Symphony Radio Cabinet
The Symphony Radio Cabinet is a Bluetooth Speaker & cabinet inspired by early 20th century radio cabinets. As modern home speakers take up much less space than older radios, I incorporated storage shelves to fill the extra space.
The construction techniques and shape of the cabinet was inspired by acoustic guitars. I made several sets of prototypes throughout the building process, first by hand, and then using laser-cut cardboard.
After some initial sketches and paper/cardboard prototypes, I created a 3d model to easily experiment with the shape, colors, and finishes. I also used the model to check for potential oversights in my manufacturing plan, so that I could address them before cutting material.
I also used versions of this model to create laser-cut routing templates, and to quickly & accurately calculate the lengths of the curved sides to avoid wasted material.
I used laser-cut routing templates to route the front plate, as well as to check curvatures of the sides. The sides were made from kerf-cut plywood sheets which were dampened to help them curve. They were fit into routed channels on the front plate. The back plate was fitted into a rabbet on the sides. Banding was added to the edges, and the speaker cavities were covered with speaker grill.
