Mounting subwoofers like a pro! Threaded Inserts
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- čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
- To mount speakers or subwoofers to a subwoofer enclosure box we can use wood screws but it is better to use threaded inserts. Do we use T-Nuts ( Tee nuts ) or is there another threaded insert that seems to work better for custom car audio and subwoofer box builds? Let's take a look!
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➜ Wood threaded inserts:
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I think it's funny how people are trying to tell you how to do this better. Your videos are and have always been the most informative and professional videos on the web when it comes to this. Also your installs are leagues above what many other professional installers are doing. The few doing it better certainly are not putting this stuff on the web, so I definitely respect and love your vids. I watch all the installer channels on you tube. Not sure why some of them hate on you when your stuff is better than 90% of what ever they put out. Thanks.
BrinkMan49 Dude. I couldn't agree more.
I've been into car audio since 1988, hung around the shops in my teens, had friends who worked at them till my early 30s, and I can confidently say Mark does the most quality work I have personally seen in my life. Absolute solid installs done so good they would make a Japanese engineer happy. 👍
It's done so right it can't be done any more correct.
"Haters gonna hate 👌"
-Donald J. Trump-
BrinkMan49 most people commenting on this video are "dreamers" they watch these videos and talk smack, bu never build anything. Keyboard warriors
CAF is my go-to channel when I am concerned about compromising the integrity of my holes
@@esigman1 facts
Deep thread wood screws work very well if you use them properly, and I prefer them over threaded inserts.
1. Drill pilot hole for screw
2. Run deep head screw into pilot hole, then remove screw
3. Full hole with wood glue
4. Wait 5-7 minutes then run screw back in and let it set for 24 hours
The wood glue gets soaked into the wood and it hardens which strengthens the threads. Screw can be easily removed as the wood glue doesn’t bond to metal
A very good advice, thank you. The method shown in the video left me with misaligned threaded inserts. It was terribly hard to fix and required access from the inside.
Using wood glue and having to wait 24 hours every time you put your speakers that sounds like a horrible idea. Also if they were misaligned, that's a user error not the concept
BTW, sometimes using a hex head to install the threaded inserts will install them crooked so I have found using a STAR BIT is a much tighter fit which screws in the fastener straight. Just a tip I uncovered.
Makes sense it's probably hard to keep the force perfectly straight when doing it manually like that.
Thanks. Bit too late though, I had to fix terribly misaligned threaded inserts by unscrewing them and screwing them in again from the back, while keeping an M5 screw from the front and through the speaker hole 😬
Shout out to you and your team. Being doing it the hard way since 1981. All your video's are great!
Perfect timing! I bought a design from CAF for a single Sundown SA12 and I'm almost finished building. I'm definitely going to use threaded inserts for mounting now! Thanks Mark!
klaveren3108 mark does the best box designs
I've had t-nuts fail as well, even after epoxying them. Threaded inserts are definitely the way to go. I use them mainly for attaching external port flanges so that they can be easily removed for tuning adjustment or what have you.
I like the transfer punch idea. It's a great way get a pretty accurate center hole, which is critical when it comes to threaded inserts.
Great video! And thanks again for the tools/ equipment links. They are very handy.
The trick to making this even stronger is to drill a hole all the way through only big enough to thread the screw all the way in, then drill the hole for the insert from the inside of the box just deep enough to seat all the way and put the insert on the inside of the box. The threads of the fasteners will seal the holes and the insert will never rip out since the hole is to small.
Great tip, thank you. Do you think going with a 5/16 insert would be too big and too close to the edge of the cutout? I'm having a hard time finding the 1/4 insert in 1.25inch so I was going to go up to the 5/16 but then thought about the edge clearance. Thanks for your help.
That's great, except for the exact reason he demonstrates in the video for why he doesn't do that.
Also using epoxy to Set them in place further strengthens the bond
A Vix Bit is a good alternative if you do'nt have a center punch. This will give you a nice small hole to mark the speaker locations as well. It will center itself in the mounting holes of the speaker.
Thanks for the video I jabe learned so much watching your channel and other channels I've only been back into car audio for about a year now and I'm hooked!!!!
