Aden's Sanyo TP-626 Plinth Building Thread Extravaganza

[boreas]

Yeah, I'll give that a shot. If that doesn't turn out to be it, I'll be playing around with actually coating the thing in a thin layer of glue to increase diameter and then slowly scraping it away until it's the right speed. Fun!

Thanks for all the advice

Glue may not be the right thing to use. I wouldn't want to use anything that might get sticky when heated.

John

 

[Aden]

Glue may not be the right thing to use. I wouldn't want to use anything that might get sticky when heated.

John

I was honestly thinking about using the veneer glue I have just because it dries completely hard, but otherwise I am at a loss. Hoping the belt thing will work.

 

[Aden]

Update 7: Finished

Finally Aden jeez.

So to continue from the last update, here we have all the veneer in place:



Not too bad, but more amateur than I would have liked. Can't really blame myself since it's my first experience with veneer. Learned some good skills for next time.

So like I mentioned in the last update, I'm not going to be staining this. Instead, just a simple application of tung oil to bring out some color and more definition in the grain. Here it is after the first coat:



So remember how my plan was to fill the base of the plinth with sand? And then the assembly that held the table would just float on top of that? Not doing that right now. Going to be moving in a few weeks and I won't want to deal with something that's filled with loose sand just yet.

So instead, I have a stand-in. Sometimes I just love myself for saving everything I find that might be useful. In this case, it was a few sheets of random fruit packing foam.



Hey, it's easier to level than sand and it works okay for isolation. Not great, but I don't mind for now.

Assembling the entire thing, stringing wires, attaching stuff to the back, soldering another wire to my ground wire because the original was really short:



Speaking of attaching stuff to the back, that switch is still not connected to anything. Couldn't find enough materials to work with and I really didn't want to make another hardware store run. Maybe after I move into the new place. At least it's not critical.

So, that's it! It's finally done. I learned a lot, didn't spend entirely too much cash, and it looks pretty decent. I'm happy with it. Might not be the hugest or most challenging of projects to most woodworkers, but it's something I can be proud of.

I can finally move it back into my room, on top of my shiny new expedit bookcase (which makes me feel like a more legit record collector for some reason). Some final photos:





The first spin on the finished product with maudlin of the Well's "Part the Second":



Thanks to everyone here for the tips, advice, and support! Probably wouldn't even have considered doing something like this if it weren't for this forum.

Total cost: $111

 

[Divotdog]

Very nice! :thmbsp:

 

[Arkay]

Excellent work, especially for a first-timer! It looks great sitting there atop the Expedit, and I'm sure it will bring you a lot of pleasure. After the move, get the sand underneath and wire up that switch (and get the speed issue resolved somehow, if it isn't already) and you will have something to both enjoy and be proud of, for a long time to come. (...or until the next upgrade/project itch hits you! )

 

[cactuscowboy]

Excellent! Quite an ambitious project and the results are terrific. :thmbsp::thmbsp:

 

[Aden]

Thanks guys!

I won't bump this thread when I do get that stuff done, but it will get done. Speed issue first.

 

[HiFiNewbieJP]

wow man, great project and so well done! deff something to be proud of! was a blast reading through the whole thing!

 

[Aden]

I'm glad you enjoyed the read! Hopefully this will inspire others to take on DIY projects of their own and share with us

 

[boreas]

Great job, Aden! It really looks good. Do you have a sense of any sonic improvements over the original?

John

 

[12ax7]

Bravo! Well done.

There may not be enough room in the shift fork for a wider belt, it's fairly tight in there. One thing I did notice on my 626 was that the motor mount rubbers had compressed slightly and the belt was constantly rubbing on one side of the fork. Thin washers between the mounting bolt heads and the rubbers fixed that.

 

[jleon92f]

Update 7: Finished

Finally Aden jeez.

So to continue from the last update, here we have all the veneer in place:



Not too bad, but more amateur than I would have liked. Can't really blame myself since it's my first experience with veneer. Learned some good skills for next time.

So like I mentioned in the last update, I'm not going to be staining this. Instead, just a simple application of tung oil to bring out some color and more definition in the grain. Here it is after the first coat:



So remember how my plan was to fill the base of the plinth with sand? And then the assembly that held the table would just float on top of that? Not doing that right now. Going to be moving in a few weeks and I won't want to deal with something that's filled with loose sand just yet.

So instead, I have a stand-in. Sometimes I just love myself for saving everything I find that might be useful. In this case, it was a few sheets of random fruit packing foam.



Hey, it's easier to level than sand and it works okay for isolation. Not great, but I don't mind for now.

Assembling the entire thing, stringing wires, attaching stuff to the back, soldering another wire to my ground wire because the original was really short:



Speaking of attaching stuff to the back, that switch is still not connected to anything. Couldn't find enough materials to work with and I really didn't want to make another hardware store run. Maybe after I move into the new place. At least it's not critical.

So, that's it! It's finally done. I learned a lot, didn't spend entirely too much cash, and it looks pretty decent. I'm happy with it. Might not be the hugest or most challenging of projects to most woodworkers, but it's something I can be proud of.

I can finally move it back into my room, on top of my shiny new expedit bookcase (which makes me feel like a more legit record collector for some reason). Some final photos:





The first spin on the finished product with maudlin of the Well's "Part the Second":



Thanks to everyone here for the tips, advice, and support! Probably wouldn't even have considered doing something like this if it weren't for this forum.

