How to Build Bookshelf Speakers

Building bookshelf speakers is neither complicated nor expensive. Most sound or video systems you purchase only have a speaker system that is contained within the audio or visual system itself. You can build speakers of your own and enhance your quality of sound immensely by adding two or more speakers.

Items Needed:

• Wire cutters/strippers


• Soldering gun and resin core solder


• Pliers


• Power saw


• Electric drill and bits and a screwdriver bit


• Jigsaw


• Measuring tape and pencil


• String


• Sandpaper (both coarse and fine)


• Stain or paint and a brush


• Plywood (1/2-inch thickness) – amount depends on speaker sizes


• Speakers and speaker wire


• Speaker jacks


• Nuts and bolts for mounting speakers


• ½-inch wood screws
  
  
  1. Measure the area where you will locate your speakers. Draw out the measurements onto your ½-inch plywood pieces. There should be a top and bottom and two sides and a front and back. Remember when measuring that your speaker width plus about four inches has to be the minimum of the width of the front of your speakers.
  
  
  2. Cut your sections out with the power saw. Sand down the edges with the coarse sandpaper until all rough edges are gone.
  
  
  3. Place both of the front sections face down. Using your speakers draw a line completely around its outside diameter. While doing this also mark where all the mounting holes in the rim of the speaker are onto the plywood. Remove the speakers and using a ¼-inch drill bit drill the mounting holes.
  
  
  4. Place a nail in the center of the circle and with your string draw another circle just one-inch inside of the other on each front piece. Change to a larger drill (1/2-inch should do it) and drill a hole in between the two circles on each front piece.
  
  
  5. Using the jigsaw and the ½-inch hole you just drilled as a beginning place cut out the speaker holes. Remember you will be cutting out the inner circle you drew, not the outer one! Smooth the edges as before with sandpaper. (At this point if you wish to paint or stain the speakers now is the time to do it.)
  
  
  6. Put the speakers with the magnet side towards the inside in the holes and line up the mounting holes with the holes you drilled in the plywood. Put the mounting bolts through and secure with the nuts.
  
  
  7. Cut enough speaker wire with your wire cutters to reach from the front of the box to the rear with maybe a foot to spare. You will need two of these for each speaker. Strip off about two inches of insulation from each end of each wire. Use the wire cutters to separate each lead on each end about an inch or two.
  
  
  8. Use the soldering gun and solder to connect one end of each wire (two) to the leads on each speaker.
  
  
  9. Take the drill and with a ¼-inch bit drill two holes in the back section of the speaker boxes at the bottom of the box. Place your speaker jacks in these holes and tighten them in place with the nuts and washers supplied. Now solder the leads to the jack from the speaker.
  
  
  10. Begin assembling the speaker box together by screwing the sides, top and bottom together. The screws should be around two inches apart all the way around the speaker box. This can be done with your drill and screwdriver bit.
  
  
  11. Place some type of speaker cover fabric over the front of the box to make it look more professional in appearance. Do not cover the baffles.