Please check my diy screen panel plan before I start

[brianc]

The panel is to be a broadband absorber for getting as much of the room sound out of the voiceover recording as possible. It will be folded in a V in front of the mic. More panels will probably be built in the future so that I can have one in front, one in back, and possibly the sides/top too.

Dimensions of each side will be 2' x 7' x 4". Unfolded it would measure 4' x 7' x 4".

Materials: GOM FR701 5 yards (66 inches "usable width")
2x4 or 1x4 wood boards for the frame
Thermafiber Safing insulation (4pcf) 4" x 24" x 48" Mineral Wool Batts $40 at Menards for 5 batts.

*Measure and cut wood boards to fit the width of the batts and desired height.
*Drill pilot holes, screw, glue, and bracket together wood boards in the corners.
*put insulation in the frame and wrap it all up with the fabric and staple to the frame
*add 2 or 3 door hinges to join the two sides

So please let me know of any issues that you might see.

I prefer 1x4 instead of 2x4, but I'm wondering if 1x4 boards would be strong and durable enough.

I also wonder if there will be any problem keeping the rockwool in place from slumping down and leaving a spot at the top with no insulation. Should I place another board horizontally across the middle of each side for the second batt of rockwool to rest on so that it's not resting on the first batt?

Lastly, a 2x4 board is actually 3.5 inches (not 4) and the 4pcf rockwool is 4 inches. I anticipate the fabric to poke out 1/4" from the frame because of this, which is not ideal, but I'm ok with it unless someone has a great fix for that. I know there is 3.5 inch rockwool around locally but I prefer the 4" thermafiber because it is denser and deeper.[/B]

Thanks in advance for helping me to minimize wasted time and materials by solidifying this plan first.

[brianc]

I'll assume no replies means that you're looking forward to seeing how it turns out

[kasmira]

Everything looks good on your end.

1x4's would be completely fine and sturdy enough I'm sure - the biggest problem with 1x4's is most stores that sell it have completely shit wood and its hard to find straight pieces. If you can though it will work good. 2x4's are kind of a pain in the ass because they're pretty heavy and annoying - especially if you had 2 panels hinged together, I'm sure it would get pretty heavy. I bought 2x6's the other day to use for my panels, cut like half of them, and decided to go buy different wood. To each his own of course, and yours won't be mounted on the walls, but I'd rather have a lightweight frame.

The extra .5" really won't make too much of a difference when you cloth it - it shouldn't look very weird at all.

If you're concerned about the slumping, you could put a board in the middle, but I hear more people concerned about slumping than I hear complaining about their builds ACTUALLY doing that. Especially since your frame is actually a minor bit smaller than the insulation, this would help keep the insulation in one place even more. Just make sure you staple it on tight.

The build sounds solid. I would grab some Super 77 spray adhesive to make sure your fabric actually sticks to the panels and there's no big air bubbles in the front of the panels, but thats up to you.

[brianc]

Originally Posted by kasmira

Everything looks good on your end.

1x4's would be completely fine and sturdy enough I'm sure - the biggest problem with 1x4's is most stores that sell it have completely shit wood and its hard to find straight pieces.

The extra .5" really won't make too much of a difference when you cloth it - it shouldn't look very weird at all.

If you're concerned about the slumping, you could put a board in the middle, but I hear more people concerned about slumping than I hear complaining about their builds ACTUALLY doing that. Especially since your frame is actually a minor bit smaller than the insulation, this would help keep the insulation in one place even more. Just make sure you staple it on tight.

The build sounds solid. I would grab some Super 77 spray adhesive to make sure your fabric actually sticks to the panels and there's no big air bubbles in the front of the panels, but thats up to you.

Thanks Kasmira. I'll go for the 1x4's then and put a board in the middle for additional structural and insulation support.

I've also decided to go with a continuous (piano) hinge to minimize the gap in the center. Just waiting on my fabric samples to choose the color (whatever version of red GOM that my wife likes).

[kasmira]

Originally Posted by brianc

(whatever version of red GOM that my wife likes).

Statements like this always give me a good laugh. Too true.

[brianc]

Alright. I'm almost done with 1 screen panel.

I did use 1"x4" boards and had to pick through a ton just to get a couple almost straight ones. Major pain.

Min wool was supposed to be 24"x48" so I made the bottom inner cavity 23 3/4 x 47". Fit like a glove with slight prodding. I have a board in the middle holding up the second batt of minwool and adding structural integrity. not only that, it helps keep the boards straight

Just used staples for the fabric and pulled tight in each direction. The two halves of the panel look great. I just need to determine how/if my piano hinge will work because the outer boards have a rounded edge. I just haven't had time to take a look at that much yet.

I've attached a picture of it.

[Danny Zuko]

So is the material touching the cotton or did you nail it in like a coffin? lol

[brianc]

Originally Posted by Danny Zuko

So is the material touching the cotton or did you nail it in like a coffin? lol

The material is touching the mineral wool. It just sits in the frame held there by the fabric

[kasmira]

Originally Posted by brianc

Alright. I'm almost done with 1 screen panel.