They’re called transfer punches actually. The brass one is an automatic center punch
🤓Actually, nobody cares. Any punch will do. Because it's MDF.
sergio pena was about to say the same thing
No one cares, they punch the center. Center punch is a better name
D Torb66 they’re called transfer punches because you can transfer a hole from one part to another and keep it in the same spot.
I use a nail set! works great for mdf. You can put a deep hole in it too
Plumbers tape on the threads can help with sealing but don't go overboard. Thanks for the informative vids. Keep up the great work.
A couple things you might have done differently... MDF is soft and a drill bit can get 'caught' and forced all the way through, making a 'blowout'. I have found better results by using smaller drill bits to make pilot holes and then working a step or two up the final size.
In high power systems, I know that some have had problems using t-nuts and threaded inserts. It is a rather extreme environment, high pressure and high vibration. T-nuts and t-inserts can vibrate back out. YMMV
so what is your solution?
For anybody doing this, get you a small thin strip of scrap MDF or something and use a drill press to drill some multiple sized guide holes in it. That way when you are doing this, you always have a straight and 90° hole going in. Also what I like to do is use a countersink bit after I drill the hole so the insert is flush with the baffle and doesn't push wood out
For those of us who do happen to use the cheaper subwoofer boxes because we can't really afford the other ones that are professionally designed specd and built, and can't really build our own or have the room and tools to do that kind of project correctly, anyway that threaded insert installed in these type of speaker and subwoofer boxes is a fairly decent idea on how to make them last a bit longer as well..
those inserts work great for everyday rides and under 800 watt subs, eventually they always pull out.
prefer using carriage bolts with 2 nuts, one counter sunk in the wood to hold the carriage bolt in place, the other nut holds down the sub, locktite the counter sunk nut.
won't pull out or pull through.
I guess I should have waited for the end of the video but a little bit of Teflon tape seals up those threads where you still have strength and you still have airtight
I’ll be honest man, I’m a do things myself the right way kind of guy and I do things to a very high standard i over research i over think i over do and engineer everything and as a furniture maker and high end wood worker I don’t say this often to very many people but you impress me …. Love the videos love the tips love the true enjoyment of the process and especially the wood working… love your techniques!!! Very on point and professional… you take the time to wood work properly and it’s very respected To see in this industry. You aren’t go to for info and tips and tricks and over all just how to be a better auidophile enthusiast and installer … thank you for your contribution to this… honesty appreciated and very much enjoyed!!!
Love the edits in this. Are you a magician Mark ? ha Would you recommend putting a dab of super glue in the hole before you mount that fastener for some extra grip?
I prefer t nuts to the threaded inserts never had issues with them but I always bond them in just to be sure
awesome videos, a few years late.. but the punches are called "Transfer Punches".
Ah...Hertz is an Aussie! Seriously the best breed by far!
Mark is right guys, I didn't listen and used T-Nutz which chewed up my baffle so I switch on over to Threaded Inserts which are much better BUT aren't working as well because of the T-Nitz chewing up my baffle and the holes I had to drill all the way thru for them. In other words, FOLLOW HIS ADVICE! DAMN, now I have to build a new baffle and coat it with rhino dura bed liner spray stuff.
Can we talk about mounting the cabinet to the vehicle? I'd especially like to keep anti-theft in mind. Or, possibly theft deterrent, such as in a Jeep. Anyone use locks (electro magnetic, or remote unlocked) to keep a sub box removable, but secure? Or is our securit still just sticking with torx or other "uncommon" screw heads?
Thank you, I was about to get Tee Nuts for my subwoofer, now I am going to add the system that you are using, I am mounting a 1000 watts Sunfire 10" into a Skar Audio enclosure.
You could put a little wood glue in the holes before screwing in the inserts if you're concerned about air leakage.
Air leakage around bolts? Who has the measuring equipment to measure if that is happening? Subs in a trunk sound like crud anyway no matter how much sticky mat you buy.
