Making the plinth for my Thorens TD-124

Let me first say that this plinth would not have been possible without all the work put into it by my wife's uncle; Aurangzeb (Andy) Sheikh. Andy is a very skilled carpenter and has a real eye for dimensions and proportions. If you are interested in Andy making you the same plinth; please contact him at: aurangzeb@sympatico.ca.

This plinth started out as a sheet of 3/4" thick 5' x 5' Baltic birch plywood, which was then cut up to six equal size pieces measuring 22" x 15.5". These were to be stacked upon each other to make the plinth. Originally, I intended to use all six pieces to get as much weight as possible, but we decided that using all six would make it too bulky visually, and as the work progressed, I think it was the right decision. The plinth will be 22" x 15.5" x 3.75", and will weigh about 25 lb's without the Thorens TD-124 or the Ortofon AS-309S tonearm. Sorry, but I do not have any pictures of the wood before this stage.

Here is the gluing of two pieces. These will sit on top of the solid base, which you will see below this picture.

Here are a couple pieces that are waiting to be glued. The base has a hole for the power cord. The next layer shows the position of the hole for the Ortofon tonearm. Note that the corners of the plinth have been cut with the same radius as the Thorens TD-124's corners to keep the same lines. This shows very nicely when the 124 is in place. See the last photo.

Here is the bottom side of four layers which has been glued together. Note the countersunk holes where the level adjustment legs will protrude from. Mushrooms will not be used, instead, the table will be mounted solidly to the plinth on wood supports at the four points (see below), where the mushrooms would normally be placed. The Thorens will then be pulled tight to the plinth with washers and nuts.

Another view.

Almost finished; the five layers have been glued together. The internal height clears the motor, and I think that dimensionally, the plinth has a good balance of width and depth and keeps good visual proportions.

Here is the plinth turned upside down. Here you can see the countersunk holes for the mounting bolts, the hole for the AC wire, and the hole for the tonearm cable.

Here you can see the tonearm mount in relation to the 124. The tonearm placement is critical, because the Ortofon cartridges that I will be using cannot be adjusted, and after several checks, the tonearm mount location is exact. Now it just a matter installing the arm.

Here is a frontal view of the plinth where you can also see the wood supports that replace the "mushrooms". They do a great job of elevating the turntable just enough to have the 124 clear the plinth. The rods are then tightened from below with washers and bolts to keep the 124 in place. Since the tonearm is mounted to the plinth, the 124 cannot be allowed to move. Similar to the set-up that would be used for a Garrard 301 or 401.

Here is the almost finished product, and, it sounds pretty good so far ;-))

This setup will eventually be dedicated to mono playback with an Ortofon CG-25i MKII mono cartridge. But, for the time being, I will also be using it for stereo playback with an Ortofon SPU GM MKII.

The Baltic Birch is nice, but not attractive enough to just stain, so the plinth and blank armboard will be finished in a high gloss piano black laquer. This will be done once the weather is suitable for it to be able to air dry properly. Once that has been done, the 124 and the Ortofon tonearm will be re-installed and the plinth will sit on a set of Stillpoints with adjustable risers.