I did use 1"x4" boards and had to pick through a ton just to get a couple almost straight ones. Major pain.

Min wool was supposed to be 24"x48" so I made the bottom inner cavity 23 3/4 x 47". Fit like a glove with slight prodding. I have a board in the middle holding up the second batt of minwool and adding structural integrity. not only that, it helps keep the boards straight

Just used staples for the fabric and pulled tight in each direction. The two halves of the panel look great. I just need to determine how/if my piano hinge will work because the outer boards have a rounded edge. I just haven't had time to take a look at that much yet.

I've attached a picture of it.

That looks GREAT!! The piano hinge would probably work fine, my only gripe with piano hinges is the (usual) smaller screw holes (then again, much more screw holes), and that (usually) the screw holes aren't very far away from the actual hinge itself. This could be a problem since you're screwing it into cheaper wood - you might be getting too close to the edge of the wood to put that much stress on it. It could be worth your while to get normal door hinges, since this would place the screw holes a bit farther in, towards the middle of the wood, and could probably stand a bit more weight. Then again, if you have a larger/thicker/wider/whatever dimension I'm talking about piano hinge I would imagine it to work perfectly. You could even grab some matching colored spray paint to paint the hinges so they get the wife approval factor.

Also, not sure if you're in the US but if you don't want to go through the pain of selecting wood, Home Depot and Lowe's both usually have a type of wood that is right next to the lumber section with a lot nicer looking, sanded & planed wood. At the Home Depot its noted as "Select Pine" - And instead of costing $1.50 or so per 8', it costs about $4.00 per 8'. Still, its not that bad of a premium for much straighter wood that looks a lot better.

Will these just be free standing from the floor, or will you be building some sort of feet for them?

[Matt R]

Originally Posted by kasmira

That looks GREAT!! The piano hinge would probably work fine, my only gripe with piano hinges is the (usual) smaller screw holes (then again, much more screw holes), and that (usually) the screw holes aren't very far away from the actual hinge itself. This could be a problem since you're screwing it into cheaper wood - you might be getting too close to the edge of the wood to put that much stress on it. It could be worth your while to get normal door hinges, since this would place the screw holes a bit farther in, towards the middle of the wood, and could probably stand a bit more weight. Then again, if you have a larger/thicker/wider/whatever dimension I'm talking about piano hinge I would imagine it to work perfectly. You could even grab some matching colored spray paint to paint the hinges so they get the wife approval factor.

Also, not sure if you're in the US but if you don't want to go through the pain of selecting wood, Home Depot and Lowe's both usually have a type of wood that is right next to the lumber section with a lot nicer looking, sanded & planed wood. At the Home Depot its noted as "Select Pine" - And instead of costing $1.50 or so per 8', it costs about $4.00 per 8'. Still, its not that bad of a premium for much straighter wood that looks a lot better.

Will these just be free standing from the floor, or will you be building some sort of feet for them?

Better yet, a well hidden gem of wood is what I buy when I build sound panels: Firring strips.

I agree that the 1x4 strips of wood at Home Depot suck, but if you go and buy some Firring strips, they're usually damn near perfect cuts of wood that cost less than anything else in the store. They always end up blowing my mind with how well cut they are.

[kasmira]

Originally Posted by Matt R

Better yet, a well hidden gem of wood is what I buy when I build sound panels: Firring strips.

I agree that the 1x4 strips of wood at Home Depot suck, but if you go and buy some Firring strips, they're usually damn near perfect cuts of wood that cost less than anything else in the store. They always end up blowing my mind with how well cut they are.

I use furring strips as well in my panels. This is what I was referring to at roughly $1.50 / 8' of 1x4. I wish it was the case here. I just bought thirteen 1x2 8' furring strips today to build a friend's panels. Only cost $13 total but it took about 45 minutes to find 13 pieces, and only like 6 of them were near perfect. I will say that the 1x4s did look quite a bit more straight though. The select pine is a lot nicer in the stores by me. Like, pine furring would work fine for panels covered in fabric, but I definitely wouldn't want the wood to show. Select Pine looks a lot nicer and you could stain it, and put the fabric inside of the panel to expose the wooden frame. I actually plan on doing this soon, hopefully I can construct a nice looking one. I'll need to buy a few right-angle clamps so I can have some clean, glued 45 degree cuts. Probably will turn out terrible since bass traps are pretty much my first experience working with wood by myself, lol

I honestly think it has to do with the weather from where they're shipped and where they have to drive through. If its going from humid or wet to dry multiple times in shipment it will probably warp severely. Or at least, this is my guess. I've been to Home Depot at certain times and it took 5 minutes to select the wood, and sometimes it can take an hour...

[brianc]

Originally Posted by kasmira

That looks GREAT!! The piano hinge would probably work fine, my only gripe with piano hinges is the (usual) smaller screw holes (then again, much more screw holes), and that (usually) the screw holes aren't very far away from the actual hinge itself. This could be a problem since you're screwing it into cheaper wood - you might be getting too close to the edge of the wood to put that much stress on it. It could be worth your while to get normal door hinges, since this would place the screw holes a bit farther in, towards the middle of the wood, and could probably stand a bit more weight. ...

