SDA CRS in zebrawood

[mwelna]

Inspired by many of you here I decided to embark on a veneering project with a pair of SDA CRS's i picked up on CL. The vinyl veneer was peeling and had sustained numerous scars undoubtedly from some wild 80's parties (cigarette burns, candle wax, razor blade scuffs, etc..). Here is the result. What a fun project. I never would have done it without you guys.
Thanks,
-mark

[strider]

Very nice. Did you use edge banding for the piece under the grill? Would you mind describing how you went about finishing the veneer? Thanks,

Ben

[Lasareath]

Very Nice Job Mark!

Is that a swiss army logo on the driver?

[wingnut4772]

Dems is purdy.

[mwelna]

thanks!!
I couldn't find banding in zebrawood so all of the pieces came from a 2' x 8' piece of paperbacked veneer. I started on the front with strips of veneer that i cut off the oversized pieces from the sides, bottom, and top. I used a utility knife to make cuts prior to application and a veneer edge trimmer that i bought at a wood working shop to trim off the excess after application. The hardest part was the "lower lip" that the grill sits above. I wasn't sure if i would be able to successfully veneer this piece or not and thought that i might have to recreate it out of a solid piece of wood, but in the end with the iron an the steam setting I was able to veneer the lip and it turned out pretty nice. (I used a heat activated veneering glue that made positioning easier and basically ironed the veneer on). The finish is 8 layers of a semi-gloss tung oil........

[mwelna]

Yeh...........swiss army. A prior owner took it upon themself to put a sticker on one of the drivers?? Hard to know what some people are thinking....

[Lasareath]

Yeh...........swiss army. A prior owner took it upon themself to put a sticker on one of the drivers?? Hard to know what some people are thinking....

LOL, maybe he enjoyed watching the logo bounce back and forth when listening to music!

[Face]

Nice job!

[engtaz]

Very nice job. Well done.

engtaz

[SolidSqual]

All this veneering in the forum lately is too cool. What a great way to make vintage speakers look brand new.

[dorokusai]

Excellent work.

[steveinaz]

Pimp my Polk's; good job man.

[SolidSqual]

Pimp my Polk's; good job man.

I think this would be a good idea for a polk contest.

[F1nut]

Very nice!

[zingo]

That looks amazing and good work!

[Boywonder]

Very nice. I love zebrawood. :p

[mwelna]

Thanks everyone. I think it was your post, boywonder, where i first read about veneering. Then there was another great step by step veneering post about some Klipsch Heresy's in zebrawood....and i couldn't help but give my CRS's a new suit.

[janmike]

Nice job. Well done.

[shadowofnight]

Damn fine job....I've done everything else in woodworking except veneering.

I have a new sub enclosure @ 9Cu Ft in raw MDF, could I use multiple sheets and get it to LOOK seemless...or would I have to find larger pieces for seemless sides ?

That is an awesome veneer you picked.

[BrettT1]

They look great. Nice job.

[dcmeigs]

Very nice. Congrats. Zebra is a great look!

[Boywonder]

Damn fine job....I've done everything else in woodworking except veneering.

I have a new sub enclosure @ 9Cu Ft in raw MDF, could I use multiple sheets and get it to LOOK seemless...or would I have to find larger pieces for seemless sides ?

That is an awesome veneer you picked.

Most veneer at my local hardwoods store comes in 4' x 8' sheets. They'll sell the whole sheet, half the sheet (either 2x8 or 4x4), or a quarter sheet.

Not all of the insanely exotic stuff comes in full sheets, and I'd be too scared to glue them on based on the $$. Pretty much everything is available in 2' wide sheets.

[shadowofnight]

Most veneer at my local hardwoods store comes in 4' x 8' sheets.


Damn....thanks for the info.....I was just afraid of visible seams. I will check my local stores...if not off to the big city. I did just want a nice Oak to match everything else, but if freaky is avail....sounds good too :)

[Lasareath]

I was thinking that maybe they would look good with yellow grilles

[geoff727]

Those are some classy looking CRS's. Do you all think we should have a sticky that consists of Polks that have had some fancy woodwork, and maybe upgraded crossovers? Something like that? Sal could post some pics of his SRS's, I could repost some pics of my -1C's. Boywonder could post some pics of his 10's, mwelna could put up these CRS's, etc, etc, etc. Kind of as an "ideas and projects" sticky. Just a thought.

[geoff727]

I really like that veneer around the bottom lip. Mark, can you post some more?

[dcmeigs]

Aren't those edge trimmers cool. I think they are essential.

I was wondering about the vinyl removal. Did you use a heat gun and putty knife? How time consuming was it?

