I'm still set on a nice big hunk-o-wood for the turntable to sit on, then likely the Townsend pods under that, and they would sit on...not sure. But I did put the raw 3/4" MDF sheet I'd picked up at Home Depot, on the top of the Lovan rack, then the thinner Lovan rack on top (also tried underneath). I have to say that just adding the thicker MDF gives me a whole lot more confidence, it feels so much more solid, than just leaving it with the stock, thin MDF top.
I went to see a local wood guy who would do the wood block. He's done similar things for stereo gear. I'd first asked about maple or similar hard wood. He had maple, wall-nut, but he pointed me towards a beautiful couple pieces of Siberian Elm, which when stained would be my preference over the other woods. I've seen that Elm, depending on the type, can be in the "soft" or "hardwood" designation. I'm not sure where Siberian Elm lands, but he insisted this was a really hard wood, similar to maple.