A Hearty Hello from Boise

[AuthenticAudio]

Hey!  Recently started purchasing some Festool tools and of course will need to lean on others to help me along.  Love message boards, groups and how-to-videos!
I refurbish/refinish and build home audio speakers which is a lot like good cabinet building with some additional math requirements.  Sticking to this arena I should be able to focus my gear and shop area set-up to some extent.  Festool seems to fit the bill in that regard.
Looking forward to learning.

 

[DynaGlide]

Hey!  Recently started purchasing some Festool tools and of course will need to lean on others to help me along.  Love message boards, groups and how-to-videos!
I refurbish/refinish and build home audio speakers which is a lot like good cabinet building with some additional math requirements.  Sticking to this arena I should be able to focus my gear and shop area set-up to some extent.  Festool seems to fit the bill in that regard.
Looking forward to learning.

Welcome. I examine patent applications on audio loudspeakers/microphones and have always thought it would be fun to make some housings. When I toured Sonos and Harmon Kardon it was way cool to see their massive 3D printers and woodshops they use for prototyping.

You're in good company this forum while Festool based is very useful for all areas of woodworking.

 

[tsmi243]

Heck yeah.  Post some projects when you get going, would love to see your work

 

[Vtshopdog]

TS-55 + Domino is the bomb for building speaker cabs, have built a few sets over the years plus custom TT plinth and cases for my DIY amplifiers, all Festool based.

Build/restore audio gear and woodworking are two of my hobbies and viewing your website looks like you do some really nice custom amp cases.  You must have nice CNC capability to carve the McIntosh logos?  Also like some of the restores you have for sale (love all that old stuff, literally just finished full rebuild on a late 70's Sansui AU 717 this weekend)

DynaGlide - If you want to build speaks there are tons of DIY designs and kits out there and like everything you can spend as little or as much as your heart and wallet desire (if you think Festool is expensive start looking a boutique audio gear and suddenly spending 500 bucks on a sander looks pretty good....)

 

[AuthenticAudio]

TS-55 + Domino is the bomb for building speaker cabs, have built a few sets over the years plus custom TT plinth and cases for my DIY amplifiers, all Festool based.

Build/restore audio gear and woodworking are two of my hobbies and viewing your website looks like you do some really nice custom amp cases.  You must have nice CNC capability to carve the McIntosh logos?  Also like some of the restores you have for sale (love all that old stuff, literally just finished full rebuild on a late 70's Sansui AU 717 this weekend)

DynaGlide - If you want to build speaks there are tons of DIY designs and kits out there and like everything you can spend as little or as much as your heart and wallet desire (if you think Festool is expensive start looking a boutique audio gear and suddenly spending 500 bucks on a sander looks pretty good....)

Thanks folks!

It really is a fun combo and focusing on speakers lets me fiddle around on the woodworking ide of things for the most part and then just a little bit of engineering of what goes into the cabinets.

Thanks for looking up my website. I've been fortunate to have found a fellow enthusiast that also happens to be a master woodworker that retired here in Boise from Portland after selling his very successful business.  But like any woodworker would, he didn't come here without setting up a fully outfitted 4,000sf shop!  And yes, a full 4 x 8 CNC that is awesome for many things.  More importantly I am learning from him quite a bit.  IE when I went to purchase a "table saw" he said no, it's a Unisaw you want.  Ha!  Just the stuff he knows about wood is crazy.  We are doing things in solid hardwoods that typically are done with MDF or ply and veneered. 

He does not own a single piece of Festool gear but as I embarked on setting up my own limited size shop area in my garage I figured I better find ways to scale back a few things but still do it well.  Thus festool.  Now I need to put together a MFT.

 

[mattgam]

Good to see another Boise native in the group.  There's actually a pretty decent woodworking community as well as makers in town. I've been gradually meeting folks even with the pandemic!

 

[AuthenticAudio]

Good to see another Boise native in the group.  There's actually a pretty decent woodworking community as well as makers in town. I've been gradually meeting folks even with the pandemic!

