Building a 2 channel system for a teenager

[M.Roberts8]

So I recently got into vinyl & my daughter has taken to it as well. Anyway she wanted her own turntable it just so happened that a co-worker of her mom had one she wanted to get rid of so for under 20.00 in parts (belt,new mat) I was able to get her a turntable that's decent & has auto-return which was important to me since she is going to be using my records.
So after much seaarching & debate with myself plus the need to get it done somewhat quickly I settled on the Overnight Sensations by Paul Carmody. More of a AIY than DIY I guess. So I received the parts on Friday & have been at it off & on all weekend. I'll add some pics but one thing that is of concern is how I'm finishing them I maybe screwed up in not planning for a removable front baffle. Her favorite color is blue soI decided I'd try & stain the cabinets blue since they're birch ply instead of MDF Front baffle I did with duplicolor truck bed liner. How can I glue the front on without wrecking the stain finish on the cabinet??? I'm concerned about squeeze out. I don't have much experience with stained finishes I was thinking painters tape along the sides with paper or something?

[M.Roberts8]

More pics

The CNC cut flat pack that came with the kit arrived in good shape!



The Start of the glue up, didn't take as many pics as I should've:M



Project perf board from PE had to drill the holes out for the speaker wire & the large inductor otherwise worked pretty good & small enough to go through the woofer hole :T

[M.Roberts8]

The cabinets fit together really really well, these are before sanding

[M.Roberts8]

Bed liner



Minwax water based "Deep Ocean" stain hoping this turns out good



Driver test fit, that tweeter hole was tight!

[M.Roberts8]

The affore mentioned $20 turntable



In action



She'll be using my old Denon AVR-3300 for a receiver, one salvaged TT a old receiver & a fresh set of speakers only out of paocket about $200.00

[JonMarsh]

Painters tape couldn't hurt at all... just remember, to take it off quickly after you get the work done.

What kind of glue were you planning on using to attach the front baffle?

how mechanically well aligned (gap free) is everything?

What kind of clamping were you planning on doing for the front panel?

What are you going to put over the blue stain- some type of clear finish? Spray the entire cabinets including truck bed liner after assembly?

[dar47]

HaHa, an old JVC servo drive, had one like it back in 1979. :T

Well done but I hope she takes a break before the need to upgrade as the new tables can get costly. If you build some nice speaks for yourself there now a nice chute little girl in the chain to pass other speaks to.:W I did 2 sets of Paul's Swoops, 1 set for my Mom and another for Son's friend I think you 2 will like.

[M.Roberts8]

Painters tape couldn't hurt at all... just remember, to take it off quickly after you get the work done.

What kind of glue were you planning on using to attach the front baffle?
Gorilla glue "Wood glue" not the stuff that foams up as it dries, pretty much standard wood glue. 30 minute clamp time

how mechanically well aligned (gap free) is everything? The cabinets were CNC cut so fit is really nice only issue is the fronts are about 1/16 shy top to bottom I was planning on flushing them with the top of the cabinet. I figure trying to get them even during clamping will be hard.

What kind of clamping were you planning on doing for the front panel? Standard bar clamps from harbor freight I do have rubber pads for the jaws though

What are you going to put over the blue stain- some type of clear finish? Spray the entire cabinets including truck bed liner after assembly?Going over the stain with minwax "water based polycrylic" following these instructions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eabFsoRylz8 According to this guy two coats of polycrylic then sand lightly with 220 then a 3rd coat & buff out with a 3M finishing pad. Won't try gluing the front on until I'm done with that.

Responses in Blue. The 30 minute clamp time is pretty acurrate I was able to move through the glue up relatively fast I think I waited ~40 minutes before unclamping it & moving to the next piece. Hopng these will last her a long time & I also hope that she enjoys looking at them as much as listening to them.

[M.Roberts8]

HaHa, an old JVC servo drive, had one like it back in 1979. :T

Well done but I hope she takes a break before the need to upgrade as the new tables can get costly. If you build some nice speaks for yourself there now a nice chute little girl in the chain to pass other speaks to.:W I did 2 sets of Paul's Swoops, 1 set for my Mom and another for Son's friend I think you 2 will like.

Nice eye it's a JVC L-A10 belt drive & it's from late 70's early 80's. Has a slightly upgraded cart, not the one that came stock on it. The lady that owned it before said it's got rouhgly 30 hours on it. It works better than I imagined it would. By todays standard it's nothing special but it is more than getting the job done.

[Alaric]

Nice project ! It's a lot of fun when your kids share your interests like that. It was challenging for me with a teenage daughter.

My daughter's project was FIY (find-it-yourself) rather than DIY. She inherited a pair of early 70s monkey coffins and we found her an old Onkyo receiver at a Goodwill for $9.00. Add that to a free Teac CD player and she's set until the next upgrade. Building her a music server next. LOL

[M.Roberts8]

Nice project ! It's a lot of fun when your kids share your interests like that. It was challenging for me with a teenage daughter.

My daughter's project was FIY (find-it-yourself) rather than DIY. She inherited a pair of early 70s monkey coffins and we found her an old Onkyo receiver at a Goodwill for $9.00. Add that to a free Teac CD player and she's set until the next upgrade. Building her a music server next. LOL

Yeah I've tried to keep "in touch" with her. We've always been really close but as she's approached the teen years I've felt like it's harder to "reach" her. It's funny how fast they change & it is crazy to experience first hand. Music has always been a way for us to connect. I remember one time she asked why I bought CD's & didn't just get it from iTunes. So I had her buy an album she liked on CD when she opened it she was geeking out about the painted disc & the insert. I explained to her that's why I buy the CD. I knew then & there I had a budding audio junkie. So I created the monster I guess :Bops:

[M.Roberts8]

Finished!

Finished! Painters tape did the trick. Just need to pop the tweeter out of the left one & darken around the recess.

[johngalt47]

I'm envious that you have a child who seems to be interested.