Storage Speakers
From Mod Mania
Contents |
And the mod begins
At home after clearing out the garage i found this old run down set of speakers and decided to turn one into a storage cabinet. the aim of this mod is to turn one persons junk into another persons treasure.
The speakerbox is quite old and the speakers inside are ruined, so i begin the process of transforming it into a cabinet.
The disassembly
The fun then began when trying to remove the speakers from the top of the box. to make it complicated they were not normal screws they were Robertson screws. However i bought the screw bit and began removing the speakers.
After the screws were removed, the metal plates came off and released the speakers. To take the speakers out i had to remove two wires from each speaker. the Speakerbox lost alot of weight after the speakers were removed.
After the speakers were removed i then took apart the box removing the top part/face and traced the arrangement of the speaker holes to use as a guide when i remake a lighter thinner face to use as a door.
After the guide was completed i began cleaning out the speakerbox, preparing it for sandig and painting. It is in need of alot of sanding as the glue used has spilt over the edges and created lumps and sharp bits inside which are harmful to the user of the storage unit.
Fixing the old and making it like new
I completed the sanding for the box using a chisel and Grit 60,120 sandpaper and began readying it for its new base and shelves. The base needed to be sanded down quite a bit, down to the chipboard. It took quite a while to sand down the base and sides removing old glue and cardboard stuck to the base. The end result turned out quite well to my likings.
After it was sanded i then began cutting out the base for the box using 3 mm MDF cut to 255mm x 455mm. I then took Selleys PVA Wood glue to fasten the MDF sheet to the base securely. i used an even spread of glue so it was fastened down in all areas of the MDF to the box.
And here is the base fastened to the box after it has been left to dry for 12hrs. The base of the box now looks alot better than the shabby old original piece of MDF.
After the base was on i then glued the side panel on and and left that to dry overnight. When the glue was dry i then cut out the shelves to fit inside the Speakerbox. i trialled them to see if they fit, and they did. They were a perfect fit!
When the shelves were dry i then moved my way onto fastening a door. i measured out an even distance between each place where the hinges are to go. I then used a hinge which is 35mm wide to allow my dorr to swing freely while being supported.
To retain the original look of the Speakerbox I made a front fascia which looks like the box still has the speakers. I placed the speaker surrounds onto a thin piece of ply which i painted black. I even placed the original screws in holes and grinded them off on the other side as they stuck out. I believe that through the material for the cover you will be able to see a faint picture of the speakers so it doesnt look like a storage box.
Once the face plate was complete i then glued it onto the door with wood glue. The the faceplate gave the door extra thickness and appeal. while the glue was drying i moved onto re applying a new fabric to the plastic frame which protects the speakers. I covered it with 2 layers of polyester mesh to give it thickness so it is not so see through.
The front mesh was then fastened to the door using holes which it clips into. The holes are tight so that the door does not fall off.
The Finished piece
with all the modifications done i then put it to some use. i can now place CD's, DVD's, Bluray disks and controls into the storage device while also keeping them hidden from peoples sight.
The items were added- to make it look like it is being used :) it has a functional door that is swung on 2 hinges and the 3 shelves can be used to place any small item on that you desire.
The NEW and The OLD
the Modification from ones junk to ones treasure has been a challenging one but a satisfying one. The speakerbox looks like it contains speakers however it doesnt it contains items that are linked to sound and entertainment, keeping a theme flowing.
Modification By Steven Mastrolorito s3199699
