Post by jon on Sept 1, 2017 7:56:50 GMT 12
Snagging list - this is really for my benefit!
Creating a snagging list... some I can solve, others may need a revisit. It's more for me than you, but I like an audience!
1) Motor mount - need to drill a 3.2 mm hole in it prior to tapping out to 4mm, then weld and finish
2) Create a new metal tonearm plate, with a 32mm diameter mounting hole by either:
2a) creating a hole in the existing cut plate
2b) creating a new plate DONE
3) Terminator Plinth (after a check) do:
3a) 3 terminator slate plinth mounts (to bolt the arm on.) DONE
3b) 4 Origin live plates (for easy access to the bolt)DONE
4) Must remember to bolt plinth together before mounting metal plates. This means drilling holes to allow screw nuts to be put in - have 6 holes prepared.
5) Think about Electrics:
5a) wire mounting from 3-pin plug through guiding wires to the motor - where & how do do I mount plug?
5b) wire mounting from 3-pin plug through guiding wires to the switch - where & how do do I mount switch?
5c) wire mounting from switch through guiding wires to the motor
6) Feet, think about feet. AMCAN isolaters for preference? Location, location location.
7) New bearing check fit and mount
8 ) New VTAF mount check fit and mount, check VTA DONE
9) Cartridge protractor (got) DONE
10) Cartridge scales (dig it out or buy a new one)
11) Create base plinth, include marking/indentations for feet
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 5, 2017 7:33:22 GMT 12
As it happens... The two tone arm pods are now cut. The first is for my Origin Illustrious arm, 5 layers of slate and a top and bottom plate of stainless steel.I am going to mount the arm on Pete Riggle's VTAF set up so the main hole is 32mm in diameter and the VTAF fits perfectly. The tone arm wires go all the way through the slate.  The other pod is for the Terminator arm. 7 layers of slate and a top and bottom plate of stainless steel. The top plate has a 10mm diameter hole, to allow the arm to be mounted, however the base and bottom 4 layers of slate have a 32mm hole so I can put a tube spanner in and tightly mount the arm to the pod.  Lots of work still to go on these, including blind mounting the rods that hold everything together and of course the feet.... Music for this post: The Windows of Your Mind; Sinne EEg; The Beauty of Sadness Great work. I should stop following this thread, makes me feel quite inadequate.  Sorry if I've missed something but do you do the cutting your self or through a shop?
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Post by jon on Sept 5, 2017 8:53:33 GMT 12
Please don't feel inadequate, I have plenty of mistakes made in this project! I will do an outtakes post later. Meanwhile try to cultivate that Bobby McFerrin feeling!
A friend at Massey University has agreed to take this on as a private project. Cutting slate is thirsty work so we lubricate well at the end of each cutting session.
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Post by cooksferry on Sept 6, 2017 12:39:25 GMT 12
Please don't feel inadequate, I have plenty of mistakes made in this project! I will do an outtakes post later. Meanwhile try to cultivate that Bobby McFerrin feeling! A friend at Massey University has agreed to take this on as a private project. Cutting slate is thirsty work so we lubricate well at the end of each cutting session. After tossing and turning over that Goldring/Lenco on TM a few weeks back I'm serious thinking about getting an idler drive TT as a retirement project. At one time it would have been a vintage motorbike that I'd be looking at but space and cost considerations make a project table a seductive idea. Although I have more than enough music and books to fill several years it's nice to be able to work with your hands on something. Following a build like this certainly gets the neurons firing.
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Post by jon on Sept 13, 2017 22:12:12 GMT 12
My new bearing has arrived! Courtesy of Sien - thank you ever so much!  It then meant I had to apply a file to widen the mounting hole in the top plate a bit... well, a lot!! I got there.  It will be a couple of months or so before I will see it in action, but I am pleased with the arrival of an important bit... Music for this post: Sharp Dressed Man; ZZ Top; ZZ TOP - Greatest Hits
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Post by jon on Sept 13, 2017 22:14:04 GMT 12
Sien lives in Singapore and makes bearings for Lenco and Garrard machines. He is a member of Lenco-Heaven
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 18:29:39 GMT 12
Perhaps you could run a parallel Bonsai thread? I tried it once but didn't bother to properly research it and I wouldn't mind trying again -properly- at some stage. Yes, even anarchic punks have their more delicate sides...  That aside, more power to you and keep the posts coming.
