How to go about building a TT base?

[Mopic5]

Hey DivotDog,

Thank you for the compliments. Though this was more like a novice effort in trying to spruce up a hack job. Now here’s a picture of another real artisan’s work on a plinth. Like our own Jcmrt, he incorporates an island tonearm mount. The creator (with help from his son) goes by the handle of 4Yanx over at VA.

 

[Mopic5]

Hi Jc,

Yeah, the Presto …. It’s a favorite looker of mine, as well.

It’s been languishing on my “I’ll get to it shelf” for quite some time. Two reasons mainly … 1- I’m waiting for a nice used band saw to come my way because I’d like to bevel the plinth sides outward – something like a sphinx. This design was to incorporate an island arm mount like the one you so nicely executed. 2- The Presto (at least, mine) has been hard to tame. This 3-idler drive is very noisy. The idler tires don’t seem to be the problem – although I’ll probably get the 33rpm rebuilt just to see. It does seem that the noise is generated from the idler hubs or the motor when mechanical load has been added (engaged). I’ve spent hours & hours with motor maintenance and experimenting with various bushings and lubricants with only limited success.

Mopic5

 

[jcmjrt]

Hi Jc,

Yeah, the Presto …. It’s a favorite looker of mine, as well.

1- I’m waiting for a nice used band saw to come my way because I’d like to bevel the plinth sides outward – something like a sphinx.
2- The Presto (at least, mine) has been hard to tame. This 3-idler drive is very noisy. The idler tires don’t seem to be the problem – although I’ll probably get the 33rpm rebuilt just to see. Mopic5

Yep, that Presto is cool looking.

I hope that you get that band saw because I'd like to see the beveled plinth. Sounds very interesting/fun.

It may cost a couple of bucks to get the 33 idler wheel rebuilt but at least if that's the issue, then cleaning/lubrication is already done and it's just plinth building time. I rarely use 45 and never 78 on mine.

 

[Divotdog]

Mopic, I have several of those languishing projects myself, although following this thread is getting me fired up to pull out an old ARXA project I have been fooling around with, your “mass constrained plinth” intrigues me as I was considering a layered plinth for the AR, I too was thinking MDF and Baltic Birch.

 

[Divotdog]

Jcmjrt, I followed the thread on your table it is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. :thmbsp:

 

[Mopic5]

Jcmjrt, I followed the thread on your table it is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. :thmbsp:

Ain't that the truth!

I see you're no shrinking violet with a chisel in hand, Divotdog.

Nice job on that Dual boxed plinth! Did you leave it raw - which actually looks really nice - or add some finish?

Did you ever convert your ARXA to a single motor?

- Mopic

 

[Divotdog]

That was the first one, it got an oil and wax finish, check out the latest one here, I did get the AR converted to a single motor but then set it aside and haven't got back to it, this thread got me to blow the sawdust off of it though, I might have to pull it off the shelf pretty soon.