Custom SL-1210 Cabinet: Part 1

Following up on my last post about listening to more vinyl (and perhaps prompted by Drew’s beast of a setup), I thought that it was time I move my turntable into my bedroom and create a more convenient and functional sound system. The biggest obstacle was finding something that I could house all my existing equipment in while also having space to properly store my records. But now that the workshop is so organized and well equipped, I literally look for excuses to make things.

I first started drawing a diagram of all the electronic components I wanted to include. The actual configuration has since changed but it’s not too far from this original sketch.

Then last Saturday, I whipped out Google’s SketchUp and started planning a cabinet to house all the shit I drew up. Nowadays, I usually go straight to SketchUp because it gives me a real sense of how the physical object will look. This free app is super easy to use and allows you to keep manipulating measurements until you get something your happy with proportionally. Here’s what I ended up with:

The same day, Jimmy and I started working on the base of the cabinet. I decided to use 3/4″ MDF since its easy to work with and I don’t plan on putting this thing outside so strength or durability wouldn’t be too much of an issue. This is also the point when you realize things you model in 3D don’t always translate like you imagined in the physical world. We had to figure how some parts were going to go together and decided not to try and finish the whole thing in a day.

Measure twice.

By midweek, I had constructed the cabinet, filled in all the holes/cracks with wood putty, applied a sealer on all the visible MDF, and glued/clamped the birch veneer (actually it’s not veneer but really thin plywood but serves the same purpose)

I was hoping to finish the entire thing in a week, but it’s looking like its going to take a little longer. Here’s a sneak peak at Part 2 of this custom build, which I’ll post once I’m done painting, staining, and clear coating the whole thing

And yea, you bet your ass I have the “Touch It” club mix, muthafuckas