It's a good idea to put a little CA/superglue inside the hole before putting the insert in. It will help hold the insert in place in case you over-torque the fastener.
well as far as measuring equipment goes, soapy water works and is pretty cheap
Its not always about using equipment to measure these things. As an installer it's knowing you have done everything possible to make the install as most efficient as possible for the performance of the speaker. A subwoofer in a sealed box performs it's best when it is 100% air tight. ANY, small leak degrades the performance of that sub/box, just like a boat with a leak around a screw, soon or later, that boat has sunk.
You don't need equipment to measure, the air leaking noise will annoyed you.
Using a drill guide is a great idea also. Then you use a collar to stop it at whatever point is needed. Hurricane nuts from parts express are nice to use also. A button style Allen head screw looks really nice also.
if you were to mount that rivnut from the inside, not only could it leak air but now the threads are polarized and can back out during the final mounting. love the vids 👍
I can attest to the strength of these inserts having used them in engineering applications and my own speaker builds. Most important is the pilot hole size, which is different in different materials for optimum strength. Headless inserts are better as they can be set just below the material surface for best clamping force. For belt and braces airtightness I use a bead of glue around the last thread of the insert before screwing it home.
Interesting technique. We use threaded inserts and tee nuts in the guitar world for bolting the neck and body together in a two part construction manner. I like the idea here, so you can change up wiring patterns and such multiple times without ever fatiguing the wood itself. Wood (or in this case MDF) is only strongest the first time you put a screw into it. Each time afterward there will be some degree of break down of the fibers. Metal to metal is much more effective as with the inserts.
What did you coat the inside of your woofer box with?
I have my interior ripped apart so I can install sound deadening. Thanks for dropping the video, Mark. I needed an excuse to take a little break.
Great video. Also explains the main problem of t-nuts. In case of a sealed enclosure they can cause leaks since they have to be mounted from the bottom. I found that glueing the t-nuts in place can solve the problem after the fact but next time i'd rather use threaded inserts
PA5cAl1 I agree. Used T nuts one time on a subwoofer repair where the MDF was trashed from multiple repairs performed (attempted) by the owner. Ended up being a nightmare. Maybe would have been different if it was a first time install but wound up having to design and install a new box in short notice. Well that and the fact that his box was practically held together by the carpet. Sad thing is he claims he had his system installed by a car car audio dealer. And, they used a pre fab box with a vilcroed false wall on a BMW.
HEY MARK!! WUZ HAPPANIN?!
YOU SIR ARE A GENIUS!!
I made a JL H.O. REDEYE box that has the W7 sitting vertical. I remember you saying that you would install these threaded rivits from the inside-out.
Could you bless me with your knowledge and make a little video showing the process & proper steps.
Thank you very much. Z
Man, between you and Doug, I need a tax write off!! LOL!! Great vids as always!!
master level 100 reach ! awesome dude :3
That is one very happy subwoofer box. ☺️
I used T nuts to mount my woofers and used lots (several layers) of white wood glue to fixate them (they wont come loose ever). As far as the air leakage, that really isnt that big of a problems, also not for sealed speakers. I have seen experiments of drilling a hole in the cabinet, It didnt matter anything (in fact, it can even help lower the impedance peak like in aperiodic systems). If the holes for the bolts are very close to the edge of the big opening for the speaker hole, than you also don't have a lot of wood holding these threaded inserts. I would worry about that a lot (and I would find that a bad woofer design)
Great video, a must for MDF.
Hay mark, i used those inserts in my built and there so worth the money. Cheers for the top work and advice
Love your approach on all your videos! Attention to detail!!! Happy Trails, Doug
How well do threaded inserts hold for high powered subs?
Would glue help them?
I used super glue on my threaded inserts only because my holes were chewed up from first stying out T-Nutz. The threaded inserts are surprisngly strong.
I still use a sharp pencil to mark the inside of these holes. Sometimes a worn out beaten up Sharpie pen if my pencil rolled off bench broke the lead off, as usual. Hey, it's an upgrade from using spray paint to mark the holes! (Which works amazingly well if you can tolerate the mess.)
That's nice bro! never tried this before, I have threaded the wood itself works good, so far.
While I love threaded inserts, I have had trouble with them from time to time. And I'm cheap! So I tend to like coarse thread screws better.
