My Bass trap build

[takman]

First step:

i went to the local lumberyard. I originally wanted to make them out of real wood, but the only thing i could get was an inch thick, so it wasnt going to work... i decided to use the same MDF that i made my wall panels out of. They have a machine that will make precise cuts, so i had them cut all the pieces there.

Next, i drew the design i wanted onto two pieces which were to become my templates. Originally i had come up with a more complicated design, thankfully i decided on the more simple design, because the complicated one would have been way too much work.




Then i cut the holes in templates with a hole saw. If you are going to do this with MDF, you have to have a drill with low RPMS and a lot of torque. MDf doesnt like anything high speed, drills, router etc.....it creates a lot of smoke ( which i am sure is not good for you) and it burns as well. Luckily i had the perfect drill. Also, need to do it in an area with a lot of air circulation.




I also had a gas mask, which helped out considerably.




Templates cut and ready to go.




Using the template to make another piece. I started out using the template to make a copy one at a time, then two, then finally three...which made for less time setting up.





Six grueling super tedious seemed like it was never going to end hours later...all 260 holes done. ( the MDF is pain to cut holes in!)



At first i was dismayed to see that the MDF was black where the hole had been cut...but later this worked out to be nice, because it gave it a cool look....



All the pieces cleaned up and sanded.



Marking out where the bracket and holes will go. i then used this piece as my template for drilling the holes in the others.

[takman]

I countersunk all the holes so the screws would sit flush.



Al the pieces holes drilled and countersunk ready for assembly.



I assembled the frame on left over MDF that i had to ensure the frame would be flush and square. I used another piece of leftover MDF as a straight edge. I applied pressure to the straight edge and the two piece of the frame with my hand as i drilled the holes. You could also use a clamp too.




first one done!




Time for the brackets. When i installed the brackets, they were causing the frame to bow in the middle, so i took the bracket, laid it on some crap wood with its butt in the air, and gave it a few whacks with the hammer, then checked it against the frame until i was flush on both ends....then it wasnt causing the frame to bow when i screwed it in with the short screws i bought. i could have done it without the brackets, but i like the extra strength it gave to the frame.



All the frames with brackets installed. i had intended to paint them, but i then decided the raw look of the MDf with the black holes was going to look good.



Next was the fabric for the side holes. i cut the piece of fabric to size, then i stapled the end near the brackets with two staples, then gave it a light stretch and put two staples on the opposite side near to the bracket, then stapled the top, then a light stretch and finsihed it off with the bottom. then gave the staples a light whack with the hammer to ensure they were all seated ( i did this to nearly all the staples i used thoroughout the project)





I then went back to the lumberyard and had the guy cut me pieces of MDf that were only 3mm thick. exactly half the depth of the staples i had.These were to be the frame that made the front grille. If i were to do this again, i would had bought longer staples and made the piece thicker ( some of split a little when stapling), but it still worked out fine.




Next, layout the grille frame on flat surface, and cut them before you start with the fabric. If these arent precisely cut and flush with the trap frame, it will show. The pieces were so thin i just cut them with pair of dikes.

[takman]

lay the material in. when you are installing the grill framing, take your time and make sure each piece is flat and straight before you start stapling. Start with one like so, then do the opposite. applying a light stretch ( dont over do it!) and then staple the frame in. The first one i did i stretched it too tight. When you install the insulation, it puts a little tension on the fabric. plus if you stretch it too much, it causes the frame to bow in the middle. be ready to remove some staples to fix little spots that have slack once all 4 pieces are installed.



The first one i tried using two brackets on the longest sides, thinking that the insulation would need the support. But between the frame being slighty undersized ( i designed it that way ) and the fabric from the grille, the insulation is secure, even when you hang them upside down as if i were going to install them as a ceiling cloud. So i ditched the brackets for support, they were a pain to install anyways, and it looked better without them.

once the grille is in, trim the excess fabric and install the insulation ( i used two pieces of 2" thick insulation)




Then cover the back with fabric. I just stapled it to the outside perimeter of the frame. Giving it a good stretch when stapling it, then stretching it while triming the excess caused the overhang to curl back on itself, keeping it away from the edges and out of site. You can also tuck it in like i have seen members do. but these are going on a 10ft ceiling and the fabric is the same color as the ceiling, so it didnt matter either way.




and 20 hours of labor later..THEY ARE DONE!

[icelandgifts]

Fantastic job!

[PaulP]

Nice work and great post

Please let us know how your room sounds once they're installed.

Paul P

[Glenn Kuras]

wow those do look GREAT!!!!!

[takman]

thx for the compliments....thumbsup

ceiling cloud is up next...probably going to finish it this week...ill post some pics of it here when im done...thumbsup

[thehobbster]

These look fantastic. I hope mine come out as refined.

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by takman

thx for the compliments....thumbsup

ceiling cloud is up next...probably going to finish it this week...ill post some pics of it here when im done...thumbsup

BTW I wanted to point out that if you are making 2" reflection panels it is not as important to cut out the sides (not a bad thing if you do, but just trying to save you time). Now for the bass traps I HIGHLY recommend it as it add 50% of absorbing surface.

[Arksun]

Originally Posted by Glenn Kuras

BTW I wanted to point out that if you are making 2" reflection panels it is not as important to cut out the sides (not a bad thing if you do, but just trying to save you time). Now for the bass traps I HIGHLY recommend it as it add 50% of absorbing surface.

At what frequency point would the side holes not make much difference as the soundwaves would pass right through the wood anyways, everything below say 200hz?

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by Arksun

At what frequency point would the side holes not make much difference as the soundwaves would pass right through the wood anyways, everything below say 200hz?

