Designing a Plinth

Well, the cost of cocobolo is not THAT bad. I wouldn't use a solid block either. Much easier to glue up pieces so you do not have to worry about wodd "movement" down the road. You can get enough to build a plinth for about a hunded bucks. Believe me, I know. Using acrylic is actually more expensive. the two I have going now will use about $200 worth of Staron each. Plus, the glue, glue gun, and tips are EXPENSIVE!

I actually think the wood is easier to work with.

Jimbo, don't know if you saw it or not, but here's the link to my TT project:

Joe's Teres

It's not that hard to do if you know what you are doing. By far the hardest part is making sure the boring for the bearing is correct. Every thing else is only limited by you imagination.

If you want any advice, email me. I'll be more than happy to share what I've learned.

Joe

I have been considering a variety of option for plinth making, myself. I would like to go the whole nine yards and do something very elaborate in terms of wood grain matching, inlays, etc., etc.

I am thinking of beginning, though, by making a plinth to replace or interchange with my stock Nottingham plinth. Fortunately for me, I have had a good deal of experience working with a large number of wood types. In addition to cocobolo (expensive because it is a hot item tight now), I am considering some woods that are beautiful, of different "colors", dense, and STABLE. A few on my short list include:

Mara (NOT Mora) - An absolutely GORGEOUS honey-colored wood, sometimes with striking dark streaks. Very dense and very stable.

Cebil - A wood that is very similar in looks to Black Cherry but is much denser, harder, and is very STABLE.

Quina - A reddish wood that can take the flavor of a very rich Honduran mahogany (with a more regular and wider graining) and can have very nice figuring. It is hard, dense, and STABLE. It is widely used in South America for cutting boards.

Argentine Lignum Vitae - Yes, a cousin to the more tropical cocobolo. However, this wood is generally much lighter - a sort of olive/green, not unlike some of the darker (not redder) oaks. Takes a mirror-like polish, too. It is a bit resinous, though, so an appropriate sealer is a must.

OK, I know that these woods would provide a very dense and stable plinth. Whether or not they are "musical" woods would be fun to determine. These woods are not overly expensive and someone might have a blast experimenting with them.

Keep in mind that a solid piece is not the way to go to insure stability and resonance "transfer" (if I am using that word correctly).

Jphii, I just had to tell you, absolutely beautiful work. How does it sound? I also, am capable of creating a turntable of this quality.

My tool of choice? A checkbook.

My compliments Joe.

4yanx- How does Mesquite compare in hardness/stability to the woods you mentioned? A local guy told me that it's twice as dense as Red Oak. Could probably get a couple of pieces for next to nothing, but wouldn't waste my tome if it's not an excellent choice.

Also, from a previous post, I suppose I could drill in a few large holes in the plinth in the portion under the platter and fill with shot/sand/oil mix. I suppose that the proximity to the bearing would be good in draining it's energy??

Jim

Jimbo3, mesquite is very hard and dense but I don't feel it passes the "stable" test. Mesquite is also brittle and, more concerning, often has inclusions or cracks within the wood that are not apparent. It is a gnarly tree so it stands to reason. But the grain is fairly straight, and since I would be piecing together a number of smaller piece were I to make a plinth, I might consider it worth a TRY if I had enough to be very selective. Bottom line, it would not make MY short list but, if cheap, all you'd be out is your time.