Gentle reader,
Yes, it's been a while since I posted. Been quite busy plus the hard drive died on my until-then trusty Dell PC.
After attempts to revive the old girl, I gave up and updated my wife's PC since she doesn't use it anymore. Being 8 1/2 years younger than I, (she's JUST 50) she has embraced "smart" technology better than I. In fact, I am quite happy with my folding cell phone.... I even have Windows 7 now, it's taking some getting used to and now the machine is suggesting Windows 10!
But enough about that. One thing I love to do, but don't do often is woodworking. Waiting in line at the local Salvation Army store one day, I spied two things: A still sealed solar battery charger and a wooden CD rack of a unique design. Bought both for $7.50 each with the Wednesday 25% discount.
If you've followed my blog, you've seen some of the LP and CD shelves and racks that I have in the listening room and in here, my "study" or home office. Or as my wife says, "Man cave 1-of-2."
I have an all plastic CD rack that rotates and holds 400 CDs on it's four sides. That one holds Jazz and movie scores/soundtracks. Fun fact: The "soundtrack" is ALL sounds in the film or TV show. The "score" is JUST the music that accompanies and adds to the movie/show. Now some music is listed as "Original Soundtrack from..." but is in fact the popular music adapted to the movie. A TRUE Original Soundtrack is one that the composer chosen to provide the music for the movie/show creates and usually conducts. Some of the finest composers of the 20th/21st Centuries have made all their music to accompany images/scenes. John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Jerry Goldsmith and others that you no doubt have heard of are such as these.
OK, so above you see the completed rack. Different, isn't it? My wife thinks and I agree that it was a kit. The original owner must have just put it together with no thought of actually finishing it!
Above is one of twelve plastic pieces that do the actual holding of the CD "jewel cases". They hold just one corner. That's enough to do the job. Now "digi-packs" don't work. They have to rest upon the CD beneath.
Above are the four legs removed from the assembly and stripped of the twelve holders. I think all the holes were pre-drilled except the ones for the metal rotating assembly that goes on the bottom. It was off center and the thing spun a little drunkenly.
The photo above shows the unfinished top sans plugs atop the finished and oiled bottom. Quite a difference! Note the stain in the center? Someone put a drink on the top of the rack and it made a permanent stain. Patina, right? To get to the screws that held the beast together, I had to pry the wooden plugs out of this top piece. The legs stayed together. I sanded the hardwood plugs flush with the wood.
Above is the rotating assembly now centered and lubricated and reinstalled. My wife found those thick felt pads for the bottom so it wouldn't scratch whatever surface it was on.
In the above photo, you can see the bottom and it's finish of Tung oil. Pretty and the wood is happier, too.
Above, is the now finished and installed top piece. This one had the roughest edges and required a lot of hand sanding. The plugs, as I said, are sanded flush as are the ones on the legs below:
Above is a nice detail shot showing the plastic retainers and curve of the legs as does the picture below:
These three photos were made on the dining room table prior to the unit being moved into the "Listening Room" or as my wife calls it: "Man cave 2-of-2."
Above and below are three photos of the oak table I found the next week at the same thrift store. It too was $7.50.
I like the inlaid top. Of course it is hidden by the base of the CD rack!
By the way, this rack holds 300 CDs. The other rotating one (it has the large dragon on top) holds 200. I have put the Classical CDs that have individual composers on them on two sides. One side has multiple composer CDs and one is empty.
Above is the wall-mounted wooden rack and floor-standing wire rack that held Classical CDs prior to the new rotating 300 CD rack.
Poof! The wire rack is gone!
The wooden rack above now holds; first two columns Beethoven 9th Symphony. Third column Aaron Copland CDs. Right-side column holds the Yellow label CDs that were made under various label names.
Note, above that the oak table is exactly the same depth as the LP shelves that I ALSO bought from the same store! I planned it that way. "Yeah, that's the ticket!"
Another narrower view of the completed project. With a close-up of the final project. Pretty nice!
That's it for that project and I was kind of sad when it was over. I enjoyed it!
On an aside, another project I'm working on is rehabilitating a pair of vintage Radio Shack cast-metal stereo speakers. I will show and tell you all about that soon. As a tease, here they are as I found them at, wait for it....... the SAME STORE!
Scott
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