Thank you. I attached the piano hinge last night. The holes lined up pretty much in the middle of the 1" side of the 1x4s. I laid both panels flat on the floor to attach it with the screws. Due to overlapping and folding of the fabric on the inner edges and possibly the fact that the boards were not perfectly straight, I had to use a slight force to pull the two panels together while affixing the hinge. I used 3 racheting straps, at each of the top, middle, and bottom.

The hinge is only 6' and the panel is 7' tall, so I'll have to get another hinge and cut a foot off of it to use for the top.

I did not know there was such a thing as a 90 degree clamp, but that would be incredibly useful for something like this. Also, I will consider the "select pine" for the next one, but I actually like how the ones I used have one hard edged side and one curved edge side which I put facing the outside.

[kasmira]

Amazon.com: Irwin 226410 Quick-Grip 90-Degree Angle Clamp: Home Improvement

http://www.amazon.com/Wolfcraft-3415...5780478&sr=1-1

Amazon.com: Kreg KHC-90DCC 90-degree Corner Clamp: Home Improvement

Amazon.com: 9166 CORNER CLAMP: Home Improvement

I don't have one either but I want to buy a couple of these. I never knew these existed, but I saw someone using one in a DIY bass trap build and thought it was genius.

I thought you were going to attach the hinge to the 4" side of the 1x4. Now, the piano hinge makes sense vs using a door hinge.

Looks great! I also didn't know the panels were so tall - perfect for a little vocal booth. How many of these do you plan to make? How well does it open/close on the hinge - just as you would expect?

Edit: Wow great price on a right angle clamp here! http://www.amazon.com/90-Degree-Angl..._ob_hi_title_3
Wonder how big it actually is tho..

Edit2: These are the size specs on that last smaller red clamp I linked in my edit:
Maximum jaw capacity 3", jaw height 1/2", angle dimensions 3-1/4" x 3-1/4"

[brianc]

Originally Posted by kasmira

Looks great! I also didn't know the panels were so tall - perfect for a little vocal booth. How many of these do you plan to make? How well does it open/close on the hinge - just as you would expect?

I plan to make one more soon so that I have one in front and one behind the mic. For the booth, I think at least 6 of them. That will give me a 4'x8' booth 7' tall.

It opens and closes on the hinge smoothly like butter.

[BriHar]

The one shown in the 9166 link is the type I use all the time, including for my bass traps and now for my HVAC silencers.

[kasmira]

Originally Posted by BriHar

The one shown in the 9166 link is the type I use all the time, including for my bass traps and now for my HVAC silencers.

How good does it work? Is it annoying to twist those thin bars to tighten it? Thats the only main reason I'm thinking of not buying the cheap Pony ones..the size obviously is fine for what I need

[BriHar]

They are primarily designed for picture framing. To this end they even have a 45° slot for cutting a mitre join. So, they are good for framing e.g. a bass trap frame, but perhaps less useful for a box - unless you have two.

What I like is that you are practically ensured a true right angled corner.

The "thin bars" to which you refer, work like a vice screw - which basically is what it is, and is no trouble or annoyance at all.

When I did my trap frames, I used the clamp to force one corner to be true, thereby ensuring the frame would be square, then a tension belt around the entire frame for glueing and nailing.

[brianc]

I grabbed the little pony 9166 for around 8 bucks from home depot last night for the next panel. It works fine. Especially good for the 4th corner which doesn't want to line up due to slight warp in the wood or because the other corners aren't lined up 100% perfectly. Two of them would be even better.

I'm also using the "select pine" which I discovered (by reading the label) is from Sweden. The boards are definitely more straight and uniformly cut, however, they don't have the rounded edge on one side like the other boards I used. I don't have a router so I got a course sanding bit for my dremel and ran over each corner 3 times at varying angles to get a nice rounded edge so as to keep from wearing down my expensive fabric on those corners.

[kasmira]

Glad the right angle clamps are working nicely. Hopefully others can see this thread and know where to grab them. I will be getting one (probably two, actually) in the next week.

Brian, will you be posting more pictures of your newly made panels?

BriHar, could you detail how you used the right angle clamp in conjunction with the tension belt? which you put on first, when you glued, etc. Thanks!

[madtrip]

Beauty! Thanks for helping build my confidence in a DIY build!

[brianc]

Originally Posted by kasmira

Brian, will you be posting more pictures of your newly made panels?

Sure I'll post a couple more once I get the next one done, this weekend maybe?

[2manyrocks]

Here is a simple way to make a stronger corner with less effort that does not require any corner clamp. Glue a shorter 1x4 inside the outside piece to form a rabbet. It also gives you more wood in the corners for a stronger connection.

You can usually find a cheap router at a pawnshop and then buy a rounding over bit to ease the edges on the 1x4s. Get a bit that has a roller guide to make life easier.

The construction of these panels is very much like the construction of theater flats except they paint the fabric to use as scenery and don't use batts for sound control, but the woodwork and methods of using hinges appears very similar.