Getting wood cut and constructing a wedge shaped box

[Doki]

Am I right in thinking that most timber yards and B&Q will cut wood to size? I could do with making a fairly convoluted wedge shaped box, and having someone else do the hacking up would be very handy. Is this sort of thing normally charged per cut?

The other question is about the construction of the box - where the pointy end of the wedge meets, what's the best way to get a good join? I'm planning on using birch ply, and my current thoughts are to make a wedge shaped batten (baton?) from something that's not ply with a plane, then glue and screw the lot together, unless cutting a very neat angle at the end is simple.

[Dwayne & Angela]

I think they charge 50pence per cut with the first one or two free. however my local B&Q wont cut anything under 9inches because the cutter wont hold it securely and its debatable if they will do wedges etc. a wood yard may be your best bet.

[The Medway Handyman]

My experience of the numptys at B&Q is that they have enough trouble doing straight cuts properly - let alone angles :-)

I don't think their saws will do angles anyway.

[Brian G]

Doki,

I doubt if B&Q would do this sort of cutting - or even be able to.

The cutting and cleaning up the cuts will probably be the easy bit.

Depending on how complicated and small these boxes are - the setting out of them may be a bigger problem.

To get a good joint using hand tools - is as simple as using sharp tools (saw, plane, glasspaper etc) and a little patience, especially if you already have some practical skills.

What are they for and will the finished article be seen or covered in some sort of speaker cloth (I read the post about your speaker 'rings')?

Answering that question may make a 'neat joint' unnecessary and simple butt-joints and screw/nail fixings could be used.

Brian G

[Skipweasel]

Depends who you choose. There's a bloke called Clive at the Wednesbury branch who knows exactly what he's doing and makes a very good job of it while also being friendly and helpful.

Trouble is, he's not always there.

[Andy Hall]

B&Q will do but have panel saws. I don't believe that these have a variable angle for the blade.

A timber yard is more likely to have a panel saw with a tilting blade, which is really what's needed here.

What is the angle? If it's relatively large, then biscuit joining is a good way.

You could use the wedge batten idea, in which case the easy thing would be to get the angles on that cut on the table saw at the same time as the panels.

How big is the box to be?

[geoff]

In message , Doki writes

Why not just ask your local timber yard

They will be able to give you the answers you need

How can anyone here five a useful answer ?

[geoff]

In message , geoff writes

Oops - did a nat prat there

[nightjar]

Yes, but usually only simple cuts.

I would have thought your best bet would be a joinery company. They will have the equipment to do odd shapes and angles.

Colin Bignell

[mick]

I was charged 50p per cut recently at a local timber yard. I've no idea if they could do angled cuts though - I did my own (and not too brilliant a job either, I'm afaid!).

[Doki]

15" wide, 8" or so tall, 9" ish deep. The convolution is that there will be a channel up the centre of the box to allow it to fit around the seat adjustment runner.

It's going in the hollow underneath a car seat - almost in the car seat. The whole lot will be painted matte black and should be completely out of sight.

Aye. If there were a cheap and simple way of getting a mitred edge, it'd be nice, but aesthetics aren't important. What is important is that the box is well sealed.

[Doki]

15" wide, 8" or so tall, 9" ish deep. There's a very rough drawing here: centre channel would be about 3 inches wide or so. As I've said elsewhere, it'll be out of sight, so ease of construction and a fair amount of strength would be what I need.

[Andy Hall]

Making this on a table saw would be trivial - 10 - 20 minutes including the setups. The hardest bit would be calculating the angles. I've made something not too dissimilar myself in the past.

I presume that this needs to be good sound edges and air tight? Audio application?

At any rate, I would suggest (as I think Brian did), that you go to a local joinery firm and get them to cut all the bits for you. They can put on all of the angles, the lot, very easily.

As to putting it together, I think that with care, you could glue and screw it if you din't want to use biscuits, although drill pilot holes if you are using ply.

MDF might be another alternative, as long as it's otherwise suitable for the application.

[Doki]

Righto.

Thicker MDF would be suitable, but reducing the thickness of the board by using Ply with the same rigidity gives a big boost to internal volume on a small box like this.