Quick 703 Question

[andyhix]

I'm going to be making a few multi-use wood-framed 703 panels. They will be used as gobos and general room treatment. I plan to buy and cut the wood today but won't get the 703 for another few days (it involves a bit of a drive). My understanding is the 2' x 4' panels are EXACTLY 2' x 4', right? So should I make the interior of the wood frame exactly 2' x 4', or would I be better off shaving that down by an 1/8" or 1/4" so that the 703 is more "snug?"

Kind of a silly question, but since I won't have the insulation in front of me while I work on the wood, it's hard to know how to proceed. Thanks!

[c7sus]

Yes, batts are 24 x 48 x whatever thickness.

The stuff cuts best with a sharp paring knife or similar. Don't be afraid to sharpen often if you have a lot of cuts.

703 is fairly rigid, so if you have to force it you'll wind up crushing the edges and create a lot of little fibers. If you go 24 x 48 you should be fine. I bought some 6" spikes to hold the 703 in my gobos. But you have to buy a box of 500.

Anyways if you cut your interior snug it should stay in place by itself, even if you are stacking one atop another.

[andyhix]

Originally Posted by c7sus

Yes, batts are 24 x 48 x whatever thickness.

The stuff cuts best with a sharp paring knife or similar. Don't be afraid to sharpen often if you have a lot of cuts.

703 is fairly rigid, so if you have to force it you'll wind up crushing the edges and create a lot of little fibers. If you go 24 x 48 you should be fine. I bought some 6" spikes to hold the 703 in my gobos. But you have to buy a box of 500.

Anyways if you cut your interior snug it should stay in place by itself, even if you are stacking one atop another.

Cool. I figured I was over-thinking it a bit, but thought I might as well ask. Here's what I'm doing, if anyone is interested or has comments:

I'm going to be buying a 12 pk of 2" 703, and building 4 2" panels and 4 4" panels (all 24 x48"). They will be framed with wood, and have 2 T-Bolts on each side. This will allow me to quickly bolt them to some legs so they can be free-standing (to make a vocal wall, for instance). I plan to arrange the T-bolts, so they can be in the stand flush with the floor, or by removing only two bolts, the panel can flip up to be a total height of 6'6" (with a 2'6" gap underneath). Also, a few additional holes in the legs could allow for additional height options. I'll be wrapping the 703 in fabric on both sides - I'm not planning on using any plywood. ANy obvious problems with this?

[notCardio]

why don't you wait until you get the 703 before you make the frames?

So, are you driving to Ft. Wayne to get it?

[andyhix]

Well, my spare time to do woodworking projects (or anything else) is next to zero, so I have to take advantage of the few spare moments I have. Also, I'd like to have at least a few of these done by this weekend to use them for some recording.

Anyway, I've got the wood ripped and crosscut, now I need to just assemble and do some other odds and ends (I've decided to jigsaw out some holes in the 4" panels to make them lighter, and more absortive - might not make a big difference, but it will add an additional 1.5 sq feet of surface area per panel.

That being said, I picked up the 703 from Insulation Sales, Inc., in Ferndale, MI. $85.44+Tx for 12-2"x24"x48" (.89/sq. ft.). I think that was a pretty good price, compared to what I've seen others say here.

[apl]

Originally Posted by andyhix

That being said, I picked up the 703 from Insulation Sales, Inc., in Ferndale, MI. $85.44+Tx for 12-2"x24"x48" (.89/sq. ft.). I think that was a pretty good price, compared to what I've seen others say here.

I was quoted $132 for that.

[andyhix]

Bummer APL. I don't think you could drive to Ferndale and back for $40 though, so you're SOL.

For those in the area, this place was pretty cool to work with - they took my CC and I didn't need to have an account, even though they are a wholesaler, for the most part. Only negative is they close at 3:30, so I had to leave work a couple hours early to get there. If they were on HR.com, I'd give them green rep.

[apl]

Originally Posted by andyhix

Bummer APL. I don't think you could drive to Ferndale and back for $40 though, so you're SOL.