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Post by jon on Oct 27, 2017 7:13:34 GMT 12
Much excitement! Main plinth has now been cut - all 4 layers.Motor mount and top plate fit beautifully.    SO that completes all the Water jet cutting! Music for this post: Thunderstruck, 2Cellos, Celloverse
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Post by jon on Oct 27, 2017 7:18:10 GMT 12
Snagging list - this is really for my benefit! [Removing DONE bits]
Creating a snagging list... some I can solve, others may need a revisit. It's more for me than you, but I like an audience!
1) Motor mount - need to drill a 3.2 mm hole in it prior to tapping out to 4mm, then weld and finish
2) Must remember to bolt plinth together before mounting metal plates. This means drilling holes to allow screw nuts to be put in - have 6 holes prepared.
3) Think about Electrics:
a) wire mounting from 3-pin plug through guiding wires to the motor - where & how do do I mount plug?
b) wire mounting from 3-pin plug through guiding wires to the switch - where & how do do I mount switch?
c) wire mounting from switch through guiding wires to the motor
4) Feet, think about feet. AMCAN isolaters for preference? Location, location location.
a) Feet ordered
b) Drill out feet locations with M5 drill
c) Tap out feet holes to M6
5) Cartridge scales (dig it out or buy a new one)
Pausing the build whilst I wait for my spiffy feet!
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Post by jon on Oct 27, 2017 7:25:40 GMT 12
Bonsai... Good point. I got given the plant as a Father's Day present and quite like it. However I am a notorious plant killer so it is now in the care of SWMBO. Being a plant killer is kind of strange as I am equally well-known for my ability to grow just about anything from seed!!!
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Post by Owen Y on Oct 27, 2017 8:35:28 GMT 12
I liked this pic of a heavily-modded Technics SL1200, on the Amcan wesite.... 
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Post by jon on Oct 27, 2017 8:51:28 GMT 12
I got a good deal from Todd, too!
He's just come out of hospital having had a spinal op to fuse some vertebrae together so my thoughts are with him as he recovers.
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Post by cooksferry on Oct 27, 2017 15:42:50 GMT 12
I liked this pic of a heavily-modded Technics SL1200, on the Amcan wesite.... That looks like my TT Weights outer ring clamp sitting under the table.
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Post by jon on Nov 25, 2017 9:56:00 GMT 12
With Owen having built a Terminator Mount block as per this thread: darklantern.proboards.com/thread/215/terminator-arm-mountI'm exploring whether to mount the arm using the arm-block. Owen has been very patient and extremely helpful, by the way! So a definite "Chapeau" moment for all his help! In exploring I took this shot with the Aura platter in place. Very definitely a mock-up of the final build, however I'm pleased my calculations where about right for the Terminator arm and that 6 layers of slate was correct.  Music for this post: Run to You, PTX Vol 2, Pentatonix
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 26, 2017 7:14:37 GMT 12
What sort of overall weight do you think the finished table will be?
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Post by jon on Nov 26, 2017 9:33:19 GMT 12
10 feet X 500g
2 Tonearm plinths (terminator and Origin Live)
4 X 850g for steel tonearm plates = 3.4kg
11 X1900g for slate tonearm pieces= 20.9kg
for 24.3kg
Main Plinth
2 X Steel Plates + Platter Bearing = 4.5kg
4 X Slate pieces = 18kg
Motor plate + Motor = 1.5kg
for 24kg
Platter
Platter + Subplatter = 10kg
total of all that is 63kg
oooh, hernia territory!
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Post by cooksferry on Nov 26, 2017 10:26:50 GMT 12
rather you than me I have enough trouble shifting a 28kg amp. I take it that the platter and sub platter will be easy enough to remove when shift things about? The tone arm won't be going awol in a hurry. I thought I was over doing it with a 5kg pod. Enjoying the pics and your journey.