You and I have been fortunate being here in Boise during all of this.  The place is booming (good or bad) and the economy great.  Limited lockdowns. Limited issues. Was in woodcrafters yesterday and it looks like their tool inventory is building back up other than Festool.  Get going Festool.

 

[Cheese]

Well this is timely, I've been thinking about refurbishing/updating a couple of L100's and some older Mac gear. After that...a Thorens TT.

Just looked at your website...you do some really nice work.  [smile]  Chuckled at the MCM console, I remember when you couldn't give a console of any kind away. Makes me wonder if console TV's will be coming back in vogue.

 

[squall_line]

Chuckled at the MCM console, I remember when you couldn't give a console of any kind away. Makes me wonder if console TV's will be coming back in vogue.

That reminds me, my brother told me that he still has the console cabinet that he and I pulled the speakers out of a bunch of years ago.  I still haven't reused the speakers, so maybe it's time to put them back where they came from and restore that beast to its former glory.

I "hacked" together a console stereo by repurposing a $50 buffet from Habitat for Humanity ReStore with sliding doors and center drawers.  Pulled one of the center drawers and dropped in a cheap Marantz bluetooth 2-channel A/B receiver and hooked up some old M&K bookshelf speakers behind the sliders.  I wanted to convert the drawer to have a flip-down front, but didn't want to cut or break the dovetails to get the front free.  Maybe some day I'll get around to intentionally refinishing it.  This was definitely inspirational in that regard!

 

[AuthenticAudio]

Well this is timely, I've been thinking about refurbishing/updating a couple of L100's and some older Mac gear. After that...a Thorens TT.

Just looked at your website...you do some really nice work.  [smile]  Chuckled at the MCM console, I remember when you couldn't give a console of any kind away. Makes me wonder if console TV's will be coming back in vogue.

About consoles....  As the 70's rolled around consoles generally went to crap in terms of quality, both the electronics and the build.
That's not to say there were some, but in general most weren't very good or now collectable.  Prior to that time though you often had a great combination of pretty good electronics (usually tube gear) and well built cabinets.  Unfortunately many of those have been pilfered along the way and the good electronics pulled out to be sold off.  Of course sometimes the furniture part is beat up and it is justified.  As far as resale now, you can pretty much sell the MCM versions easily for decent money but that's about it.

 

[AuthenticAudio]

Chuckled at the MCM console, I remember when you couldn't give a console of any kind away. Makes me wonder if console TV's will be coming back in vogue.

That reminds me, my brother told me that he still has the console cabinet that he and I pulled the speakers out of a bunch of years ago.  I still haven't reused the speakers, so maybe it's time to put them back where they came from and restore that beast to its former glory.

I "hacked" together a console stereo by repurposing a $50 buffet from Habitat for Humanity ReStore with sliding doors and center drawers.  Pulled one of the center drawers and dropped in a cheap Marantz bluetooth 2-channel A/B receiver and hooked up some old M&K bookshelf speakers behind the sliders.  I wanted to convert the drawer to have a flip-down front, but didn't want to cut or break the dovetails to get the front free.  Maybe some day I'll get around to intentionally refinishing it.  This was definitely inspirational in that regard!

Interestingly I had a really well built Ampex console from the late 50's come in that had previously had the very well regarded electronics mostly pulled out of it.  It was showing it's age and was beyond any sort of practical restoration which was too bad because it was a really expensive console even in the 50's.  All was not lost though as I realized that with the addition of a 3/4" MDF top and a few more caster wheels it was exactly the proper height for a feed out table/workbench.  Of course the drawers and cabinets in it that once housed speakers and electronics are now storage!

 

[Vtshopdog]

Well this is timely, I've been thinking about refurbishing/updating a couple of L100's and some older Mac gear. After that...a Thorens TT.

That's some really nice gear Cheese.

I've done a bunch of speakers:  The drill is usually new woofer surrounds and replace all the caps in crossover, maybe update the cabinet fill and/or internal wiring too.  You already know what to do for sprucing up your cabinet veneer.  The replacement capacitor rabbit hole can get really out of control if you choose to go boutique and there is a very rapid diminishing R.O.I.
You will find lots of friendly help (and likely conflicting advice) on various audio nerd websites similar to the FOG.