A trick I learned long ago from a guitar tech. Get a toothpick, put some wood glue on the tooth pick, insert toothpick into the hole, break off said toothpick, screw in screw and let it dry overnight. This will make for a very tight screw hole!
Coarse thread have worked perfectly for me!
If I’ve already got holes in my box from where a previous sub was what’s my best course of action other than just screwing new bolts in
your videos are so helpful. thanks for all the content you've posted and thanks in advance for all your new stuff!
I'm curious, would you recommend dabbing a little wood glue on the fastener when screwing it into the enclosure, or do you not think that's necessary?
Well, I’ve got m5 and m6 hex screws along with the threaded inserts to match. Probably going to go with the m6. Anyway, I’m glad I heard you speak of mounting the inserts on the inside of the box, because my new subs over 90pounds and it will be mounted vertically. With the amount of force being put on the threads I don’t want problems later. I’m also thinking about loctite for the threads, and lock washers on the subwoofer side, as well as epoxy for the inserts when I go to install them into the box. Any suggestions maybe? Any opinions?
trabalho perfeito show adimiro seu trabalho 😍😍 tirei umas ideias de vocês e em meu corro fica show
This is phenomenal information
Mark you dont use a glue or epoxy to help hold the threaded insert in?
I love those little fishing boxes. I use one for my crimp connectors to keep them all sorted.
have you tried drill it all the way through, and apply a dab of epoxy from the inside to fill the hole? that’s what aerospace company do for airplane interior.
What size of threaded inserts & screws are perfect for mounting DB SA-302 D2, 12 inch, 2,000 watts rms, sub-woofers in diy box ? Plz reply
First, I love all your videos! They’re so helpful for me as a DIYer. I know this video is older but can you tell me what length of machine screw you use with the ez lok 10-24 threaded inserts? Thanks
True, better not compromise the integrity of your holes. :-)
Might want to put a link to this video on your T nut video. These look are far and away the better product. When a T nut falls out it’s kind of a nightmare. When two fall out better be sure the kids aren’t around
Love your videos, can you do one on how to keep your amps cool in a trunk build?
I like to use the t-nuts from the rear.
That's pretty brilliant!
Where did you get the wood threaded inserts? In the description after it says wood threatened inserts it's just blank. Plz help, all the inserts at the hardware stores near where I live are trash!! Love the videos man, and thanks for all the info, I've prolly learned more just from your chanels then all the other chanels combined...
Hey mark, if you see this, when i built my box, i used t nuts, but i am having problems with them now. How simple would it be to transition to these? Should i thread that from the i side of the box, since i already have a hole going all the way thru?
Down firing box using 3/4 mdf. Will this support 2 sundown e series 10s? I'm worried the weight will be too much for the mdf even with the inserts. Any suggestions?
First drill the size of your screw then drill the size of your insert from the back side of the baffle so that the insert itself is being pulled against the wood by the screw. Afterward place a felt pad over the inside hole and apply glue or fiberglass resin.
Put a small drop of woodglue on the threads of the inserts for good measure!
DONT RUIN YOUR BOX
If you do this make sure you measure. You can do this with all subs, some subs mounting holes are too close to the basket and drilling a hole that close to the hole can make the wood too weak to hold and in most cases the insert will be too big causing clearance and mounting issues.
DONT RUIN YOUR BOX
sweet!
Great video. I will definitely be using these on my PSI 18”
Thats a mistake, don't use these for large high power subs, he should of stated that.
@@TheeMissingLinc well it’s a platform 1 - 18 inch sub, only about 1000 watts rms
Can i use the threaded inserts from my old box for my new box
On a 15" sub is there ever issues with the threads pulling out or stripping the wood?
I have been into car audio for many years have done many installs & lots of sub boxes,
I have a correction for your video, I don’t see how drilling all the way through the mounting surface is going to create a leak once you’ve put the t-nut in and it has been pulled tight & should be super tight & even possibly permanently glued in, I use fiberglass resin to permanently locked Standard t-nuts in from the backside of the mounting surface & absolutely zero air can leak through,
I mean the air can’t go through the threads of The bolt,
If the T-nut is pulled tight and glued in no Air can leak through the outside of it either,
Also depending on the speaker you use you may not be able to get very many threads if you insert the t-nut or insert from the top and do not have the hole continue all the way through the mounting surface, i’ve always found it’s always way better to have the hole continue all the way through whether it’s a screw, T-nut, insert, or bolt & nut mounted situation!
