Best way to cut MDF Speaker Holes
Discussion
Do you have a jigsaw and a workbench? That will be your best bet for an oval shaped hole, assuming you are fitting 6x9s or similar.
Doing it by hand with a saw, such as a coping saw, will not produce good results unless you are a reasonably skilled and experienced wood worker.
You'll also need a file and a sand paper for finishing if your jigsawing is a bit wonky.
Doing it by hand with a saw, such as a coping saw, will not produce good results unless you are a reasonably skilled and experienced wood worker.
You'll also need a file and a sand paper for finishing if your jigsawing is a bit wonky.
The worst part is deciding the dimensions of the oval. It all depends if you have the positions of the ellipse foci, or if you have major and minor radii.
If you have the former, drill a couple of holes at the foci, push in some pegs and use a loop of string to guide the pencil.
If the latter then use a big sheet of material, cut the hole, then cut the overall dimensions of the sheet afterwards, because the centre of the major radii, will likely beyond the edge of the final box.
The latter dimensions are probably easier to work with because you have more options. With the radii approach (as opposed to the foci) you can attach a piece of wood with a couple of holes in it, to a peg in the hole at the arc centre, and draw a curved line. You can also attach the wood to a router as a guide for cutting if you're inclined.
If you do use a router, then you're probably best off roughing out with a jigsaw first. But you'll have to cut the small radii, before the big ones, because otherwise the final cut will remove the guide hole that you'll be working from.
If you have many to do, make a jig out of a similar piece of material, and some thin metal sheet relieved into the top with the minor radius guide holes int it. To make this work the sheet from which you make the jig will need to be thicker than the job, by the thickness of the metal used for the minor radius guide holes.
If you only have a few, and you want a nice job, perhaps find someone in the yellow pages with a vacuum table CNC router machine.
If you have the former, drill a couple of holes at the foci, push in some pegs and use a loop of string to guide the pencil.
If the latter then use a big sheet of material, cut the hole, then cut the overall dimensions of the sheet afterwards, because the centre of the major radii, will likely beyond the edge of the final box.
The latter dimensions are probably easier to work with because you have more options. With the radii approach (as opposed to the foci) you can attach a piece of wood with a couple of holes in it, to a peg in the hole at the arc centre, and draw a curved line. You can also attach the wood to a router as a guide for cutting if you're inclined.
If you do use a router, then you're probably best off roughing out with a jigsaw first. But you'll have to cut the small radii, before the big ones, because otherwise the final cut will remove the guide hole that you'll be working from.
If you have many to do, make a jig out of a similar piece of material, and some thin metal sheet relieved into the top with the minor radius guide holes int it. To make this work the sheet from which you make the jig will need to be thicker than the job, by the thickness of the metal used for the minor radius guide holes.
If you only have a few, and you want a nice job, perhaps find someone in the yellow pages with a vacuum table CNC router machine.
Edited by dilbert on Friday 17th October 11:57
Plotloss said:
xllifts said:
Poledriver said:
The proper way is with a plunge router!
HTH
HTH
the only way to cut a hole in MDF properlyEither way, wear a mask, MDF is hideous stuff.
I know, it wasn't a dig at you matt more at the "go buy a new shiny tool and use it once crew" plunge routers are vicious b
d machines that I've seen hurt some very experienced cabinet makers, IMO they shouldn't even be considered a diy handtool certainly not to be used by someone with such little experience that he has to ask how to cut the hole in the first place.
Infact yes I will have a go at you, fooking mask? you big girl, you'll do 20 marlboro red a day and you're worried about a bit of mdf dust
d machines that I've seen hurt some very experienced cabinet makers, IMO they shouldn't even be considered a diy handtool certainly not to be used by someone with such little experience that he has to ask how to cut the hole in the first place.Infact yes I will have a go at you, fooking mask? you big girl, you'll do 20 marlboro red a day and you're worried about a bit of mdf dust
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