Home grown turntable platform/base?

If your making a platform with layers, use a proper glue for the specific materials. Don't use screws, they defeat the purpose and allow the vibrations to freely travel through the platform circumventing the layer effect to reduce transmission of vibrations . The Herbies materials are better than sorbathane which around turntables will muddy the bass lines and mess with the treble frequencies where as the herbies materials are designed to avoid that specific issue. If foot falls are not a problem , a simple gluing of a couple pieces of 16 X 18 approx. void free ply with 4 herbies tall tenderfeet will do as well as what you would realistically need/want with the project table. The plywood is just an economical choice that works quite well,  other materials may be substituted that cost more, but don't always deliver the results wanted by adding vibration tone of their own. I made one like this for my daughters Rega RP6 and bought a cheap piece of leather from a fabric store and glued it to the top to dress it up and very fine sanded the sides smooth and sealed them and put 4 Herbies Tenderfoots on and done. Works great and looks quite sharp actually.

 A sand box is a cheap easy build as well if more extreme measures are wanted/needed. 

If foot falls are a problem, then isolating the table from the floor with a wall mount is the best and final method for that issue over suspended floor deflections. 


Good luck, nice to see the gift of music appreciation being joined together...……...

Thanks for the excellent replies everyone,

First of all, sorry but what are foot falls? I like the idea of the Herbie’s Tenderfoots. Is there any way I can do this a little more low profile such as just using one piece of birch? I like that idea with the leather covering. I’m trying to keep the wife acceptance factor here. Is a piece of granite or marble a bad choice with the Tenderfoots?

Thanks again.

Footfalls are when footsteps cause the suspended floor to transmit vibration to the turntable. It can be pretty bad causing skips or thumping. I’d recommend a 3/4 to 1 inch thick block of granite (not marble and not tiles) on spikes or cones or springs or ball bearings as above. It will tighten the bass and make the music sound cleaner and faster. You can try a sheet of 22ply under or instead too and compare.

Thanks noromance,

I don’t see me having a footfall problem as the main floor we walk on is concrete. This is a raised shelf/ledge that was built into the wall when the house was built. So go spikes over the Herbie’s Tenderfoots? I could get a hold of a piece of granite like that but would it be too heavy for the Tenderfoots with the turntable anyway?

@asahitoro Good. I have concrete too. The thing to remember is that, as a basic rule, the harder and less compliant the support, the faster, more dynamic and more detailed the sound becomes. However, you can swing it too far and make the sound a little, um, sterile. Marble and glass can do that. Soft woods go the other direction with the sound becoming softer. It seems ridiculous but it is true. Some argue that low frequency resonances need to be attenuated using damping but, to be honest, I have not found it to be a big deal. Hollow shelves or cabinets are a no-no. Try a 16"18" piece of granite from a fabricator. Stand the granite on 3 points - brass, or something. Ensure all is level. Let us know what you end up doing.