cloth backed tolex is thicker than the cheaper stuff. Grill cloth too varies much btwn thick basketweave and fender style. There's tolex edge to grill cloth edge to figure too. Unless you can get precise plans it's really best to have some actual scraps to give the carpenter friend so he really sees what's going on. You can play with scraps to work out cutting and folding your corners too. Even w/ plans it's best to dry-fit and play around first as 1/16 here or there can screw it all up, like when your baffle won't go in - ask how I know? Back panels too, tolex is double, and determines where you put the support baluster. I remember using laundry shirt cardboard as very approximate shims for all this.

There's also a ~1" furring strip to run along the baffle edge and little cleat for the Fender logo. There are measured drawings out there, if you google, mostly of tweeds though. Lots of image info if you google enough.

Don't use solvent based Weldwood laminate adhesive or 3M as it softens and stretches the tolex which will in time shrink back.

Figure out your baffle thickness and how floating you want it, it matters, try and find ~1/2 baltic birch which is like 7 layers. Otherwise use what you got but not the really cheap 4 layer stuff, which doesn't even hold staples well. Use pine for the box if you want to keep the Fender sound, but I'd avoid pine if you're making the cab closed back.