For those in the area, this place was pretty cool to work with - they took my CC and I didn't need to have an account, even though they are a wholesaler, for the most part. Only negative is they close at 3:30, so I had to leave work a couple hours early to get there. If they were on HR.com, I'd give them green rep.

I can't complain. I paid about what I expected and I'm very happy with the results. The place I bought it from might get it from where you got it!

[Nate74]

Geez, I hate running across threads like this and seeing what you all are paying for 703. I searched online for three days and only found one place within driving distance of my house, ended up paying almost $200 for a budle of 703 AND they didn't even carry it to the loading dock for me.

I'd say both of you did better than me by a long long way.

[TexRoadkill]

Originally Posted by andyhix

I'll be wrapping the 703 in fabric on both sides - I'm not planning on using any plywood. ANy obvious problems with this?

It's only a problem if you want the baffles to block sound. They will need some wood on the back if you want to block anything louder then vocals.

[andyhix]

Originally Posted by TexRoadkill

It's only a problem if you want the baffles to block sound. They will need some wood on the back if you want to block anything louder then vocals.

Well of course I want them to block sound. that's sort of the point. I guess I was thinking/hoping the insulation would adequately do that on it's own. so how thick of plywood would I need? I have some spare 1/4" and 1/2" - maybe enough to do a few panels. It would be easy enough to screw on to the back, and I could then easily remove it to wall mount. I'll probably try them w/o plywood first to see how well they work.

[talontsiawd]

Yes, size is exact. Make sure the inside demensions match and it will work great. I found that once i covered mine, the small amount of material made the fit very tight, no need to use anything to keep them inplace. Even test fitting though, they would stay put with no covering.

[Innovations]

Originally Posted by andyhix

Well of course I want them to block sound. that's sort of the point. I guess I was thinking/hoping the insulation would adequately do that on it's own. so how thick of plywood would I need? I have some spare 1/4" and 1/2" - maybe enough to do a few panels. It would be easy enough to screw on to the back, and I could then easily remove it to wall mount. I'll probably try them w/o plywood first to see how well they work.

No you don't need a backing in order to have them be absorbers. Remember that absorbtion is not isolation. If you think that these panels are going to keep your neighbors from hearing you or you from hearing the helicopter outside then you are following the wrong path entirely.

Absorbers are to keep the sound from bouncing around inside the room, not to keep it from getting out of the room or getting into the room.

[TexRoadkill]

Innovations, He's talking about building gobos to isolate sources and mics.

Andy, As with most things, the thicker the wood the better.

[eyeteeth]

To dig up an old thread...

Andyhix... great resource. Anyone searching for 703... call these guys. Not only do they have great prices, but they were VERY friendly and accommodating. Plus, willing to ship if you live out of reasonable driving distance.

Big thumbs up.

[andyhix]

Well since you dug it up, I just want to say that my gobos are awesome. We placed several around the drum kit and had full volume gits in the same room and you couldn't hear the amps at all in the overheads. I was amazed. Some are cloth on both sides and most have 1/4" plywood on one side and cloth on the other. So I can flip them if I want a little more his reflected back. Some are 4" thick. Some are 2" thick.

And, just as I planned, I can set them up as mounted room treatment for mixing too. I'm very pleased.

I REALLY keep meaning to take pictures but I never remember to bring the camera to practice. I'll do so in the next week or two though.

[eyeteeth]

Yea... some pics would be nice.

[tmix]

Andy,
Sounds like what I need!
I have a large room to track many people but I still want isolation.

Sometimes I have all the bodies in one room with amps and such elsewhere , but someone recording shakers or acoustic guitar in the big room.
I need to keep the ambient noises out of the acoustic tracks.

Tom
pics would be nice.

[andyhix]

As promised, here's a pic. They can be used as room treatment, or as gobos as needed. Frames made with 1x pine, glued and pocket screwed together, stained and poly'd. Since they are moved around a lot, the frames help keep them intact. If they were permanently on the wall, I'd probably go frameless. Some have plywood backs, others are felt on both sides.