Total cost: $111

Very, Very, Nice. I had the Same TT and painted my Plinth Red! Great! Job you did with the Veneer..
The lower bearing on the motor needed lubing on mine to correct the speed and a new belt helped.

Thanks,
John.

 

[boreas]

The lower bearing on the motor needed lubing on mine to correct the speed and a new belt helped.

Thanks,
John.

Good point, John. The lower bearing isn't served by the oil port in the top of the motor housing, just the upper one.

I lubricated the lower bearing on mine by disassembling the motor and flooding the bearing, then letting it sit. The oil was initially dark from overheating so I sort of did a flush by repeatedly oiling the bearing, letting it sit and then draining off the excess until the oil was clear. The net result for me was that the motor ran cooler but the speed was still just a little slow.

John

 

[4dryhme]

Very inspiring, Aden. Thanks for sharing an enjoyable thread!

 

[Aden]

Very, Very, Nice. I had the Same TT and painted my Plinth Red! Great! Job you did with the Veneer..
The lower bearing on the motor needed lubing on mine to correct the speed and a new belt helped.

Thanks,
John.

I remember finding your thread a few times as I was researching this model! It's one of the things that got this whole idea turning in my head in the first place. Great job with yours too. Shame to hear it's not in your hands anymore, but it's probably making someone else very happy.

Good point, John. The lower bearing isn't served by the oil port in the top of the motor housing, just the upper one.

I lubricated the lower bearing on mine by disassembling the motor and flooding the bearing, then letting it sit. The oil was initially dark from overheating so I sort of did a flush by repeatedly oiling the bearing, letting it sit and then draining off the excess until the oil was clear. The net result for me was that the motor ran cooler but the speed was still just a little slow.

John

While I am nervous about disassembling the motor, I suppose I'd have to try sometime. I'll look into it after my meetings and see if anything's gunking up the works. Thanks for the tips.

Very inspiring, Aden. Thanks for sharing an enjoyable thread!

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Neurasthenic]

Awesome work, really makes me want to start some kind of DIY project.

Also, big thumbs up on the Maudlin of the Well. So glad they released it on vinyl.

 

[GreatTone]

Very nice work, and a great thread! If you want to improve the isolation situation, try Herbie's Audio stuff. It's pretty affordable, compared to some isolation products, and it works really, really well. For example, instead of the foam supporting your chassis, you could use 3 or 4 Tenderfeet. I am using Herbie's IsoBalls under my TT, which lift it clear of the stock feet which I just left in place, and the improvement in sound was amazing.

http://herbiesaudiolab.net/ttfeet.htm

Check it out. No affiliation, just a happy customer.

 

[Rangefinder]

Rangefinder

Great project. Good quality workmanship. You now have a good selection of clamps. That's how I acquired my tools, one piece at a time. One question if you please. Does the sand have to be free flowing? ie: loose.
Can it be in a solid form?:scratch2:

 

[ptmoore37]

This thread is awesome! I've had a TP626 for about a year now. I've done all the tweaking I can to the stock table, and have it sounding pretty good. However, I just moved into a new apartment, which is not located on the ground floor (like my previous place.) This causes all sorts of problems with isolation, which I've never experienced before. The turntable is now on a shaky-at-best entertainment center, very much coupled to the pergo flooring and also to the rest of the apartment building. Something must be done.

So I'm going to steal your plans, Aden, and make my own plinth to try and correct the problem. I'm going to try and overbuild this plinth and really make this thing solid. I like the idea of putting sand in the bottom tray, but think I can figure out a better way to add weight to the base without dealing with the sand shifting around. I've got some ideas, but if anyone has any of their own, please let me know!

I'll probably just check in on this thread with pictures and updates instead of starting my own, since my plinth will look very similar to Aden's.

Thanks again for all the great information! Here we go...

 

[Aden]

So sorry for not logging in here in a while. Got caught up with a move and it just slipped my mind...
Anyway

Great project. Good quality workmanship. You now have a good selection of clamps. That's how I acquired my tools, one piece at a time. One question if you please. Does the sand have to be free flowing? ie: loose.
Can it be in a solid form?:scratch2:

I'm assuming that loose sand would work better than a solid block for damping vibrations due to the nature of such a substance...tons of little air pockets and ability to shift means that more vibration gets absorbed as it travels through the medium. However, a sufficiently dense/heavy block of solid matter should quell stray vibration quite well!

This thread is awesome! I've had a TP626 for about a year now. I've done all the tweaking I can to the stock table, and have it sounding pretty good. However, I just moved into a new apartment, which is not located on the ground floor (like my previous place.) This causes all sorts of problems with isolation, which I've never experienced before. The turntable is now on a shaky-at-best entertainment center, very much coupled to the pergo flooring and also to the rest of the apartment building. Something must be done.

So I'm going to steal your plans, Aden, and make my own plinth to try and correct the problem. I'm going to try and overbuild this plinth and really make this thing solid. I like the idea of putting sand in the bottom tray, but think I can figure out a better way to add weight to the base without dealing with the sand shifting around. I've got some ideas, but if anyone has any of their own, please let me know!

I'll probably just check in on this thread with pictures and updates instead of starting my own, since my plinth will look very similar to Aden's.

Thanks again for all the great information! Here we go...

Please do! So glad that this thread helped and inspired someone
Can't wait to see where you take it