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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
stefanl
296 posts
 
I have now joined the multi Lenco club cause I have just scored my second GL-75,in pretty good working condition with the original arm and all bits.The nylatron plate has the tiny dimple which is definitely deliberate and metal idler,spring,idler-arm,strobe are all excellent.Still seems to be an original model that has nothing done to it since it was bought.The cartridge looks as though it's the Goldring that came with the table.Pretty clean inside.It definitely needs a clean and lube though as the bearing is dry.All this for the grand sum of $97.00.Not bad.
frankhertz
6 posts
 
Paul, the pivot to spindle distance is 223 mm. I used the template from EnjoyTheMusic.com to set the null points. That is why the arm board looks the way it does. I drilled out the hole and adjusted the position of the arm board. Eventually after a trial period I will produce a better looking armboard or will go the route of building a layered plinth. So far I am not hearing any rumble at normal listening levels even with my ear right up to the speaker.

Mario, the turntable is actually mounted on large closed box. My pictures give the wrong impression. So I cannot disengage the idler wheel from the bottom. The motor/idler wheel does make more noise when standing up close to the turntable than my Lenco. This probably because of the large box which acts like an resonator. I have not damped anything yet. That noise does not seem to show up through the speakers.

Thanks for the interest and Jean, thanks for the inspiration for all things idler.

Harry
artd
7 posts
 
Hi Harry

Looking at the arm it seemed about 10mm longer than the average Grace, Acos, etc., length of 222mm so I guessed it was going to be about 232mm (plus or minus a couple of millimetres). Have you measured the spindle to pivot distance since you adjusted the arm board? It looks like you have about a 10mm gap there.

Paul
frankhertz
6 posts
 
Hi Paul,

I checked my measurements again and got the same 223 mm pivot to spindle distance. The arm has a length of approximately 250 mm from the pivot to the front centre of the headshell. The tip of the stylus is about 8 mm back from the front of the headshell which gives me about 18 mm overhang. I had no instructions with the arm so I just used the template to try to get a good fit. I assume that the same overhang can be obtained by changing both the stylus position and the pivot to spindle distance. So far the set up sounds pretty good.

Harry
artd
7 posts
 
Hi Harry, thanks for re-measuring. I'm looking forward to getting mine going once I've done a bit of horizontal bearing refurbishment.

Paul
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