Making Mini Computer Speaker Boxes

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Making speaker boxes isn't anything new, many woodworkers have been doing this for years but in most cases they have been making BIG speaker boxes for LARGE stereo systems. In out case we are going to make small speaker boxes for ... oh, a computer, MP3 Player, an iPod or iPad, a Tablet or even an iPhone if you have the correct adapter. The ones that we made sound at least as good as the the ones that we used as donator speaker boxes, and they look good enough that you can put them out in public and now have to apologize for plastic speakers.

So! the first thing we had to do was to find a suitable set or donator speaker boxes. We wanted something small and of course they needed to "powered speaker", that is, they either needed batteries or a small transformer wall plug to power the speakers.

Of course your BIG speakers for you larger stereo systems do not need to be powered, there is more than enough juice in a full blow stereo system to power the big speakers. We found our donator speakers at a yard sale for, I think about $3.00 There are TONS of these little speakers around some with and some without the transformer plugs, but even if you get one without, you can still get a transformer plug to drive the speakers rather than using batteries all the time. The advantage with the ones that take either batteries OR use the transformer is that you can use these, with batteries, at the beach, at the cabin, hiking, canoeing or whatever.

Completing the Pedestal Table

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In This article and the associated video we finally get to finish our little three legged - Pedestal Table. We have taken three videos and associated articles to arrive at this point, but it has all been worth it. We got to try a variety of specialty techniques like creating a round table top by using the circle jig that David Cooksey provided plans for. We showed how to make sliding dovetails which we used for the legs of the table and we showed how to create a 6 sided, or hexagon shaped column that we then turned on our lathe. Then of course we assembled the the table and finally finished it with Osmo, one of our favorite finishing products.
In this article we will only touch on the aspects we went through in the video primarily because we feel the video is self explanatory.

This was a great little project and the end results are well worth the effort. Nothing was terribly difficult but you will need to take your time to make sure all aspects turn out to your expectations.

Sliding Dovetails & Hexagon Column

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Sliding dovetails are one of the unsung joints that are seldom used in woodworking, too bad because they are not nearly as intimidating as they may seem and they hold fast and give lots of area for glue to grab on to making an excellent, tight joint. 
In this video we are ultimately making a 3 legged pedestal table but in order to get to that point there are many steps and this is another one of those steps. We needed something to but the dovetail slots into so we needed to start off making a six sided or hexagon shaped column or post.

Using the correct technique on a table saw, a column like this can be cut accurately in a couple of minutes. The secret to cutting a hexagon column is to start off with a blank that is about twice as wide on one side as the other and length can be whatever you want. Set the angle of your table saw blade to 30 degrees (which conversely is 60 degrees off the table) and make your first cut, then flip the board upside down and make the second cut.

Making a Round Table Top With Circle Jig

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Well, we finally get a chance to use the router circle jig to cut out our round table top. For this we are using a 1/4" pure carbide bit. If you are really not familiar with carbide, it is not like some form of steel. The structure of carbide is that it is more like a crystal. This means it will break before it bends, unlike steel that will take a massive force, bend and bend and then finally break. Carbide bits are much more sensitive to side pressure and if you push them too hard, they snap and are now useless. The good thing about carbide and the reason we use it is that it has a very high boiling point. This means, that unlike steel, you can subject carbide to very high temperatures and it won't melt like steel does. When steel bits melt, even partially they become dull and that's why we like carbide, it stays sharp much longer than similar steel bits.

Remember, the point to cutting this table top is to ultimately use this top as part of our 3-legged pedestal side table which you can see in other related videos.