I put 2 T-Nuts in each side, to attach the legs with a bolt. Finger tight is fine, so I don't need a wrench. There are two leg positions - the lower one showed here, and one where they are about 6'6" high, perfect for vocals, and drum OH's. The crappy stands are just crappy pine. There is a 3/4" dowel glued into the feet, allowing them to pivot in the legs. This comes in handy for a quick vocal booth config - you can spin the feet relative to the legs, so two of them can be right next to one another at an angle.

Also, the feet are easily seperated from the legs for transport. With a 12 pack of 2" 703, I made 4 4" thick, and 4 2" thick. Oh and they work really well.

[tmix]

That is nice.
Gives me some ideas

Originally Posted by andyhix

As promised, here's a pic. They can be used as room treatment, or as gobos as needed. Frames made with 1x pine, glued and pocket screwed together, stained and poly'd. Since they are moved around a lot, the frames help keep them intact. If they were permanently on the wall, I'd probably go frameless. Some have plywood backs, others are felt on both sides.

I put 2 T-Nuts in each side, to attach the legs with a bolt. Finger tight is fine, so I don't need a wrench. There are two leg positions - the lower one showed here, and one where they are about 6'6" high, perfect for vocals, and drum OH's. The crappy stands are just crappy pine. There is a 3/4" dowel glued into the feet, allowing them to pivot in the legs. This comes in handy for a quick vocal booth config - you can spin the feet relative to the legs, so two of them can be right next to one another at an angle.

Also, the feet are easily seperated from the legs for transport. With a 12 pack of 2" 703, I made 4 4" thick, and 4 2" thick. Oh and they work really well.

How much did the total come to after making that setup? I've been wanting something like that for awhile.

[andyhix]

You know I had a very strict budget at first, then sorta went beyond it and lost track. Primarily, my budget was stretched because I went with felt at 3 or 4 bucks a yard, rather than something from the dollar rack - I just couldn't find anything I liked at $1. So, anyway, I don't really know what it cost in the end.

[NLAlston]

Originally Posted by andyhix

As promised, here's a pic. They can be used as room treatment, or as gobos as needed. Frames made with 1x pine, glued and pocket screwed together, stained and poly'd. Since they are moved around a lot, the frames help keep them intact. If they were permanently on the wall, I'd probably go frameless. Some have plywood backs, others are felt on both sides.

I put 2 T-Nuts in each side, to attach the legs with a bolt. Finger tight is fine, so I don't need a wrench. There are two leg positions - the lower one showed here, and one where they are about 6'6" high, perfect for vocals, and drum OH's. The crappy stands are just crappy pine. There is a 3/4" dowel glued into the feet, allowing them to pivot in the legs. This comes in handy for a quick vocal booth config - you can spin the feet relative to the legs, so two of them can be right next to one another at an angle.

Also, the feet are easily seperated from the legs for transport. With a 12 pack of 2" 703, I made 4 4" thick, and 4 2" thick. Oh and they work really well.

Thanks Andy, for the info and the photo. I am well-armed enough, now, to put something nice together for myself.

Much appreciation.

[Foo-bu]

this is going to sound like a really stupid and simple question but my handyman skills aren't good by any means...

how did you make your baffles so that there is a wood frame on the outside and the fabric just covers the fiberglass? is it just a matter of stapling or do you make two frames (one tho hold the fiberglass that gets wrapped with fabric all over and then another frame on top for aesthetics)?

[apl]

Originally Posted by Foo-bu

this is going to sound like a really stupid and simple question but my handyman skills aren't good by any means...

how did you make your baffles so that there is a wood frame on the outside and the fabric just covers the fiberglass? is it just a matter of stapling or do you make two frames (one tho hold the fiberglass that gets wrapped with fabric all over and then another frame on top for aesthetics)?

You don't really need a frame. You can wrap the 703 in fabric like a Christmas present and secure the fabric with hot glue. This puts the edges into play which absorb substantial low freqs. It's the edge effects that give some material SRCs>1.