Recording - November 2016 - 63

It might be hard to find 31/2" screws sold individually. If
you can, they will run you about 15 cents apiece. A box
of 52 costs around $8.
With the screws you'll need two 1/4" by 11/4" Fender
Washers. A Fender Washer has a particularly large outer
diameter in comparison to the hole in the center (see
Picture 1). These are available individually for 12 cents
each.
Finally, there's some miscellany that you probably already
have laying around: wood glue, nails, and staples. Looking
at the above, we can estimate $45.00 for a single panel,
and I would expect the per-panel cost to be less when buying enough materials to build multiple panels.
The build
Start by mounting the fiberglass panel to the wall, but
first, put on your rubber gloves and face mask. 703 is a
rigid product, but it is fiberglass-you don't want to risk
inhalation or skin contact! You'll need the Fender Washers
and screws; your tools will be a drill driver and a level. A
stud finder could come in handy, as would a second person to hold the panel in place while you work.
We're going to attach by centering the panel on a wall
stud and using a screw and washer placed 31/2" from
the top and bottom. So:
1) Find the wall stud you'll be mounting on.
2) Hold or have a helper hold the panel centered on the
stud.
3) Use a drill driver to drive the top screw and washer
through the panel, wallboard, and into the stud.
4) Adjust the panel so it is straight by using a level
across the top.
5) Once positioned straight, drive the bottom screw and
washer into the stud.
You'll end up with a panel mounted as shown in Picture 2.
Next up is to build the frame that will hold the cloth,
which will slide onto the 703 panel. We're using three
1x3x6 select pine boards-one each for the left and
right sides, and one that will cut apart for the top and
bottom. The inside dimensions of the frame are the same
as the panel: 24" by 48" by 2". Adding the 3/4" thickness of the boards, the outside dimension of the frame is
491/2" by 251/2" by 2".
1) Cut two of the boards to a length of 491/2". A tip here
is to line up one on top of the other and cut both simultaneously. This will ensure both boards come out to exactly
the same length.
2) Cut the remaining 6' board in half. Place the two
pieces evenly on top of each other and cut down to 24",
giving you two pieces of the exact same (24") length.
3) Seeing that a 1x3 is actually 3/4" x 21/2", you'll need
to rip cut 1/2" off of each board to get them down to the
required 2". A table saw is the tool for this job.
Not everybody has access to a table saw, so it would be
ideal to buy a board already at 2". A 1x2x6 won't do it;
it has an actual width of 11/2", and as we just learned, a
1x3x6 has an actual width of 21/2". If you search around,
you may find a store with an actual 2" wide board.
Alternatively, many home improvement stores will be
happy to do the cuts for you when you buy the boards.
4) Use wood glue and nails to construct the frame
(clamps or a second person are helpful). The top and bottom shorter pieces are mounted in-between the longer
side pieces.

Once constructed, the frame will slide nicely over the mounted
fiberglass panel. See Picture 3.
The final step is to use a staple gun to attach your breathable
cloth to the wood frame. Cut a piece of the cloth a bit bigger than
the frame and staple it in place, smoothing and tightening as you
go. The back side of the frame will look something like Picture 4.
Picture 5 shows the end result of two panels with their cloth
cover frames mounted on a section of wall. While these panels
are inexpensive to make, they have a professional appearance
and certainly do a terrific job of taming those mid and upper-mid
frequency reflections!

Michael Nickolas (nickolas@recordingmag.com) is a recording engineer, composer, and musician living and working in Massachusetts,
out of a home studio whose mids and highs are controlled with panels just like these. Learn more at studionineproductions.com.
RECORDING NOVEMBER 2016

http://www.studionineproductions.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2016