primer 5th September 2004, 11:11 PM Hi guys,
I'm thinking of replacing my metal headphone amp to a nice wooden enclosure. I have not done any woodwork since my early school days 30 years ago. What type of wood should I be using ? I'm thinking of something that would be easy to work with. How about tools ... japanese saws, chisels etc?
It's a small enclosure like a jewellery box 160mm x 100mm x 60mm. Maybe it's
easier buying it from a fellow woodworker.
Cheers
seriph1 6th September 2004, 10:49 AM hi and welcome welcome welcome! :)
please post a pic of your existing amp - it will help folks here to advise ...... sounds like a fun project!
primer 6th September 2004, 01:25 PM Thanks seriph1, I don't have a camera yet but it's a DIY headphone amp based on this http://www.tangentsoft.net/audio/ppa/.
HonkyLips 6th September 2004, 04:59 PM This is a really nice idea. I've been thinking about doing exactly the same thing for my computer... I don't see why my desktop PC should be a boring beige lump of metal and plastic. I'd much rather look at beautifully finished woodgrain.
The main thing is not to forget ventilation. Computers generate a lot of heat and some amplifiers have cooling fans in them too. In your case, as it's a headphone amp, I can't imagine it would get too hot but I'd definitely make allowances for airflow.
In terms of what timber, that's really a personal choice. The only readily available timber (ie. dressed and ready to use) is pine and tassie-oak. For more exotic timbers you'll need to order them from a woodyard which will prepare them to your orders. I don't know how you would go about it for a small box of the dimensions you list, maybe there will be suggestions from other people as to how to source small quantities of specialist timbers.
Currently, my favourite timber is black heart sassafrass. I think it looks really unique, but don't ask me where to get it...
seriph1 6th September 2004, 05:05 PM milled from a redgum burl would work ...... stunning finish, though remembering all timber expands and contracts due to heat and humidity, it would be near impossible to stop from warping ..... it would be more practical to make the box from MDF then veneer that with the material of your choice ..... pretty sure it's the only way
Zed 6th September 2004, 05:15 PM buy some stick on vinyl with a wood grain pattern and stick it on. buy all the wood tools anyway and make something else with them!
with any electronic thing you are better off with a metal case the most obvious reasons are earthing and heat dissipation. metal is a great heat sink, wood is a great insulator so if you want to cook your electronics go ahead - you may even get lucky and start a fire! you would definalty be in breach of any warranty on your computer and if your house did burn down the insurance company would almost certainly say "bad luck smarty pants, what were you thinking wrapping a computer in wood ? of course we wont honour your policy - you breached it, didnt you read the fine print? Ok see you in court!"
cheers
primer 6th September 2004, 10:38 PM There shouldn't be much heat in these amps. A simple enclosure like this http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=AGRARA1HG will do but with a wooden knob. Maybe with more experience in woodworking ... some dovetails.
You would be surprise the cost of some knobs ... http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=NOB_C37_C&Category_Code=VOLUME&Product_Count=2 ... lol
seriph1 6th September 2004, 10:54 PM now THAT is pathetic! $500+ for a bit of turned wood that frankly doesnt have much finnese at all ...... you could, if you wanted to, make your amp enclosure a thing of real beauty .... it could even be fitted with sculptural "stem" to house your headphones when not in use ..... it would cost you around $30 in materials if you were extravegant!
:D
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