Forums - DIY Betsy wood choice

Coyote

Seasoned Member

Posts: 182

DIY Betsy wood choice
12/03/21 at 05:29:35

Hi All,

A bit of background. I received my Lii F15 driver and pretty much settled on the actual baffle size and a bit more work on the baffle shape.

At the same time I have been pondering about my ability to actual make the baffle vs the quality Randy produces. A post caught my attention: Build your first set with cheap material to get a hang of it.

Great, many post offer many material but I did not see any one suggesting something like a hardwood pieces made butcher block top as this for example:

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/hardwood-reflections-74-inch-l-x-25-inch-w-x-1-...

I get that these pieces of wood glued together might be a resonance issue in a closed enclosure but this is OB I think the thickness and wood density/qualities might overcome any differences in the pieces of wood glued together to make the butcher bloc.

Any thoughts on this?
Baby steps toward building this!

Cheers,

a.

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My modest system:
SE84UFO2.(2).
Quad mono 303 (x2) + 33 + FM3.
Marantz 2235.
Schiit Mani.
Technic SL23.
Thorens TD160 MKII + SME III tonearm. Ortophon OM10.
Oppo CD/DVD.
Celestion Ditton 66 studio.
Lii F15 in Betsy type OB.
ATAUDIO 12TC Pure OCC.

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Archie

Seasoned Member

Posts: 2731

Re: DIY Betsy wood choice
Reply #1 - 12/03/21 at 06:28:58

Look at the original Big Betsy thread and you'll see that most of the baffles are "butcher block." There are other sources of butcher block of better sizes so you won't have to do more cutting and pasting. Personally, I made my baffles out of 1 1/2 inch maple butcher block counter tops that I salvaged from a jobsite. Worked out great. Starting with a good butcher block slab will save a lot of milling and glue-up labor.

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ZLC
Technics 1200G TT w/ Ortofon Jubilee MC cart
ZMC1
ZP3 (25th A Mods)
ZR2 (25th A Mods)
CSP3 (25th A mods)
ZMA (25th A mods)
Homemade Big Betsy Speakers (F15s)
Silver Cabling
DIY Isolation platforms under amps & TT.

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Coyote Seasoned Member Posts: 182	Re: DIY Betsy wood choice Reply #2 - 12/03/21 at 17:24:09 Thanks Archie, I am going to look-up that original Big Betsy thread! Kind regards, a.
Back to top	My modest system: SE84UFO2.(2). Quad mono 303 (x2) + 33 + FM3. Marantz 2235. Schiit Mani. Technic SL23. Thorens TD160 MKII + SME III tonearm. Ortophon OM10. Oppo CD/DVD. Celestion Ditton 66 studio. Lii F15 in Betsy type OB. ATAUDIO 12TC Pure OCC. IP Logged

Archie

Seasoned Member

Posts: 2731

Re: DIY Betsy wood choice
Reply #3 - 12/03/21 at 17:36:48

Steve pushed the idea that the baffles need to me massive -- thick and dense, for the best result. Since he offers a variety of woods, even the relatively low density Poplar, I'm not sure how critical this is. But any solid wood baffle will necessarily be made up of narrower pieces of wood glued together. Unfortunately, all the trees big enough to do in one slab have pretty much been cut down! Cry

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ZLC
Technics 1200G TT w/ Ortofon Jubilee MC cart
ZMC1
ZP3 (25th A Mods)
ZR2 (25th A Mods)
CSP3 (25th A mods)
ZMA (25th A mods)
Homemade Big Betsy Speakers (F15s)
Silver Cabling
DIY Isolation platforms under amps & TT.

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Coyote

Seasoned Member

Posts: 182

Re: DIY Betsy wood choice
Reply #4 - 12/03/21 at 18:05:13

Hi,

"Unfortunately, all the trees big enough to do in one slab have pretty much been cut down! "

Yep, I work as a marine surveyor, when I do a woodie inevitable the fair market value is usually low because they are expensive to maintain, time consuming and very few trade people still have the skill to fix them.
Then the replacement value shy rocket because as you said there are simply no more trees that size that could be cut to make replacement planks, mast, frames, etc. or if there is one somewhere the timber is hugely expensive.

:-(

a.

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My modest system:
SE84UFO2.(2).
Quad mono 303 (x2) + 33 + FM3.
Marantz 2235.
Schiit Mani.
Technic SL23.
Thorens TD160 MKII + SME III tonearm. Ortophon OM10.
Oppo CD/DVD.
Celestion Ditton 66 studio.
Lii F15 in Betsy type OB.
ATAUDIO 12TC Pure OCC.

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Archie Seasoned Member Posts: 2731	Re: DIY Betsy wood choice Reply #5 - 12/03/21 at 18:12:25 25 years ago I trimmed a house with clear, heart, vertical grain redwood and now I don't think you can even find it. There isn't a shortage of smaller stuff though. We'd never be able to build the Six Frigates again!
Back to top	ZLC Technics 1200G TT w/ Ortofon Jubilee MC cart ZMC1 ZP3 (25th A Mods) ZR2 (25th A Mods) CSP3 (25th A mods) ZMA (25th A mods) Homemade Big Betsy Speakers (F15s) Silver Cabling DIY Isolation platforms under amps & TT. IP Logged

Donnie Seasoned Member Why does it hurt when I pee? Posts: 2275	Re: DIY Betsy wood choice Reply #6 - 12/03/21 at 21:21:28 MDF and Veneer. Dense, easy to machine, and you can make the faces any wood you want. It is consistent in density, thickness and is flat. My open baffles are 1.5" thick and way too heavy to carry comfortably.
Back to top	Owner of the infamous RED TORII and Dan the Redheaded Amp IP Logged