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Post by Owen Y on Nov 27, 2017 8:29:16 GMT 12
Hi jon - as discussed, here is a diagram of the Terminator arm on the arm mount (short version) which will allow VTA vertical clearance: 
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Post by jon on Nov 27, 2017 17:19:22 GMT 12
Thanks, Owen! Works for me.
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Post by jon on Dec 29, 2017 12:24:51 GMT 12
Christmas Present time! Some time ago, as in October, I came to a deal with Todd of Amcan Audio for 10 of his feet. Some were seconds so I got a reduction in price! Anyway, at the time he was undergoing back surgery (distractions) and due to a mix up, his first delivery was refused by NZ Customs and returned to him. He duly sent it again and along with it a stylus cleaner as an apology! It's finally arrived! I would like to say that Todd owned all the issues, apologized handsomely and came through for his customer!!! Totally awesome. The feet have levellers built in and are just handsome!   A march for the music, of course! Elgar; Pomp & Circumstance March #4; New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
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New Member
Post by amcan on Jan 1, 2018 7:04:13 GMT 12
Hey Jon - Thank you for the kind words. Customer Service is very important to me and I demand 100% customer satisfaction from myself. If one does not cherish and enjoy their purchase then I didn't do a good job.
If anyone is wondering, "what's the blue stuff around the screws?" let me explain. First off I hand make all AmCan CNF Isolators for audio components to customer specification. Jon had a few requests. He only had 4mm of depth to screw into his bottom plate. So the silicone springs needed to be high enough so that as they are turned into place the silicone spring squeezes against the bottom plate and activates the CNF isolation system. I left Jon with 3mm of thread to screw in and then the spring will compress roughly 1mm. Because I hand make all the springs I was able to do this for him - no problem. I make the springs with a firmer platinum grade silicone and then essentially hollow out the under surface to make room for a silicone gel. The silicone gel is poured in filling up the shape of the spring and making it more compliant. Silicone gels are great because they extend the low frequency isolation down to almost zero hertz - harder silicones and rubbers may only go down to 35 to 40 hertz. This has helped a lot of customers who have a cartridges and tonearm mismatch. When the cartridge is mismatched to the arm it can create low frequency resonance (around 10-15 hertz) that matches the same tuned frequency of their speaker ports. This creates all sorts or rumble that's hard to resolve. The addition of the silicone gel is something I wasn't doing with my original design. It takes me more time but it's worth making a better product.
If anyone has also noticed the amount of dust on the silicone springs that's because silicone attracts dust like crazy because of it's high friction surface tension. This is what makes my stylus cleaner work so great. Again it's made with a silicone high tack gel. Strong enough to pull vinyl and dust off your stylus but also with an ultra low tear strength so no matter what it won't be able to grab the diamond tip off of your cartridge stylus. The dust and dirt can be washed away with soap and water or alcohol. Lifetime of use. A high friction surface also adds to the isolation qualities of silicone against the bottom of your chassis or turntable as a spring.
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Post by jon on Jan 28, 2018 20:15:18 GMT 12
New Terminator mount! Owen Young has come through with a cut-down Terminator mount. Awesome!   Music for this post: Container Drivers; Grotesque (After the Gramme); The Fall
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 30, 2018 9:01:55 GMT 12
Looking forward to the final assembly. Possibly with a rare & legendary vintage cartridge??
