Dougdeacon,
You are always welcome at any time! October is a good month in Tracy. It will be ninety degrees today, but it's a dry heat! And while you're here, don't forget to visit the Livermore Valley wineries, if you're into wine. It's fun and not too expensive. Then there's Yosemite and Carmel, although these two destinations are not exactly a stone's throw away! (I sound like an ad in a travel magazine.)
I will let you know when everything arrives. The biggest hang-up now is the money. I have two thousand saved, and more is on the way, but my calculations indicate I will need three thousand more, plus money for the phono stage. Man, this in one expensive hobby! : > (
Not only will I have to be careful about setting up the bearing assembly for the Teres, there is also the finishing phase. While I know the Teres web site claims only a couple of hours are needed, I think this estimate is a little unrealistic. It make take the Teres craftsmen (craftswomen) only a couple of hours, but for someone like myself, it will take longer, maybe a couple of days. When I get the turntable, I will recount my entire experience here, along with any tips about finishing and detailing.
By the way, I recalculated the resonance frequency of the ZYX R-100FS for the OL Encounter and found it to be 10.5 Hz, which is nearly ideal according to Van den Hull.
While I am waiting for the Teres turntable, I will be doing two things: 1) buying more vinyl and 2) attempting to design and build an isolation platform for the Teres. This project will hone my wood finishing skills.
As you are probably aware, commercially available isolation platforms can be quite expensive. I have seen one or two that cost more than a thousand. I think that I can build one for a lot less, maybe only a couple of hundred. Why so much? Well, I plan to use two layers of laminated hardwood, which is not cheap, and I will need to either buy or rent some furniture clamps. After the wood has been cut to shape, I will need to figure out what damping material to use between the hardwood layers. Some have suggested Bubble Wrap to create a poor man's air bladder. While this is an intriguing idea, there are two issues with this approach: 1) it will be somewhat difficult to level the Bubble Wrap because it is not perfectly flat; 2) the Bubble Wrap may deteriorate, or breakdown, over time. My solution is to use sand, and to place the two hardwood layers in a pre-made hardwood box that will accommodate the two layers. Sand is very cheap, easy to use, and will not breakdown. As far as I know, it's a great sound-absorbing material and is easy to level. The only problem I can see is how to keep it perfectly sealed between the various hardwood layers. Maybe I could use some high-quality clear caulking that carries a 20-year warranty as a sealant? I will post more on this later.
For those of you who already have a turntable, you might try what I am visualizing:
1. A hardwood box could be used that has dovetail miter-box corners. It needs to be deep enough and large enough to accommodate the two layers of the "floating hardwood" upon which the turntable will be placed. Naturally the top portion of the box will be open. Only the bottom and sides need to be constructed.
2. Sand could be placed on the bottom of the box, and the first hardwood layer placed and leveled on top of the sand. Caulking could then be applied to seal the sand. We don't want that material getting into the turntable bearing assembly.
3. More sand could be place on top of the first hardwood layer, followed by the second hardwood layer and caulking.
4. The bottom of the box can be equipped with high-quality metal cones, preferably brass. Underneath the cones one could place pucks from Black Diamond Racing.
Obviously I have not worked out all the details, but if anyone has comments they would like to make, please share them.