For vintage amps and receivers a rebuild will pretty much consist of replacing electrolytic caps, maybe some diodes or other small components as needed. 
audiokarma.org likely will have multiple step by step threads for your Mac rebuilds

 

[Stan Tillinghast]

AA could stand for Authentic Audio or Audioholics Anonymous.
I was drooling over the KEF 104's, then scrolled down to the Apogees.

When I was really eagerly looking at higher-end audio equipment, I was still in training so champagne appetite and beer pocketbook.

I had a subscription to The Audio Critic from the first issue; so gear like the Hafler preamp light my fire. Of the stuff liked by TAC, I do own (and have in storage boxes) a pair of Rogers LS3/5A's and a Dual turntable. I had Dynaco electronics, then moved to ADCOM --also in boxes.

If we someday get a vacation home again, I will move that stuff into the living room.

Love your stuff, will stop by now and then, then clean the drool off the keyboard. Keep up the good work!

 

[Cheese]

That's some really nice gear Cheese.

I've done a bunch of speakers:  The drill is usually new woofer surrounds and replace all the caps in crossover, maybe update the cabinet fill and/or internal wiring too.  You already know what to do for sprucing up your cabinet veneer.  The replacement capacitor rabbit hole can get really out of control if you choose to go boutique and there is a very rapid diminishing R.O.I.
You will find lots of friendly help (and likely conflicting advice) on various audio nerd websites similar to the FOG.

For vintage amps and receivers a rebuild will pretty much consist of replacing electrolytic caps, maybe some diodes or other small components as needed. 
audiokarma.org likely will have multiple step by step threads for your Mac rebuilds

Thanks [member=68668]Vtshopdog[/member]  [smile] and thanks also for the audiokarma tip, I will definitely check out that forum.

For the L100's I was looking at Jantzen crossovers, they offer 3 different versions. The speaker enclosures are in very good shape...the drivers, not so much.

The electronic rebuilds will need some additional research on my end as that's all new stuff to me. I'm just glad that I purchased the glass fronts for the MR78 already as they probably are no longer available. It took me almost 6 months to finally receive them and that was back in 2011.  [tongue]

 

[nclemmons]

You might find inspiration from Phillip Morley.  He does custom speaker enclosures and consoles.  His work is really beautiful.  And he teaches at several ww schools. His Instagram is fantastic.
https://philipmorleyfurniture.com/portfolio/record-console/

 

[AuthenticAudio]

Good stuff all!

That Tonenhaus stuff is legit.  Wonder what those consoles go for?  The Mac gear automatically gets it up there.

 

[AuthenticAudio]

That's some really nice gear Cheese.

I've done a bunch of speakers:  The drill is usually new woofer surrounds and replace all the caps in crossover, maybe update the cabinet fill and/or internal wiring too.  You already know what to do for sprucing up your cabinet veneer.  The replacement capacitor rabbit hole can get really out of control if you choose to go boutique and there is a very rapid diminishing R.O.I.
You will find lots of friendly help (and likely conflicting advice) on various audio nerd websites similar to the FOG.

For vintage amps and receivers a rebuild will pretty much consist of replacing electrolytic caps, maybe some diodes or other small components as needed. 
audiokarma.org likely will have multiple step by step threads for your Mac rebuilds

Thanks [member=68668]Vtshopdog[/member]  [smile] and thanks also for the audiokarma tip, I will definitely check out that forum.

For the L100's I was looking at Jantzen crossovers, they offer 3 different versions. The speaker enclosures are in very good shape...the drivers, not so much.

The electronic rebuilds will need some additional research on my end as that's all new stuff to me. I'm just glad that I purchased the glass fronts for the MR78 already as they probably are no longer available. It took me almost 6 months to finally receive them and that was back in 2011.  [tongue]

The good thing is it's all fixable.  Add a networking streamer/DAC and you have it modernized.  I think McIntosh might produce the glass for all their previous models at one time per year to fill needs.  If you need to send it our for service be sure to use the original boxes....or you will need glass again.  If you don't have the boxes, you can also get them from McIntosh.

We make wood cases for the MR78 BTW.