This is the first of a series of instructional articles to teach the construction of a simple two-way speaker. This week we will focus on the construction of the enclosure. Please note that these instructions will walk you through making one enclosure.

Below you will see a list of parts necessary for construction.

1. one piece of 3/4 inch plywood; 12 by 7 inches. (top)
   
2. one piece of 3/4 inch plywood; 10.5 by 7 inches (bottom)
   
3. two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood; 17 by 7 inches (sides)
   
4. four pieces of scrap 3/4 plywood or 1 by 1 inch pine; 10.5 inches long (battens)
   
5. one piece of 3/4 inch plywood; 10.5 by 15.5 inches (driver board)
   
6. one piece of 3/4 inch plywood; 10.5 by 15.5 inches (back)
   
7. two pieces of 1 by 1 inch pine; 12 inches long (grille frame)
   
8. two pieces of 1 by 1 inch pine; 17 inches long (grille frame)
   
9. two pieces of 1 by 1 inch pine; 10.5 inches long (approx., measure to fit, as braces, grille frame support)
   
10. misc. 3d and 4d finishing nails, 2 inch wood screws, corrugated fasteners, wood glue, silicone caulking, fiberglass dampening material, wood stain, and medium grit sandpaper.
    
11. approx. 8-inch woofer (be sure that your woofer has an appropriate frequency crossover range with your tweeter)
    
12. approx. 1-inch tweeter

Note: as an alternative you can use 3/4 inch particle board and cover it with contact paper, paint, wood laminate, or veneer.

After all of your wood is cut to size, the next step involves mitering. The top and side pieces will be mitered so they can be butted together. You will only be mitering the top portion of the sides. The angle must be exactly 45 degrees on these pieces so that when it's assembled it can form perfect 90 degree angles. Use corrugated fasteners and wood glue to secure the mitered corners. Also, use a carpenter's square for accuracy.

Using 4d nails you can now assemble the top, sides, and bottom of your enclosure. Notice that the bottom should fit inside of the side pieces. Once the top, sides, and bottom are in place, reinforce them with the pine batten pieces. The mounting edge of the battens should be placed 3/4 inch in from the front and back surfaces of the top and bottom pieces. As a result of the small workspace within the enclosures, these pieces should be joined together with wood glue and wood screws.

At this point, sand the wood surfaces with medium grit sandpaper.

On the driver board, mark the holes for the speakers. Since every speaker is different, the measurements of the holes will be different for everyone. In my project I will be using an eight-inch woofer and a one-inch tweeter. Always start with a small hole and adjust it accordingly if it needs to be bigger. You can always make a hole bigger but you can never make it smaller.

After cutting the holes and testing the size with the speakers, mark the locations of the speaker screws and drill holes using an appropriate drill bit.

This concludes the basic construction of the enclosure. At this point you can varnish, paint, or cover your enclosure as you see fit and we will continue next week by constructing the grill, caulking the enclosure, and placing the insulation.