Dual 1229 Turntable Plinth

  Cocobolo and figured maple are the woods used to bring a 1972 Dual 1229 Turntable into the 21st Century  
 
It began as an effort to bring my old turntable back to working condition. I found a website called Vinyl Engine and there many very many helpful people who guided me through the process. Thankfully, it mostly involved cleaning up old grease and oil and relubrication. 		 
  Then I saw this:

  
 

While absolutely beautiful, I didn't want to duplicate this. I also wanted to use wood I already had in stock. I chose cocobolo.

And then took it to the miter saw

  
  The thought of duplicating the original United Audio base appealed to me because it would keep more to the original look.

 
  But the idea of making something more nagged me. So I took out some ebony and figured maple to get some ideas.
 
  A sampling of what could be done by inlaying strips of quilted maple

 
  The above photos show the light rays the fixture casts on to the walls and ceilings. The project was designed to create this effect.

I made some maple legs with ebony caps, top and bottom for the corners...
  
then set them against the sample side panel.
  This was to see how maple with cocobolo looked. This won out.
 
 
First dry fit.
 
   
 
Unable to find any Dual logos for the front panel, I took some Mother of Pearl and cut some letters. This is the first time entering the world of pearl inlay.		  
 
Instead of using 1/4" MDF for the turntable platform, like the original, I opted for 1/2" maple. The template on top was created by placing it inside the original, penciling in the outline, then cutting and filing until it was a perfect match. 		 
 
Another dry fit. Still have to inlay the cocobolo strips in the corner feet.
 
 
The finished product, less the Dual MOP inlay. 		 
   
     
     
     

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