So, I've started building my first cabinet. It'll be an 2x12, made from an old cupboard I found. I have started with reinforcing the joints, but realize I must make a descicion about the baffle and the grill: Do you prefer to stretch the grill clothing directily onto the baffle? Or do you make a frame that you stretch the grill onto, and then mount it to the baffle? What works best? For now, I am planning to make a frame for the grill. If I do it the other way, I would need to cut the baffle a little bit down to have room for the clothing to go around the edges, but how much?
(This is just a project for fun, I will use this as an experience to make a better cab, I've got materials for that already, speakers too, but I just thought I had to make something out of that cupboard, you know, the charm of DIY...)
Speaker baffle/grill questions
I always used to put a seperate frame in front of the baffle. The baffle has to make good contact ( airtight ) with the rest of the cab ( in most cases).
Airthight? Isn't that most important with a closed cab? Mine will be open back, and besides that there will be a wooden frame behind it too, that the baffle is attached to. I am very much back and forth between these alternatives now, and making a strong enough frame is a challenge too 
If air (soundwaves) can escape from the front you may have problems with phase cancellations because the same frequencies from the front and back of the speaker may cancel eachother out.