turntable stand, steel, aluminum,shelves of ?


What do you use, cost no object. Steel , Aluminum, sand or lead filled. Your table, sprung or pointed, your arm, cartridge, on a concrete or wood floor.

Did you buy or build. There are many great suppliers of eqipment racks out there. My situation requires a custom design that cannot be satisfyed by a standard supplier. I've spent a good deal of time building my table, the stand might make it or break it. Your thoughts are more valuabe than you might think



I'm a DIY guy, I can mig weld steel or tig weld aluminum. I can fill it with sand or a matrix of urethane and lead.

Guys, I'm 65 and I don't have that much time left for mistakes. I have a sexy wife, three years younger than I, who only uses the music to the means to an end. -----------------

Please reply soon , as Sue tells me we will have a Saturday nite dance fest with Delbedrt Mc Klinton, I may be dead by Sunday.

I appreciate your reply.

Thanks, Ken
kftool
I am in the process of making a new equipment stand myself. I weld aluminum and steel. This new rack is steel, 1-1/2 square solid bar stock frame, 6' long, 22 inches wide and 30 incehs high, 3 shelves total. The bar stock is the frame with 1-1/2 baltic birch shelves set in to the frame. I have decided to connect the wood to the steel with solid silicone self leveling rubber sealant, poured between the steel and wood, say 3/8 wide. The rubber will isolate the shelves from the steel and I will shim the stand up and grout it to the concrete floor with 1/2 of non-shrink grout. It will weigh 600 lbs or so in the end. Turntables on soapstone slabs on Aurios bearings on the top shelf, other equipment on the two lower shelves. Have fun with yours. I am digging mine. Welding is good for your head. Lay down that bead.
Guys
I work with aluminum all my life.Glazier by trade on commercial structures.The best connection on alumimum are mechanical.My rack is all alumimum with stainless steel fasteners.Non magnetic design.I am talking about the thin aluminum tubing available at hardware stores,mine is made entirely out of heavy gauge commercial tubing.And yes it is heavy and rigid.
Marco funny as always,thanks for the laughs,bro.
Ken you are one of a kind audiophile,I checked your pics!!keep it up.
George
Guys
I work with aluminum all my life.Glazier by trade on commercial structures.The best connection on alumimum are mechanical.My rack is all alumimum with stainless steel fasteners.Non magnetic design.I am not talking about the thin aluminum tubing available at hardware stores,mine is made entirely out of heavy gauge commercial tubing.And yes it is heavy and rigid.
Marco you are funny as always,thanks for the laughs,bro.
Ken you are one of a kind audiophile,I checked your pics!!keep it up.
George
Tarsando,

I bought 12--- 8 x 8 x 16 solid cinder blocks a few months ago, dried them out in my oven at work. 3 blocks per level, 2 side by side and the third sideways. each level separated by a piece of half inch of Homasote with the stacking configuration staggerd, stacked 4 levels high. The cost, maybe $60 bucks. The Sota Mellinium, Tri Plainer MK VII, Shelter 90 X sounded great for 10 minutes until I realized that I had the arm set up incorrectly. Before that , I think that concrete is as good as you can get if you can get if you can get past the look.

On another note; In 1956, I met an audiophile, his name was Joe Cortese. He bought 2 Stevens 15 inch full range speakers from the company I worked for. The company was B.S.Wisniewski in Milwaukee ; Auto parts, appliances, TV's, Stereo equiptment. We sold Marantz, JBL, Sony Superscope, Garrard, Miracord, and a few of the Icons of the early high end when nobody knew what hi Fi was. I bought a Marantz model one audio consolette and model 2 amp. I was 15 years old. Joe came in and told me he poured concrete corner enclosures for his Stevens drivers. I thought he was nuts, now I know he was way ahead of his time.

A good friend of mine from our audio group who can afford the MOST EXPENSIVE gear available has said, over and over, that the best doesn't have to be the most expensive. I think we both agree .

I appreciate your down to earth reply, not everyone needs to be crazy, rich , or foolish.

Regards, Ken