swt61

Make a nice cup of tea and try to forget the day Vicki.

OK last installment for a little while. Today after work I milled up the armboard. Everything is sanded and ready for finishing, which if the weather cooperates will start tomorrow. It'll take a few days to complete the finishing, and I won't bother posting anymore pics until it's done. I decided to make a little pattern out of 1/4" plywood for setting the tonearm distance. One end has a 1/2" hole which fits perfectly over the bearing, then exactly 222mm from the center of that hole is the center of a 3/4" hole. That hole lines up with the 3/4" inside diameter of the VTA bushing. Once I line up the bushing exactly over the hole the armboard is perfectly aligned.

Thanks folks! I'm really happy with how it's turning out myself. It's really hard to keep from starting the finishing process, because I so want to see it with a coat of oil. However I know that measuring and milling the armboard will require me to be moving it around on top of the table, and there's no use scratching up a finish until that's done. The armboard will be thicker than I had thought, so I had to glue up two 3/4" pieces of Walnut. The armboard is going to need to be 29/32" thick by my calculations. I'll mill two screw slots in it for fine adjustments, and I'm not sure of the shape yet. I'm thinking one side will follow the contours of the platter, and the other three sides will be rectangular. I'll just wait until it's time to mill it before any final design decision. I love it! That would be a dream job for me for certain.

But where else can you get worn out jeans for a mere $85.00? Back when they were an up and coming company I got some great outerwear on sale at a really good price. That was before everything was pre distressed, pre faded and pre torn.

I got the corner pillars milled up, sanded, glued and screwed into place today. I plugged the holes with Cherry dowel stock, but haven't cut or sanded the dowels flush yet, so no pics of that yet. Here are some pics of "Colossus" with it's pillars and feet though... Everything is sanded to 320 grit now, and after I mill up the armboard the finishing will get underway.

It's got a lot of movement to the grain for sure, more than the pics show. That's why I thought an oil finish might be appropriate for the "Colossus". And I love that emoticon Nate! 5 coats total should do the trick. Hmmm, I hadn't until now. Thanks for all the nice comments guys!

Thanks Nate. It is coming out as well as I'd hoped.

No, just pics of the one Audio Cubes sells. I had an AT headphone on hand though.

Here it is with Black Walnut sides installed. The corner posts will really complete the look.

Happy Birthday Al!

The last side was just glued and clamped into place, so I should have some pics within a few hours time. The table will still be without the corner pillars and armboard though. Oh and my sealer and topcoat arrived while I was toiling away in the shop, so the finishing process will start in the next few days as well.

Thanks man! Most people tell me I'm way too anal, because I carry my obsessiveness to every project I work on. I'm not the cheapest contractor on this island though, so I consider my attention to detail what sets me apart from the average Joe. Yeah, I think a good table saw, router table and drill press is essential on this project. Most of those tools can be rented however.

I'll be using a heavily modded Rega RB300, but building a new armboard for another tonearm would be an easy enough modification, should I ever go that route. I left plenty of room on the plinth for longer arms. One thing I really like about my modded Rega is that with the Pete Riggle VTA mod, it's as simple as unplugging the cables and the tonearm just slides right out w/out any retaining nut. And yes I own a second modded Rega RB300 to mount a second cartridge on. Color me the quick change artists. Also the Walnut side pieces are out of the clamps now, and I just installed the first one. After the glue dries I'll move onto the second and so on. So I may have pics later tonight. I'm using my biscuit joiner w/#10 biscuits. The biscuits and glue are only in the middle of the 5" pieces, so that the Walnut has room to expand and contract with the changing seasons.

Today I fabbed up the Walnut side pieces. They're pretty straight forward with a little arch cut into the bottom. But the have a shelf piece on the top that will stick out about 1/2" over the side, and will also cover about 3/16" of the plinth core as well, so as not to leave any gap where the Walnut side meets the Burled Maple top. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but here's a side view drawing... They're in clamps now, but should get installed tomorrow w/pics to follow. But just so I don't leave you empty handed, here are some pics of the holes I milled underneath the plinth to hold the shot fill damping. I knew it would be a PITA to do once the sides were in place, so I made the decision to go ahead with them. The caps are 1/4" plywood and should hold the shot in place fine. After I install the Walnut side pieces I'll start milling the 2" square corner pieces that will also hold the cone feet. Then the armboard will finish up the woodwork. I've decided to try out a new finish. I'm a big fan of the DIY network's show "Woodworks" and it's host David Marks is an incredible woodworker. He gives the brand names of the finish products he uses on the website, and it's not pure Tung Oil (he says he's used these products since 1984). There are two products by the same manufacturer, one is a sealer and the other is a top coat. They are oil based finishes, but with urethane and other additives. One coat of sealer and four coats of the top coat w/0000 steel wool buffings in between. They are in transit, but should arrive early this week, and I'll let you know what I think of them.

Sweet! I can't wait to hear the Buffalo, and I'll be a very good boy and pass it down the list after a few long weekend listening days. This is a very cool thing to do Naamanf!

I didn't realize there was an American distributor for these. Mucho thanks, I've bookmarked them!

Oh sweet! Unfamiliar with that case, any links?

Wow Marc, that's very cool! Was it as big a PITA working in that small space as it looks like it would be? It's definitely a full case. Houston is going to be a fun meet for yours truly indeed! Oh, and I'll post 'em for ya...

This was my inspiration, but of coarse mine will be taller, also my corner posts will be a bit more massive. Heck, the whole thing will be more massive in every way. This gives you a little better idea of where it's heading though. The resonance control is what I'm most interested in, but I'm not afraid of more mass either. Once I get this in place on my rack it's not going anywhere. Even if I have to rent a Genie lift to get it there. I think I may at the very least fill in the half moon cutout.

Wait, you mean you can get these shipped to your door now? Oh man the intrawebz is awesome!

"This product qualifies for Free Shipping. Click for details.FREE SHIPPING *Some restrictions apply. Click here for details. Reconditioned List Price: See Details $199.99 You Save: $185.00 Our Price: $14.99 Shipping: FREE" Sandisk Sansa m250 Digital Audio Player 2GB w/FM & Voice Recording - Recertified - M250 SDMX3-2048 - Buy.com I bought three. These will make great Christmas gifts.

I will be waiting until after I've heard the table before making a final decision. It is pretty heavy now, and the Walnut will add another 4-5 Lbs. The 1/4" plywood would only be seen if you turn the table over, but as you suggest hopefully I won't need to bother. Actually I just had a thought...If I do use the shot fill, I'll use a rabbiting router bit to create a rabbit on each hole, then make round plugs from 1/4" ply. That will keep them flush with the table bottom, and more professional looking.

Cutest baby pic ever!!!

Have a great one!

I haven't weighed her but I'd guess about 40 Lbs. w/platter. That would be awesome! My plan is to use a 2" Forstner bit to drill holes on the underside of the plinth, about an inch in from the edge, all the way around. Then use some 1/4" plywood to make plates to cover the holes, and screw them in place. This will be a massive TT.