Anyways your videos are great and very helpful otherwise!
But as for myself I just use standard T nuts and I always mount from the backside, always worked much better for me👍
Thanks only need one person to agree with me lol can continue my build with drilled hole and glue
those are transfer punches not center punches.
Those inserts work much better if you thread them from the inside... Then when mounting the speakers you can really crank them tight, because the flange on the top of the insert, is what holds them tight not just the threads
Why would drilling all the way through not matter as much in a ported box? A ported box actually has more pressure inside than a sealed box right above the tunning frequency.
All those fancy tools and you still use tape for a drill stop? 😊
Hey Mark, are these safe for heavy vertical subs?
Great video! I was just literally trying to see what I should do differently to mount my subs. I plan on reusing my box in the future with different subs and this was right on time! I'm going to order the #10-24 threaded inserts in the link but what size screw length did you use?
Why and how did you make the recess for the sub? I suspect you used a trammel with router and did it before cutting out the speaker hole? Also, I notice you have no screws on the face … when applying the top face to the box underneath (3/4” MDF end grain), do you trust glue alone?
Hi Mark, I´m a huge fan of your videos, I don´t miss any of them; I have a question, Do you sugest super glue, loctite or any other glue for the insert???
How tight of a fit should the subwoofer hole be? Should the subwoofer make contact with the ID of the hole?
Hey Mark. Do you have any tertorials of how to install a deck an to use the steering wheel controls on the new head unit.
You need an SWI-RC-1 or similar. Did it in my Honda
What is the lining that you have used inside the box? Some details on this would be awesome :) Keep up the great work and great content.
The inside of the box is covered in a grey coating, what is that its not mentioned in the subwoofer box making?
Any good way to center the subwoofer in the opening?
I found that I always have to glue the fasteners then thread them in. They seem to never hold. Kinda a pain.
nice dog, good doggie
I wanted to see if you have any ideas for 6.5 door speakers for a 2011 chevy cruze if you can please and thank you guys so much
Good video as always friend 👌
You would of thought on a sealed box you would want to use the prong ‘T’ nuts due to the air pressure (more strain on the sub)?
Hey bro. I got a subwoofer from a guy and it has no markings on it anywhere. The thing is a beast but I have no idea how many watts or who makes it or what. It's got a white carbon fiber cone and a huge surround like an old eclipse titanium pro. It's dual 2ohm voice coil and gas like 16 screw holes for mounting. Anyway if I send you a pic you could maybe identify it? Maybe it's a custom built sub or something. Idk but whoever made it took thier time cause it's really nice. I just wanna know how many watts it can handle.
Ive seen t nuts but have issues on how the inside of my custom box is accessed. Can't believe i missed this alternative solution years ago.
Great info, Mark!
How can we reach you for direct questions? I'm having an intermittent subwoofer outage. Frustrating! Would appreciate talking to a pro.
What if I wanted to order the same screw kit you have.would you have a link for that? I need it for 8" subs & 12"subs.double and triple baffle. So in a sorted kit for the screws different sizes will be awesome I already have a kit for a different size wood inserts Awesome videos. Learning a lot thanks again stay safe
Can u put the link to the plastic cases u got ur nut insert and screws in
2:50 Why doesn't matter if you drill all the way through the wood?
@keving1774 the sub vibrates the crap out of the MDF it will come loose eventually, a long-term solution os to use these Inserts to allow you to do maintenance and to not damage your box. Even taking the scres out 1 time and the threads are ruined.
Some subwoofers come with a rubber boot over the magnet. I'm sure its cosmetic and to keep it from "bumping" something and chipping But is there advantages to removing them?
what if you drill all the way through? will it not work?
I am in the process of rebuilding my trunk setup and was wondering what is the grey coating inside the box ?
Can you re use t nuts
Does this go for speakers as well ? For door panels