Helix Dome MT Flat Pack

This flat pack is designed specifically for the Helix Dome MT speaker and only available if you're purchasing or have purchased that speaker.  The front baffle is included with your kit.  NOTE:  The listed price is only good when you are ordering the flat pack with your kits.  If you order them later, the cost might be more to cover extra packaging material.

Product Highlights:

• Made from CARB 2 compliant MDF.
• 3/4" thick highly refined MDF.
• 3/4" thick highly refined MDF front baffle (comes with your kit)
• Cut with a CNC router for accuracy and easier assembly.
  
• Rabbet joints for braces, top/bottom, and side panels to increase joint holding power.
• Interlock bracing adds to panel stiffness and cuts down on cabinet vibrations.
  

Minimum order is 2 flat packs: If you ordered two in the past and only need one for a center, please contact me. Don't forget binding posts, terminal cups, or speaker spikes if you need them because they can be shipped for free with any flat pack purchase.

Shipping Note: Most speaker kits currently ship for free, but flat packs normally can't be shipped for free due to size and weight.  Your order can normally be packaged and shipped in 4-7 days depending on how many orders have come in.  Please read the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section for more information.

Specific Helix MT Flat Pack Assembly Notes:

It's important to dry fit your flat pack together before you begin so you can see how the cabinet goes together. It's also a good idea to make sure your woofer fits in the front baffle before you start assembly. You do not need to fully install your port tubes until the cabinet is completed.

Recommended Tools and Supplies:

• Quality wood glue like TiteBond or other similar brand.
• At least 2 clamps 24" wide or bigger.  
• Sanding block or preferably a power sander.
• Joint compound or Bondo to fill seam lines or nail holes (optional).

General Tips:

    Flat Pack Assembly: 

• VERY IMPORTANT - Dry fit your cabinet together to see how the parts fit.  This includes testing the woofer and waveguide/tweeter cutouts as well. 
• A bead of wood glue should be put anywhere two pieces of wood are touching.  It's a good idea to dry fit a piece in place and mark the panel where you need to add glue so you don't miss anything.
• Clamps should be used to hold the pieces in place for at least 30 minutes before removing them. You don't need to over tighten the clamps because that can give you warped panels or squeeze out a lot of the glue. The goal is to clamp the panel in place tight enough so that it doesn't slide around.
• Some people use brad nailers to speed up the build. This is okay but I still recommend lightly clamping the pieces together before shooting in the brad nails.
• No need to rush, just glue and clamp one or two panels at a time.  If you're using Titebond, you can remove the clamps and install the next panel after 30 minutes.  Just don't strain the joints for a few hours.
• Lay the back panel down with the rabbet joints facing up.  I like to elevate the back panel by sitting it up on a couple pieces of 2x4's or 4x4's.  That way you can get the clamps under the panel for easier clamping.
• The braces should be installed on the back panel first.  Make sure they're centered on the panel and stay inside the rabbet joints.  If excess glue squishes into a place where another panel will be going, remove the excess glue before it hardens.
• After the braces are in, you can install the other panels a couple different ways.  #1: Install the top, then one side panel, then the bottom, then the remaining side panel.  Or #2: Install the top, then bottom, then the side panels. Either method works fine.  Most of the time I seem to be using method #1 on larger cabinets.
• The front baffle goes on last.  Put a bead of glue along all of the top edges where the baffle will be sitting, including the edges of the braces that will be touching the baffle.  The baffle will start to slide around a bit before you get it completely clamped down.  Just lightly clamp around the edges until you have it centered, then slowly tighten down all the clamps to keep it from shifting. If one clamp starts to make the baffle pull to one side, just loosen that clamp a bit and recenter the baffle.

     Sanding and prepping for paint:

• The flat packs are designed to have a very small lip of wood left over along the edges of the back panel where the top, bottom, and side panels install.  This is because the rabbet joints are normally cut .01" wider than the panel thickness. The easiest thing to do is sand it off instead of adding joint compound to smooth it out.
• If you used a brad nailer, fill the holes with wood filler, joint compound, or Bondo and sand everything flush and smooth.  Bondo is much harder to sand so I don't use it very often.
• If you're using a thick textured paint like Duratex, you don't need to do nearly as much sanding and filling.
• If you're using latex or spray paint, it's a good idea to prime the cabinets before painting.  I normally make a 50/50 mix of water and wood glue and paint it on the cabinet, sometimes hitting the edges a couple times to seal them up good. You will still need to do a light sanding prior to painting with latex.  If finishing with spray paint, you might want to use a roll on or spray primer first.
• IMPORTANT:  When painting the recessed holes for the woofer or waveguide, don't put it on really thick or you could have problems installing the parts later.  Spray or brush on a very thin layer, or multiple thin layers instead of a really thick layer of paint.
• Predrill all screw holes with a bit that's slightly smaller than your screws to prevent the wood from splitting.  Most screws are #8 panhead and you can use a 7/64" or 1/8" drill bit.