Audio Asylum Thread Printer

Get a view of an entire thread on one page

FAQ / News / Events

Tweakers' Asylum

RE: i never would have thunk it. A thick maple board under a cd player.

73.11.193.148

In Reply to: RE: i never would have thunk it. A thick maple board under a cd player. posted by Dryginger2 on April 23, 2015 at 13:44:00

To upgrade my SolidSteel rack, I replaced the stock MDF shelves with Michigan Maple Block. I bought 4 of the 24 x 18 x 1.75" th. Michigan Maple Blocks from Overstock about 3 years ago and they were shipped from the factory; all appeared perfect. They had the type of coating on them to assure the NSF certification, so I had to sand them, after cutting the lengths of 3, and resealed and finished (2+ coats) all board surfaces with a low gloss urethane. I have noted some minor movement (up and down only - no gaps or splitting) of the wood pieces on all 4 shelves, but they were never meant to sustain the weight of equipment and support of an audio rack.
I assume your items came with a non-urethane finish and that you left them that way, am I correct? [My reason for asking is because she offers the MMB products with a urethane finish only on her A'Gon ads.] If so, I may simply try that next time I buy more; it was a hassle and a lot of time taken with the refinishing (a major project in the household here). You do want to keep the surfaces from drying out however.
I use a heavy duty oak and Michigan Maple Block wood cart I made for my kitchen back in the late 70's/early 80's as a headphone system rack now; the top is the main piece of MMB, but is still in solid condition even thought it has seen more water on it than needed in the past.

Edits: 04/24/15

Follow Ups:

RE: i never would have thunk it. A thick maple board under a cd player. - Dryginger2 22:21:32 04/24/15 (0)
Robss,

All I knew was that maple color was vulnerable to light and made the ignorant decision to sand off the protective finish supplied (not urethane) and apply urethane with a high-gloss for aesthetics. Today I remedied that mistake by placing a layer of cork on top to kill the reflection. Using chemicals for urethane-removal is problematic as the adhesive holding the block together can then possibly fail.

Next time would apply a wood polish and conditioner (caution: combustible) to feed the wood every four months (caution: difficult to remember) after finding somewhere to cut off the hand-grips as the power saws of local hardware stores here cannot cut thicknesses of three inches. Incidentally be aware that three-inch blocks are heavy...

DG
RE: Better to call her than to refinish the boards - mcbuddah 10:50:09 04/24/15 (0)
I bought about 10 maple platforms from Dawn in 2013 and 2014 and eventually placed one under every component and external power supply. The improvement in sound when some of them went in was truly rewarding, considering her low prices on them. Almost half of the platforms I bought from her were custom-sized - round ones under the Thor and its round PS, narrower than standard clearance on the steel-bar shelves of my old TNT stand. She's a nice person and will do almost anything to make customers happy. Custom sizes were priced based on their sizes without any premium for the fact that they were special. Shipping was free and fast, and every single platform arrived in perfect condition. She even discounted them when I ordered more than one at a time. I could have had them with either finish or even raw for my own finishing.

FWIW, I am currently undergoing a whole-house remodeling project that will let me put my system up on a much better wall and have just taken everything down for temporary storage until the carpeting is in and I get the last bits of a new Steve Blinn rack. This let me check the condition of all the platforms, some of them three years in service. None of the platforms shows any sign of degeneration - no warping or separation at the glued joints. The only maintenance I've done on any of them besides occasional dusting is the application of the sticky junk she also sells in a bottle for about $15 just before putting them in service.

Everything is going to the dogs

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Parts Connexion