Exotic Wood in Mumbai for Plinth

Audio Technica AT-LP60X Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Turntable
jls001

jls001

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Any idea where to source in Mumbai exotic hard wood for a proposed rebuild of TT plinth? Hard red wood would be my first choice purely for the looks (in transparent varnish). African hard woods like Ebony or Wenge, or exotic Indonesian hardwoods or Australian hard woods like Jarrah are possible candidates. Of course teak is available easily but I am not too keen on it.

More importantly, is hardwood any good for plinth? I have typically read about people building plinths with custom composites by glueing together different layers of plywood made of different woods, and even aluminium plates, all in the pursuit of inertness I guess. Will pure wood unalloyed with anything else be good?

Anyone's used panzerholz ply?

No more MDF for me. My current plinth is MDF and is falling literally apart piece by piece.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Joshua
 
Joshua,
Don't know if there are many shops, but try Timber merchants at Mustafa Bazar, Bhycalla. 15 years back there were lots of them.
Regds.
 
Providing you with a practical way out .........

'Google' ..... "timber saw mills mumbai" .... you would get many names. Talk to some ... carry the required measurements ... and have the wood block cut in front of you.

Don't cut the block across a tree trunk ... but 'along' it. Lesser wood warps that way. Carry back the wood block to a carpenter ... have it sanded, and then polished ... voila!
 
Hi,
You've not mentioned which TT you plan to re-plinth.

If it's the Pioneer PL200, I thought it came with its own (aluminium) plinth, as seen from web pictures. Please clarify.
 
btw, most TT plinths are designed to contain (absorb) vibrations and resonances that are inherent in record players, primarily from the motor drive, and also from the stylus/record interface. Plywood composites are thus most popular, as their multiple layers are best suited for vibration damping. MDF is the worst material, as it basically pulp without a uniform damping pattern. Slate stone is also highly regarded as it is a multiple layer sedimentary stone that is excellent for damping, as opposed to, say, marble or granite

All the above is relevant to mass loaded turntables that do not have a suspension (idlers and direct drives). For suspended TTs, like most belt-drives, damping is taken care of by springs, and the plinth has less of an influence. You could use hardwoods for such TTs, as they trump plys for cosmetic value.
 
G401fan said:
Hi,
You've not mentioned which TT you plan to re-plinth.
Click to expand...

Thorens TD 160 B Mark II. The innards, on my non-expert and totally amateur inspection, seems in very good condition. Motor runs silent, springs seem still in their prime, bottom cork panel is the original one with factory labels and in fine condition, and the general look and feel of the inside is very good.

The existing plinth is ply but some section of the bottom is a layer of MDF and that's what is falling off in pieces. The veneer is some black plastic material and that too is peeling off at the seams. So I thought of building a heavy plinth, and may be invest in something like an RB300 tonearm (suggestions welcome!). Existing arm is ADC LMF2 which is a very lightweight carbon fiber tonearm, and not in a particularly good shape, and probably will not be able to handle heavier MC carts which I hope to upgrade to in the near future.The arm lift mechanism is also kaput. Also the arm mounting board looks like cork board and not too pleasing aesthetically.
Joshua
 
How about alternating layers (5 mebbe?) of 18mm BB ply and 4-6mm aluminium sheets. If you need mass loading, you could create cavities on the ply and fill them with lead/iron shots bound in epoxy. Ofcourse, you could cover the entire plinth with your favorite wood veneer around the edges...
 
hitensitapara said:
Joshua,
Don't know if there are many shops, but try Timber merchants at Mustafa Bazar, Bhycalla. 15 years back there were lots of them.
Regds.
Click to expand...

Will pay a visit to Byculla, Andheri timber market and Jogeshwari timber market. I have seen lots of teak wood in Andheri and Jogeshwari (in the past), but was hoping to find something more exotic:)
Joshua
 
grubyhalo said:
How about alternating layers (5 mebbe?) of 18mm BB ply and 4-6mm aluminium sheets. If you need mass loading, you could create cavities on the ply and fill them with lead/iron shots bound in epoxy. Ofcourse, you could cover the entire plinth with your favorite wood veneer around the edges...
Click to expand...

I had thought about this route of multi-layering ply. I need to find a good carpenter who will understand the concept and be able to do a fine job. I was thinking of using dovetail joints at the edges instead of the more usual mitred joints. So I may have to approach some CNC guys for better finishing (hoping they don't ask for some fancy CAD drawing), although there are definitely carpenters who can make fine dovetails (especially cabinet and trunk makers).
 
I don't think it would be easy to find a carpenter who really understands what you're trying to achieve. CNC'ing would be your best bet. Try searching vinylengine and audiokarma for plans and build details for the TD160 plinth so that you get better inputs before you decide on the build...
 
jls001 said:
(hoping they don't ask for some fancy CAD drawing),
Click to expand...
What formats do these CNC guys need ? If you need any precise drawing (exact measurements) I can help. PM me details. No charge :)
Regards
 
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I used to own a TD 160 Super for many years, and that TT is very similar to your TD 160B.

Would not advise changing the upper (ply) plinth unless you have a very good carpenter, or you are capable of doing a DIY job. The plinth for this TT does not have to be heavy duty, as it merely needs to provide a tight fit to the metal surface plate which holds up the sub-chassis by springs. You could consider replacing the lower MDF section only, with ply or hardwood, and re-veneering the entire caboodle.

The hardboard used to hold the tonearm is calibrated by Thorens to work with the rest of the suspension, and it might be a mistake to replace it with something else. Don't second guess the designer is my view for such things.
 
Try Padakh(not sure of spelling, could not find on google). It is a lovely red colored African wood and is cheaper than teak. Not sure about its properties in comparison with the other options you are considering.
 
hitensitapara said:
What formats do these CNC guys need. If you need any precise drawing (exact measurements) I can help. PM me details. No charge :)
Regards
Click to expand...

Hi Hiten, thanks.
I will need to take off the plinth and actually measure the various dimensions. Post measurement, I can do a hand drawing in isometric projection and may be in plan, along with measurements. Will that help?

I can ask a colleague to convert my rough drawing to Autocad .dwg.

Frankly I don't know what data format CNCs need.
Joshua
 
Please do post setp by step and work in progress photos of your project. I am sure many people would be intrested in having a look at the same.
 
jimmy_tulip said:
Please do post setp by step and work in progress photos of your project. I am sure many people would be intrested in having a look at the same.
Click to expand...

This is a longish term project for me. Will hopefully kick it off next month as I am too tied up this month. Will take lots of pictures and post it.
Joshua
 
Update: got this wood

before and after planing pics below. Dimensions are 2" x 3" prior to planing. Post planing, dimensions have come down at bit by the amount shaved off. Wood colour is (brownish) deep red with typical grain as shown on right pic. The carpenter who planed it for me said that it is a very hard wood. When lifted, it is very heavy for its size so my guess is it must be a dense wood. By my totally unscientific guesstimate, denser than teak. Lugged it 3000 kms:). I honestly don't know the name of the wood. And neither did the carpenter. I will be leaving it to dry for a couple of months as the wood is still not fully dry. This is to avoid possible shrinkage and warp. Have already cut it up to two 19 inch blocks and two 15 inch blocks for easier transportation.
 
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