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Post by jon on Feb 15, 2018 8:30:01 GMT 12
Whilst struggling with Tap & Die sets and attempting to tap some of the mounting holes out to M4 status (more anon on that), I also started to think in terms of feet placement and the wiring loom...  Because of the feet placement on the tonearm plinths I've decided to use, deep breath... Slotted, Countersunk, Barrel Nuts, size M4 (internal) Say that fast! That allows me to mount the feet in their best position for maximum stability. The wiring loom is relatively simple, a 3 pin male connector, mounted at the back, running to the front switch and then up to the motor. I can run the loom and use clips to fasten it to the base of the turntable so it's not hanging loose.The clips can be mounted on the current through bolts so I won't have too many mounting issues. Music for this Post: Red Horse; Wind, Grass, Sound; Tulegur
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Post by jon on Dec 17, 2018 13:32:11 GMT 12
Well, a series of illnesses and hospital visits has interrupted this build. After surgery and a lifetime supply of pills, I'm feeling a lot better! Sufficiently so that I am continuing this build! Thanks to Ian (one of the Lencoheaven admins), I have found and had delivered a source of M4 Countersunk, flat-head Barrel Nuts, along with M4 nuts and washers and the stuff I need to be able to attach top and bottom stainless steel plates to the slate! Why do I want the countersunk barrel nuts? I need to mount the AMCAM footers underneath and because of the way the plates have been cut, I have very little clear space to mount these feet. Countersinking the rod attachments allows me to mount the footers flat the to plate.  I now have all the bits to do that, so can proceed to get the plates ready to receive them. This technique applies to the main plinth and the tonearm plinths as well. The top plates will have all the mounting holes tapped out to M4, so that I can insert the M4 threaded rod, TIG weld them and then smooth it flat so that they are blind mounted. The base plates will have all mounting holes widened and counter-sunk to allow for the M4 Barrel Nuts to be inserted so they end up flat. Music? Nothing else but Mahler will do... Symphony No. 2, the Resurrection; Mahler.
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Post by jon on Jan 7, 2019 7:09:11 GMT 12
So I've been working and templating the metal work to ensure I have everything correct.
Getting the feet to be in the right position was hard... My favourite (this LOOKS fantastic) was not stable, so I have had to play around considerably to achieve a look I could live with and that was stable, with the emphasis on stable.
I've now arrived at a set of work that needs to be done on the metal plates - this is notes for me as much as anything else:
1) Drill marked base plate holes and counter sink to accept the counter sunk M4 barrel nuts.
2) Drill and tap the holes for the feet, M5 or M6 from memory
3) Remove some waste material in the bottom plate to accommodate Sien's long bearing housing. This is a correction for the original cut.
4) Tap all top plate holes to M4, TIG weld and flatten smooth
5) Drill and tap to M4 the exposed (ie, visible) motor plate bolt hole, TIG weld and flatten smooth
I can't do the work as I don;t really have the right tools and by the time I've invested the money in the correct tools, it will be cheaper to get someone else to do it.
Music for this
Now That's Tap; Bring in Da Noise... Bring in Da Funk; Manhattan Singers
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Post by cooksferry on Jan 7, 2019 8:58:32 GMT 12
any photo updates?
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Post by Owen Y on Jan 7, 2019 9:16:51 GMT 12
Good progress, steady progress. Thoughts: If you are going to TIG weld the rods, perhaps not bother with tapping threads. Maybe just use a jig to get them square to the plate before welding. Also, the footers could be secured with nuts behind, again instead of tapping threads? (If the supplied studs are long enough.)
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Post by jon on Jan 7, 2019 10:31:41 GMT 12
Good progress, steady progress. Thoughts: If you are going to TIG weld the rods, perhaps not bother with tapping threads. Maybe just use a jig to get them square to the plate before welding. True, however I don't have a jig and this is a good method to ensure the holes line up with the slate, correctly. Also by TIG welding from the top, I ensure the weld has minimal contact with the slate, ensuring a flat presentation and maximal contact between surfaces. Good progress, steady progress. Also, the footers could be secured with nuts behind, again instead of tapping threads? (If the supplied studs are long enough.) Not possible as the steel plate butts onto the slate so there is no room. Also the footers have very short rods cut to fit the steel plate to cater for that. And finally - as I have not done this yet, I will certainly consider what you say! Good feedback, so much appreciated.
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Post by jon on Jul 6, 2019 9:52:34 GMT 12
It's been a time, however I've made some progress at a cost to my wallet! The base plates (platter and tonearm) have been drilled and tapped and chamfered to allow things to be put together. I've got some more work here, but it looks good! As for the top plates they are done, too. So all the rods are inserted and tigwelded and the plates polished (ooh, shiny). Next up is to work on the slate and so on. Music for this post:
Dirty Equation; The Dirty Three; Dirty Three
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Sorry if I've missed something but do you do the cutting your self or through a shop?
