Building high-end 'tables cheap at Home Despot II


“For those who want the moon but can't afford it or those who can afford it but like to have fun and work with their hands, I'm willing to give out a recipe for a true high-end 'table which is easy to do, and fun to make as sky's the limit on design/creativity! The cost of materials, including 'table, is roughly $200 (depending, more or less), and add to that a Rega tonearm. The results are astonishing. I'll even tell/show you how to make chipboard look like marble and fool and impress all your friends. If there's interest I'll get on with this project, if not, I'll just continue making them in my basement. The next one I make will have a Corian top and have a zebra stripe pattern! Fun! Any takers?”

The Lead in “Da Thread” as posted by Johnnantais - 2-01-04

Let the saga continue. Sail on, oh ships of Lenco!
mario_b
Finally got this fixed, I had inadvertently knocked the bearing out while removing the platter, so my problem had nothing to do with the string as it turns out. I re-lubed the bearing reattached it and then the string worked perfectly.
Etch, Glad you solved your problem, and I apologize for the humor at a time when you needed help. However, I am hard put to visualize how you could have "knocked the bearing out" while removing the platter. Did you whack the spindle too hard when trying to free up the platter? And for a serious response to your earlier dilemma, I strongly recommend anyone to visit the McMaster Carr website and go to their section on springs. Surely one could find a suitable substitute spring from their vast selection. Even if you don't want a spring, McMaster/Carr are an invaluable asset for hobbyists. For reasons that now elude me, another knowledgeable Lenco-phile told me he prefers a real spring to an elastic, despite the fact that a few of the gurus on Lenco Heaven are using elastic.

On another note, a few days ago I completed assembly of my Lenco/PTP3 in an 80-lb slate slab. It took a long time to complete because I was trying for a professional look. (Did not quite get there, but it's nice.) This weekend I hope to create enough shelf space to mount it in my system next to my two direct-drive tables. Dave, I am almost ready to get you over for an audition. I think it will rock. Where the heck is Jean?
Internet audio critic Arthur Salvatore is planning an audition of two Lenco-based custom-built turntables (one is a heavy, multi-platter Lenco with a Graham Phantom arm) against a Kuzma, with air-line tonearm, and a Forsell.

He will report on the results at his website www.high-endaudio.com and in the meantime has posted information about the planned comparison listening at Lenco Heaven http://www.lencoheaven.net

I am not going to post anything further here; go to the referenced websites if you wish to read more.