Thread: Advice please - contemporary radiogram plan

Great drawings - really well sketched, and I like the design. What era are we talking here? Have you found any pictures of similar pieces? They might give you some thoughts for the details, e.g. the shape of the sticks in front of the speakers. I love the idea of putting modern equipment into a retro design like that. Having the turntable visible in the top (or under a hinged lid) will enhance the old school look to it as well I think.

As for timber, you can continue with ply panels and look at staining them to a colour suitable for the period. The next step up might be Victorian ash boards. You can usually find these already dressed ready for building with, so you won't need a jointer/thicknesser. Most other timbers you will probably need to buy rough and get them dressed.

Good quality ply can be expensive but can actually look quite cool if you want to depart and do a more modern look. You can get pre-veneered ply as well. I recently priced Tasmanian Blackwood veneered both sides onto 2400x1200 18mm birchwood ply at around $140.

Keep the thread up to date with your progress!

Cheers,
Af.

P.S. Great to see another Mornington Peninsulite here!

Thanks for the advice and the encouragement.

Era wise, I imagine Nan & Grandad's radiogram dated from the 1950s. I have not really seen anything like my recollection of it during my trawl through the internet, which suggests I have a duff recollection ;-) I'm going to check with Mum as to whether she recalls the brand. There were some great old ones as I looked around the 'net, but they look like they require skills above mine. Hence I'm starting with a relatively bland shape.

Thanks for the timber tips... I'll look into those suggestions.

I will indeed keep the thread up to date, but I do not have anywhere near as much free time as I'd like so it will be a slow journey.

Thanks again,

Mark.

Originally Posted by Afro Boy

P.S. Great to see another Mornington Peninsulite here!

If you are storing LP's behind the speakers, you might be better off not boxing the speakers in and using ones designed for 'free air' use.

Typically, speakers are designed to be installed in a sealed or ported box of a particular volume, and anthing but that volume starts affecting the speaker's ability to accurately reproduce sound. Work out the volume of the space and see what speakers will work with that volume (Jaycar is handy for speakers).

Thanks Master Splinter, I will look into that. I had considered using some hi-fi speakers that are good quality but have outlasted the hifi they came with. I will read into their properties and see if they will apply. If not, Jacar will be my first stop.

I think that the old radiograms had feet. Is this an option with this design?

I am thinking of the vacuum cleaning around the unit damaging it if it is on the floor.

My parents bought something like that in the late 60's. A couple of months ago I was hanging a picture in a flat - above the record (the black plastic ones) player of that shape. Yes they would have had legs as the furniture of the era was self contained. Even the televisions had their own legs (or stands).
Perhaps you could design it with a removable base or have four screw in legs.
I love the idea of what you want to do. The internal components should not present too many problems.
Keep us posted.

Good thought regarding the legs, I may have some suitable ones around that we did not use on a purchased cabinet a few years back. I'll give it some thought.

Thanks again for the encouragement.