Hard to say on that, but the point is that the sides can add up to 50% more absorption so keeping them as open possible is always a good thing.

[takman]

ya, i had finished the reflection panels before i did the bass traps....and there are no holes on the sides....dont really want to go through making the holes again anyways....friggen nightmare.

Just finished the framing on the ceiling cloud...i think its going to come out even better than the bass traps thumbsup

[Weasel9992]

Man...just have to add my voice to the chorus. Those panels look absolutely fantastic.

Frank

[FredYeah]

Errr. Likewise. Fantastic looking panels!
Man, you put some serious effort into that!

[takman]

Almost finished with the cloud ... came out looking almost professional quality....IMO anyways thumbsup

Just have to finish up the wiring for the LED lights tommorow and its complete....stay tuned for the final pics....

Now i just need to decide on what design for the corner chunks...

[Weasel9992]

Nice cloud...I frickin' LOVE where you live though. I'd never get any work done because I'd be out on the patio enjoying the view.

Frank

[takman]

Originally Posted by Weasel9992

Nice cloud...I frickin' LOVE where you live though. I'd never get any work done because I'd be out on the patio enjoying the view.

Frank

ya, its winter and it was like 70 degrees out today....

if you ever come to this part of the world, come stay at our family owned hotel...

http://www.seaviewsuites.net/

heres the real view...

just for you frank

BTW i accidently delete my good pics ( clear crisp days where you could see the mountains in the distance..but you get the idea from these pics)



my little private beach on the other side of the mountain behind my house...( well its not private but theres hardly anyone ever there)



10 min walk from the house..

[PaulP]

Originally Posted by takman

ya, its winter and it was like 70 degrees out today....

Cruel !!

Paul P

[Weasel9992]

Wow. Just...wow. How do you get *anything* done?

Frank

[takman]

ya...well...

the thing is that most people in this country dont get anything done

I moved here about a year and half ago from california to live with my dad, and things are reaaaal slow round here...

greece is known for its laid back, relaxing...loungin' around etc..

but me...i gotta get stuff done.

[takman]

well, gotta wait till monday to finish the ceiling cloud....

in the meantime i built a corner chunk, and mounted one of the bass trap..

The chunk (A.K.A The Monolith). The frame is open on every corner and will be mounted 3" away from the wall behind listening position, and 2" in the front wall..I have yet to get a definitive answer on whether building it with the open frame and mounting it with a gap is better than just filling the corner...but we will see...





The mounting of the bass trap turned out to be a real pain....The crown moulding was right in my way...and the celing joist ran parallel to the trap.....so i had to make a mounting system that worked with the crown moulding...plus I had to make it heavy duty for two reasons.....

#1 being that the bass trap will be directly over the head of my bed...and if it fell during the night whilst i was sleeping, it could split my head open

#2 Greece gets half of all the earthquakes in europe. There has been at least 15 small earthquakes here since i came a little over a year go..

So between that and the crown moulding =

Anyways...theres about a 1/4 gap between the trap and the ceiling, and the trap is angled slightly down more towards the floor ( its not straddling the corner equally)....is this going to cause a problem? Its the best its going to be anyways...










Heres a pic of the bass trap, and the rear wall aborber ( just sitting on my bed for now) and.....look closely now...yep the monolith in the left corner..the fabric i wrapped it in is nearly the same color as the walls.

[takman]

got a question for you guys....

should i make all the bass traps angled the same like the one i just put up?

[kannon19]

what is the alternative to what you did?

[Glenn Kuras]

Hey let me know if you ever need me to come down and look at your room. I will give you a deal of a life time!!!!!!!!!!

[takman]

Originally Posted by kannon19

what is the alternative to what you did?

i wouldnt say alternative...just different variations...

check out realtraps on mounting..

RealTraps - Installing RealTraps

I noticed one of the traps installed on the site has a gap at the ceiling..

anyways, i got 2 more up today, and finally worked out the bugs...got rid of the gaps as well...so its all good now...

they still angled slightly down...dont know whether thats good, bad or insignificant......probably not going to make difference im guessing....im just super picky about little details...ohh well....

More pics to come soon.

[takman]

Originally Posted by Glenn Kuras

Hey let me know if you ever need me to come down and look at your room. I will give you a deal of a life time!!!!!!!!!!

You can stay at my hotel for free...just bring a couple panels with you

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by takman

You can stay at my hotel for free...just bring a couple panels with you

mmmmmmmm seems like a deal to me.

[kannon19]

No, I was saying what's the alternative to angled in the corners? Would you put them flat on the ceiling, at the top of the wall, or something completely different?

[takman]

Originally Posted by kannon19

No, I was saying what's the alternative to angled in the corners? Would you put them flat on the ceiling, at the top of the wall, or something completely different?

Depends on the type of absorber...these are bass traps...they do act like broadband absorbers to a degree...but their main function is to trap bass ....Low Freqencies ( bass collects in corners)...So its not really technically bass trap unless its mounted across a corner. Although other type of absorbers that are mounted to flat walls can absorb some bass....

Mid and high frequency absorbers are typically mounted on flat walls...to increase their performance, you mount them with an air gap ( this is where a small degree of bass trapping occurs i assume...

So to clarify:

Bass traps are thicker, and are mounted on corners ( wall/ceiling wall/wall/ceiling ( tri-corners)

First reflection panels are thinner and are mounted to flat surfaces with an air gap

edit:

have a look at this...

RealTraps - Placing RealTraps

[takman]

here is the cloud completed...

ready to put this bad boy up in a couple of days