gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi Everyone, It is amazing what incompetent tinkerers like myself can do with left over parts and a lot of power tools. This is still an unfinished project. But it is full operational now. Not the best cartridge (OM5E - left over from a P-J DB III) but sound is quite nice, clean, very quiet. The motive power is from a Dual 701 direct drive TT and the arm is a Rega that I replaced on my Sota (with an Origin Live). All the lumber was lying around the shop. A piece of 1 inch MDF, 3/4 inch MDF, 1/4 inch plywood, and a roll of self adhesive cork. The only causality was a router bit. I sort of cooked it on the one piece of MDF (sticky glue apparently). Now the fun part.... finishing the exterior so that it is pretty.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18783 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Oh, man, Bruce, that's excellent!
Whatcha going to finish it with?
I'm a big fan of thick lacquer, sanded perfectly flat and buffed perfectly smooth like a piano. I think that would make your table look as gorgeous as it must sound!
gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi Wayne, thanks for the kind remarks. It still needs to be sanded and then finished. I agree that it will probably come out in gloss black. A possibility I was pondering was to have a gloss whit top and black sides or just the reverse. I believe I will start with all black and see how it looks though. The nice thing with diy is you can change the color later if you want.
The big problem now is where to put all the turntables. Three in the set up at all times may be getting a bit excessive. There is still one more in the shed (Phillips GA 212 that is in excellent shape as well).
gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, I cleaned it with lacquer thinner, but the cutting edges were toast. Project is coming along. Three coats of black lacquer so far. you can see the reflections of stuff in it now.
gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi Everyone, A project update. It's not perfect and I will be doing a second base with real wood and not scraps I had on hand. But it looks reasonable and sounds great.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18783 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
Oh, wow, Bruce! That really looks great!
I've been sitting here listening to records this afternoon, so I am feeling kind of connected with your project. I just love vinyl. I don't bring it to the shows 'cause it's kind of a hassle with all the hustle and bustle in the rooms. But man, I just love the smooth warmth of vinyl.
gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, Thanks, but since I wasn't happy with the finish... I did the obvious thing an audio dude would do and get more wood and start over. Real wood, 1 inch thick wood this time. Knowing what didn't go right the first time, this one is coming nicely. I'm at the just primed the wood stage now and will send some photos later. This time the surface is so smooth . I went as far as 600 grit sand paper, by hand to get it better this time as well as sand-able filler primer. So I'll go after it tomorrow with 0000 steel wool. Then maybe the first coat of lacquer. I may be a demented designer and diyer, but I don't want any junk in my listening area. Now the shed and shop are a different story.
gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi All, After a second and more successful build I still didn't like the looks. So.... It is now not a Drega, but a Rocket. It looks like stone and weighs as much as well. I would guess close to 30 pounds. The arm is a Rega and it is currently using an OM30 cartridge. Very clean sounding overall and well worth the effort. The only thing that may be an issue is that it seems slightly more sensitive to picking up shelf bumps. The Dual 701 motor assembly makes this a fairly easy project and Rega arms are nearly plug and play. The second photo is how the system looks today (tomorrow it will be different.
gofar99 Messages: 1947 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi Everyone, see the final version in the DIY section. A lot of effort, sawdust and a number of unprintable words (especially with respect to paint) went into the final product.
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Now the fun part.... finishing the exterior so that it is pretty. 
I did the obvious thing an audio dude would do and get more wood and start over. Real wood, 1 inch thick wood this time. Knowing what didn't go right the first time, this one is coming nicely. I'm at the just primed the wood stage now and will send some photos later. This time the surface is so smooth 
