Using Maple Butcher Block Under a Turntable

@invictus005 ,

You’re actually half right. Sometimes people have nothing else better to do. I found my 1-1/4" thick butcher block at my aunt’s house. It was at least 20 years old and hadn’t been used in years. This particular block had round feet made out of the same material that I cut off with a trim saw. Got a bag of lemons and an orbital sander and used the lemon halves to clean the multiple layers on the top of block until I got down to virgin wood. Then finished sanding the entire block. Brushed and air hosed the block off, sealed and stained that bad boy.

This is where I disagree with you. When the carpenters, you know the same people that make those lovely danish mid century hutches and such that audiophiles love to put their turntables on, make the butcher blocks they use up to 1/2" thick pieces of hardwood that they glue together with the grain going in opposite directions with compression on all 4 sides which completely changes the characteristics and composition of the wood than if it was just made out of 1 solid piece. It ends up quite dense after those treatments. Now I know you can relate to that.

The butcher block cost me nothing, it did and does absorb vibrations and made a quieter less vibrating turntable base especially when I added the Hudson Hi-Fi Silicone Isolation Feet. And it looks good too. But you’ve done this before right? Because you know it has no effect on vibrations on a turntable.

Those danish mid century hutches with the beautiful laminate teak that audiophiles put their turntables on are made the same way and use the same technique as the lowly butcher block. And the same construction technique is used when making the most expensive speaker cabinets. Layers of wood going in different grain directions glued together in compression specifically for the vibrations they don’t produce .

And I forgot to mention that some of the most expensive vintage and new turntable plinths use the same technique also, except with a butcher block and a lot of the newer turntables on the market today, there is hardly none to no void - for the vibrations to travel through.

Recently purchased an RPM 9.2 turntable.   Pictured on Icon.   It comes with steel shot inside the plinth.  Best of all, it has three large feet nearly the diameter of a Campbell’s soup can that have big opposing magnets inside such that it actually floats the entire table on a cushion of magnetic resistance, so to speak.  You can push down on one side and it will lean and then gently pop back up level.  Its one of the best vibration isolation systems I’ve seen.  Like floating on air bags but it’s polar magnetism.  No interference anywhere.  I have a music listening room built above my two stall garage and spec’d some hearty beams to span the floor underneath.  It resulted in some low frequency springing when I’d walk across the room towards the table. Like big leaf springs in a truck.  Could not feel it myself, but I could literally see it in my subwoofer, the cone would pulsate with steps.  Not any more.   I’m thinking someone ought to make these type of opposing magnetic feet as an add on tweak.  

I made some of those opposing magnet isolation feet about 25 years ago for a lightweight Optimus CD player. For lightweight things like that making the magnetic iso feet is not difficult but for heavy things you would have to figure out the size magnets to use and there is the added issue of the danger involved working with very powerful magnets. In addition, there’s the issue with magnetic suspensions involving how opposing magnets slip horizontally creating a slight path for vibration to travel. Nevertheless, it’s a very interesting idea.

A company called Anvil Turntables used to make a similar product like opposing magnetic isolation feet but you can’t access their site anymore. Curious.

http://www.contractorsweldingsupply.com/new-product.html