UPDATE January 2017: These kits are no longer for sale but I will leave the post up for reference.

This blog post serves as a repository of information regarding the flat-pack cabinet kit I am offering for the Overnight Sensations DIY speaker design by Paul Carmody. For the original plans, writeup and specifications please see Paul’s website.

I have taken Paul’s plans, which specify a material thickness of either 1/2″ or 3/4″, and adapted the design to the metric system using 16 mm material. ‘Overnight Sensations’ Speaker Build post details how I used this exact panel kit to produce my own set of speakers.

This kit consists of all the wooden panels required to build a pair of speakers similar to mine. The panels are accurately cut using a CNC router cut in 16 mm MDF.

Please click here to download a PDF version of this drawing, alternatively here for a complete Solidworks 3D model.

In order to complete the speakers, you will need to source some or all of the components listed in the following table, which are available from Parts Express and other online retailers. Please click here to download as an Excel document.

Assembly instructions for the cabinet are located at the end of this post.

Please note that if you want to chamfer the edges of the cabinets as I have done, you will require access to a hand router or router table fitted with a chamfering bit. Please see my ‘Overnight Sensations’ Speaker Build blog post for further detail.

Assembly instructions

The assembly instructions are relatively straight-forward.

Step 1

Use wood glue to attach the top, bottom and side panels together, ensuring that the joins are square and flush. Use clamps or tape to hold the panels in place until the glue is set.

Step 2

Apply glue to all four edges of the back panel and insert it into one end of the cabinet. Some light sanding may be required to get the back panel to fit nicely. Ensure that the back panel is flat and flush with all four edges of the other panels.

Step 3

Glue the front baffle to the front of the cabinet. Ensure that the cabinet and baffle are joined in the correct orientation. On the back panel, the larger (binding post cup) hole should be at the bottom, and on the front baffle the large (woofer) hole should also be located at the bottom. The front baffle is deliberately cut slightly oversized for reasons discussed in my ‘Overnight Sensations’ Speaker Build blog post. When attaching the baffle align it such that an equal amount of excess is on all four sides of the cabinet.

Finishing

The above three steps are all that is required to assemble the basic Overnight Sensations cabinet. As mentioned above, you may want to add extra features such as chamfers or rounds on the edges of the cabinets as I did, there is also a plethora of other finishing ideas available from other DIYers which a quick Google search will reveal.

Once you are ready for final finishing, I would also recommend sealing the entire outer of the cabinets prior to painting. This can easily be achieved by brushing on 1-3 coats of a 50/50 wood glue and water mixture, paying extra attention to the ‘furry’ edges and machined faces of the MDF board.

Be sure to fire me an email via the contact page showing your final results, I may even start adding them to this blog post as a gallery!