How to Build a Speaker Box

When is comes to building speaker boxes for automobiles you have to take into consideration that many aspects much be reviewed before you begin chopping up your wood.

Many people don't know that in order to obtain the maximum amount of sound from any car speaker you must first know the volume measurements of the speaker. Everyone speaker will have separate volume measurements to allow the speaker cone to perform at its peak ability.

Once you have the volume measured you need to next determine the type of wood and style of competition that you will use for your speaker box.

I personally have used particle board to create my custom speaker boxes and have had great success with boxes that not only sounds great in the trunk but last for a very long time.

Now comes time for the components of the speaker box.

1 sheet of plywood (particle board will do fine)
Two speaker outlets
Speaker wire
Speakers
Speaker Grates
Bolts
Wood Glue
Carpet
Pencil
Ruler
Band saw or Jigsaw
Tape Measure
PVC piping

Once you have all the ingredients it's time create yourself a professional speaker box that can compete with the big boys.

First you need to draft out your box on the wood before cutting anything so grab your tape measure and head out to the trunk.

One rule of thumb that seems easy to remember but isn't to make sure the box is smaller than the trunk opening.

Measure the height, width, and depth of the trunk where you want to place the box and write everything down on paper.

Using your pencil and ruler measure out pieces for each side on the wood and create an outline for cutting.

With the math of the volume be sure that the box is at least the volume regulation to ensure the best possible sound.

For the front of the speaker box be sure that you use a compass and measure the speaker hole cut outs to the inside lip of the speaker closest to the magnet to ensure that you can bolt the speaker the wood. Normally ¼ inch of the outside speaker rim is preferable but each speaker varies use your best judgment.

Now cut out each piece of wood and label each one with the pencil so that you can remember which piece is what after everything is cut out.

Use your drill and drill a hold I the back of the box in two spots centered to the speaker hold cut out.

Now take your ruler and measure the speaker outlets and measure a little inside so that your speaker mount can bolt to the box.

Using your band or jigsaw cut out the marked area on both sides.

Cut the holes on each side of the box for your air holes to be placed. I normally go ahead and insert the mounting face to the inside of the box with wood screws then place some wood glue on the outside of the PVC piping and with a turning motion screw the piping into place.

Be sure that everything fits into place unbolted then remove the speakers from the holes and the speak outlets from the holes.

Using the wood glue is sure to place a thick strip of glue on each piece before screwing the pieces together but before the glue dries form the box and fasten everything together using the wood screws. If using particle board avoid large screws and edges as this can cause the board to break fairly easy.

Wipe any excess glue from the outside of the box to make a flat surface.

Allow the box to site for 24 hours after screwing the bolts and using the wood glue before moving on to the next step.

After the 24 hour period has passed it's time to place the carpeting on the box. It's preferable to use automotive carpet on the box as the carpet is thin and pliable.

Before using the wood glue measure and dry cut the carpet on the box. Avoid using multiple strips as this will cause the seams to show. I normally start from the back of the box and roll the carpet over the top and down to the front of the box and then cut the carpet at the bottom of the front of the box.

The sides should be cut as flaps and tailored to place after the back, top, and front of the box are fastened.

The bottom of the box will also have a separate piece of carpet.

Apply a thin layer of wood glue to the back, top, and front of the box and allow the glue to become tacky before trying to do anything with the carpet.

Once glue is tacky place the carpet on the box as before starting with the back and moving the carpet down to the front of the box and allow it to dry for 24 hours. If you really don't want to wait 24 hours you can also use thumbtacks to hold the carpet in place.