[mwelna]

Edge trimmers are great but work best with super sharp blades......don't be afraid to buy some extras when you get your trimmer. I didn't get extras and went to several hardware stores looking for blades that would work and they didn't have them. Ended up going back to the woodworking store. I didn't worry about matching the corners because my research suggested that with the "heat lock" glue that the veneer would shrink making matching difficult. That wasn't the case in my experience although I did pre iron the veneer (covered with a sheet) to try to preshrink it. I'll take more pics of the "lip" tonight. For that piece i put heavy masking tape over the lip to cut as a pattern, peeled it off after it was cut, taped the pattern to the veneer, and cut around the tape. One piece for the curved front, one piece for the top, and two trapazoidal shaped pieces for the ends. Removing the vinyl was the most tiresome part of the job. I used my hands and a heat gun. With the right amount of heat you can get most of a side off in one piece just pulling. Once it starts tearing you're in for some frustration. It sure was nice getting that ugly vinyl off though. I was thinking maybe leopard print grills...

[mwelna]

Oh........it took me about 3 beers per speaker to get the vinyl off. I would have been sitting around looking at stereo equipment anyway :)

[treitz3]

Those look sweet as hell dude! Nice job.

[Mike Reeter]

Those are breath taking for sure...Beautiful job,I bet they sound as good as they look also.

[F1nut]

I removed the nasty vinyl from my CRS+'s using the same heatgun, hand method when I upgraded them to 4.1TL's. I never did get around to reveneering them. Now, I'm almost inspired to actually put some veneer on my 4.1TL's.........almost.

[ben62670]

I removed the nasty vinyl from my CRS+'s using the same heatgun, hand method when I upgraded them to 4.1TL's. I never did get around to reveneering them. Now, I'm almost inspired to actually put some veneer on my 4.1TL's.........almost.

Like a shoe maker who's kids have no shoes:(

[F1nut]

Yeah, like that......LOL

[dcmeigs]

I rescued a pair of absolutely minty fresh RTA 11Ts with boxes off CL. Been in the guys closet for years. Problem is they are vinyl. I plan to strip these and cover them with veneer. I live walking distance to Woodworkers Source and they have a great selection.

I have not used the iron on type. Always used contact cement. Did the veneer stick well? Feel confident they will not delaminate?

[Ackaroth]

razor blade scuffs

I laughed :p

[33535403]

I have 2 pairs of SDA CRS (the second one -just got it last week in eBay but arrived with pre-existing busted voice coil on the stereo midwoofer and a bad cap but was fixed by Paul (replaced MW with new from Polk, )

I am planning to redo my speaker cabinets too but I will be using real wood (solid oak) and just wrap it around the old cabinet using 'liquid nails'. I will make it like my LSi9, black on top and cherry on the sides so that they will be matching in color. I am planning to use the "Pour-on Envirotech" piano finish that I usually use on my wall clock and table projects (just have to find time with my busy schedule)

I also have a just modified Apt Holman and will put wooden sides to make it look wider. This guy Paul (now retired) is a super guy, used to work in a big computer firm, and trained by NASA in electronics and soldering techniques. Tried the preamp this pm and still listening to it ( to break it in you have to turn it on, playing for 2 hours then off. Let it cool off for a few minutes and turn it back on again until you reach 50 hours). This Apt Holman is now my best preamp and is for keeps (now worth almost 1K including Blackgate & Solen mods (72 parts removed and replaced with upgrades). This guy Paul is amazing-specializes in Tube-type electronics, guitar amps, and Hi-Fi equipment.

He also did a mod on my Hafler DH-500 with Sprague caps upgrade, new gold plated RCA jacks and upgraded the power cord. I have numerous vintage stuff and decided to spend a lot of $$ for upgrades instead of buying inferior new stuff. Now my equipment is good for another 20 years or so.

I have a Monitor 4 which I ocassionaly drive with DH-500 and TransNova
P-3000 and never have problems with it. Of course I have my volume way down to be sure that it will not fry my tiny speakers.

[F1nut]

I am planning to redo my speaker cabinets too but I will be using real wood (solid oak) and just wrap it around the old cabinet using 'liquid nails'. I will make it like my LSi9, black on top and cherry on the sides so that they will be matching in color. I am planning to use the "Pour-on Envirotech" piano finish that I usually use on my wall clock and table projects (just have to find time with my busy schedule)

Ugh!!!

[dcmeigs]

How'bout use chrome diamond plate for the sides and mirrored endcaps.:D Mirror solves the razor blade scuff issues too.

[33535403]

Ugh!!!

I changed my plan:

There's a couple of convicts on death row that are selling their tatooed skin after the lethal injection. I think I'll buy those and wrap it around my speaker cabinets.

[trubluluc]

Did you take pics along the way in the process?

