BUILDING A CUSTOM HI-FI CONSOLE.
I was approached to build a custom hi-fi console for a repeat client. This was something I had always sought after as a project, with a peaked interest in all things vinyl and a shared vision with the client. A shared vision which led to pulling elements from mid-century modern furniture and using a local timber, Tasmanian Blackwood with brass accents.
The semi-detached legs were mitred with house-made floating tenons routered into the mitred faces with the tenons in the same Blackwood timber to subdue any potential for differing expansion or contraction of differing timbers. The legs set off the main cabinet with 16mm brass rods epoxied to connect the elements together.
I wanted to use as much solid timber as possible in the project, the back panel was therefore made using shiplap with a small rabbet in each piece to give an overlap of the next piece. Each piece was held in place by timber rails running the full width of the cabinet and anchored with a brass screw at each piece with a larger hole drilled to allow for any natural movement.
A feature of the cabinet was that it had to have a secret compartment implemented, this turned out to be the most challenging aspect of the build with a fully hand built mechanism using a sprung brass hook, on a fulcrum with an aluminium push rod operated by a hidden magnet. The magnet was activated by another magnet in a timber key which was another feature of the project.
The Blackwood was supplied by Urban Salvage in Spotswood, Melbourne and the Brass by Australian Metals, Airport West, small, local businesses which I have dealt with many times over and provide excellent service. Glues used were a mix of Titebond III and Titebond II. Titebond III tends to turn Blackwood a green colour so for the more intricate and harder joins to clean, Titebond II was used. Osmo Poly-X Satin looks great on Blackwood to allow for a nice showcase of the timber grain.
These images are of the build process. Additional finished photos are in the BESPOKE page here.