-Luc

[mwelna]

No process pictures............didn't even think about it. The manufacturer of the "heat-loc" glue claims it creates a stonger bond then contact cement. It seems to bond well to me, we'll see how it holds up over time. There won't be any plants on my SDA's!! I purchased the glue from veneer supplies .com. They also have a nice assortment of paperback and "raw" veneers.
-mark

[Malisaw]

Hi all. I am the proud new owner of a pair of SDA CRS's, with stands...which apparently is a good thing! I stumbled on them at a garage sale sitting next to a larger looking pair of Klipsch's. Not being an audiophile or knowing much about either really..I decided to go with the Polks. After some research around the net on SDA CRS's I see I made the right decision...quite a cult following! I also picked up a nice Denon receiver (around the same vintage...or 5 or so years later....)

SDA CRS's - 50$
Denon Recvr 25$

Couldn't be more pleased!!!!!! Both or working and in nice shape...with the exception of some understandable age/wear on the speakers. Which explains my ending up on this page!!

Now that all that's out of the way....the big question you've all been waiting for....

Is veneer available in burl / burled wood? I would think that would be a great look for these speakers. Also, I'll need to re-cover/re-do the grills as the look like a kitten might have pawed at them 4-5 times in the speakers lifetime. Not bad..just not beautiful enough to coordinate with the sound these things produce!

[Lasareath]

Hi Malisaw!,

Welcome to Club Polk & Congrats on finding a pair of CRS's for so cheap!!!

If you search google you will find tons of veneer dealers, I found a place once that sold like 330 different types of wood veneers.

Good Luck and make sure you take pictures along the way.

Lasareath



http://www.veneersupplies.com/default.php?cPath=51_89&osCsid=25e25ee384dccf1d4101757d4e5c3fe4

[george daniel]

very nice work sir

[strider]

Hi all. I am the proud new owner of a pair of SDA CRS's, with stands...which apparently is a good thing! I stumbled on them at a garage sale sitting next to a larger looking pair of Klipsch's. Not being an audiophile or knowing much about either really..I decided to go with the Polks. After some research around the net on SDA CRS's I see I made the right decision...quite a cult following! I also picked up a nice Denon receiver (around the same vintage...or 5 or so years later....)

SDA CRS's - 50$
Denon Recvr 25$

Couldn't be more pleased!!!!!! Both or working and in nice shape...with the exception of some understandable age/wear on the speakers. Which explains my ending up on this page!!

Now that all that's out of the way....the big question you've all been waiting for....

Is veneer available in burl / burled wood? I would think that would be a great look for these speakers. Also, I'll need to re-cover/re-do the grills as the look like a kitten might have pawed at them 4-5 times in the speakers lifetime. Not bad..just not beautiful enough to coordinate with the sound these things produce!

Nice score. Check out the selection of veneers at Veneer Supplies.com (http://www.veneersupplies.com/)

You'll find enough choices to make your head spin. The guy that owns that also has a very informative website called Joe Woodworker that pretty much walks you through the steps of veneering. Have fun, but don't get mad at me if you fall in love with veneer costing 5 times the amount you paid for the speakers.

[dcmeigs]

I don't know where you live but if you can find a local woodworking supply house they usually have large map drawers filled with veneers. Veneer is not a commodity, it pays to select the grains you like. Especially with burls.

Those are relatively small cabinets so take all that cash you saved on that killer deal and plow it into veneer. Later, after you are hooked, we'll tell you about capacitor$.

BTW- do you get the interconnect cable with the speakers?

[Malisaw]

Thank you everyone!

I will certainly post before/after pics when I get around to doing it... have a good bit of research to do before I start this little project.

I did not receive the interconnect cables with the speakers, but after I got home and looked up on the net what I had actually purchased..I quickly ordered a cable from Polk. I did read and understand what the cable actually connects.. and I know I did not have to buy a cable for that price - but wanted to get one from Polk anyway and do it correctly.

The (what do you call it...Sonic Sound Stage?) is remarkable. I spent quite some time listening to various selections with and without the interconnect cable. In most cases it's like listening to something totally different. It reminds me of when I first got surround sound and watched a movie I had previously seen --- seemed like a totally different movie and I ended up rewatching all my favorites in surround sound!

[engtaz]

Great work. Thanks for posting pics.

engtaz

[dcmeigs]

The (what do you call it...Sonic Sound Stage?) is remarkable. I spent quite some time listening to various selections with and without the interconnect cable. In most cases it's like listening to something totally different. It reminds me of when I first got surround sound and watched a movie I had previously seen --- seemed like a totally different movie and I ended up rewatching all my favorites in surround sound!


Oh yeah, you're hooked. :D

[Boywonder]

Malisaw: Congrats on your new speakers and welcome to the club! You have expensive taste; pretty much any veneer that's burl anything is "top- shelf". Look around locally for hardwood specialty stores, it's worth it to pick the sheets yourself if you are spending big bucks for the veneer.

Here is a post on reveneering a pair of monitor 10's:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61901&highlight=veneering

Enjoy and have fun.