B&Q is a joke

[Jac Hawk]

So i had to get some wood and DIY supplies today, i needed to make a bomb proof shelf for my new TT, so i tootled on down to my local B&Q to get wood (24mm MDF) some heavy duty angle iron, hilti bolts, screws etc. well i nearly shit a chicken when i came to pay for the stuff i needed, get this £56, the MDF was £21 for 1.5m x 600mm and the bolts £18. Seems to me that now they have no real competition they charge what they want.

On a positive note, the shelf is superb, rock solid and ready for the turntable.

[Thing Fish]

You could have got a second hand one off fleabay for less. I picked up a target a few weeks ago for £50!

[Barry]

So i had to get some wood and DIY supplies today, I needed to make a bomb proof shelf for my new TT, so I tootled on down to my local B&Q to get wood (24mm MDF) some heavy duty angle iron, hilti bolts, screws etc. well i nearly shit a chicken when I came to pay for the stuff I needed, get this £56, the MDF was £21 for 1.5m x 600mm and the bolts £18. Seems to me that now they have no real competition they charge what they want.

On a positive note, the shelf is superb, rock solid and ready for the turntable.

Gulp! - I need to put up some 25 -30' of shelving for books. Looks like it's going to cost me!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

We bought a blind from homebase last year for £30, then bought another almost exactly a year on ... £60 ... The guys excuse at the till was "vat increase mate!"

[Stratmangler]

Gulp! - I need to put up some 25 -30' of shelving for books. Looks like it's going to cost me!

Haven't you got any timber merchants in your part of the world ?
My mate Colin (Toppsy) gets material for his speaker builds from one, so I'm sure you'd get stuff for shelving too.
And it'd be a damned sight less expensive than the usual suspects.
Travis Perkins also worth looking at to see if they can supply hardware (brackets and what not).

[Marco]

On a positive note, the shelf is superb, rock solid and ready for the turntable.

:worthless:

Marco.

[Marco]

[Open public service announcement]

Don't go to bloody B&Q for timber, unless you want to piss your hard-earned down the drain! :doh:

Go to your local Jewson's: http://www.jewson.co.uk/homepage.jsp?_requestid=318601

Or any builder's merchant (Travis Perkins, and such like) or sawmill - it'll be half the price!!


[Close public service announcenment].

:)

Marco.

[Reid Malenfant]

I buy all my MDF from Wickes, looks like they are still great value (http://www.wickes.co.uk/browse/smmdfsheets?ex=co_wizr-locayta&collate=ivtype&collate=price&collate=pdxtavailableonline&collate=pdxtpromotion&collate=pdxtaveragerate&collate=pdxtbmdprdsize&collate=pdxtbmdprdcolour&collate=pdxtdoorhei&collate=pdxtdoorwid&collate=pdxtdoorsty&collate=pdxttilelength&collate=pdxttilewidth&collate=pdxttilematerial&collate=pdxtfllengh&collate=pdxtflmaterial&collate=pdxtflwidth&collate=pdxtkititemdep&collate=pdxtkititemhei&collate=pdxtkititemwid&collate=pdxtbathitemdep&collate=pdxtbathitemhei&collate=pdxtbathitemwid&collate=pdxtradhei&collate=pdxtradlen&collate=pdxtradwat&collate=pdxtsafewhei&collate=pdxtladdhei&collate=pdxtbuildepth&collate=pdxtbuilheight&collate=pdxtbuilwidth&collate=pdxtdoorfursiz&collate=pdxttinsize&collate=pdxtnailtype&collate=pdxtscrewsize&collate=pdxtscrewtype&collate=pdxtguttpr&collate=pdxtptoolvolt&collate=pdxtdoorpanty&collate=pdxtdoorpanels&collate=pdxttilefinish&collate=pdxttadhesivetyp&collate=pdxttype&collate=pdxtradran&collate=pdxtkititemlen&collate=pdxtsizelw&collate=pdxtsizelwd&collate=pdxtsizelitre&collate=pdxtsizekg&collate=pdxtpackcoverage&collate=pdxttilewarwattage&collate=pdxtsizel&collate=pdxtsizewh&collate=pdxtglazing&collate=pdxtstyle&collate=pdxtraddep&collate=pdxtweight&collate=pdxtdiameter&collate=pdxtbitfitting&collate=pdxttpi&collate=pdxtbladefittings&collate=pdxtgrade&collate=pdxtwidth&collate=pdxtdepth&collate=pdxtheight&fieldrtype=type&termtextrtype=invt&typertype=exact&fieldpcatid=pcatid&typepcatid=exact&termorder=rtype%3Apcatid&template=wz_locayta&pagenum=2&perpage=9&threshold=0&spellcorrect=1&datasource=wickesen&setpagenum=3&perpage=9&bklist=icat,5,shop,buildmaterial,sheetmaterials,sm mdfsheets) :) 8' x 4' x 18mm still only £15.90 :eyebrows:

[Marco]

Yep, Wickes is ok, too :)

ANYWHERE but bloody B&Q - the rip-off b*stards!!

Marco.

[Jac Hawk]

Yep all great suggestions, should have thought about wickes :doh: do they have a cutting service Mark? cos my car is only so big.

[Ali Tait]

Focus too. The one near me has a cutting service.

[Reid Malenfant]

<snip> do they have a cutting service Mark? cos my car is only so big.
Unfortunately not that i know of but then i usually buy a good few sheets in bulk as i have a table saw so i can cut the stuff myself. However as far as i know they'll deliver to your home ;)

[Marco]

Yep all great suggestions, should have thought about wickes :doh: do they have a cutting service Mark? cos my car is only so big.

No worries... Let's see a picture of yer shelf then, dude! :)

Marco

[tannoy man]

I cant help feeling that MDF is shit, it seems to suck the life out of the music, its PLYWOOD for me every time.

[Jac Hawk]

No worries... Let's see a picture of yer shelf then, dude! :)

Marco

Patience young skywalker. i'm on spray painting it at the moment, must admit the fumes have me a little light headed :eek:

[Reid Malenfant]

I cant help feeling that MDF is shit, it seems to suck the life out of the music, its PLYWOOD for me every time.
Well you should be pleased we are leaving all the plywood for you then :lol:

[Marco]

Patience young skywalker. i'm on spray painting it at the moment, must admit the fumes have me a little light headed :eek:

No worries - I expect the wait will be worth it! ;)

Marco.

[Stratmangler]

I cant help feeling that MDF is shit, it seems to suck the life out of the music, its PLYWOOD for me every time.

That'll be why all the commercial speaker companies use it in their cabinets then :eyebrows:

[Jac Hawk]

That'll be why all the commercial speaker companies use it in their cabinets then :eyebrows:

Wonder why that is:scratch: apart from it's cheap, easy to use, sonically inert ohh and it doesn't have any hidden knots or voids, you'd think it was a bit of a no brainer.;)

[Jac Hawk]

here are the pics of the fruits of my labour

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/SDC10675.jpg

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/SDC10676.jpg

Not too bad form a guy who can only use one arm;)

[IMG]http://theartofsound.net/forum/http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb371/jachawk9000/SDC10675.jpg

[Marco]

Nice neat job, baby! Now all ya needs is a cartridge........ ;)

Marco.

[Jac Hawk]

Nice neat job, baby! Now all ya needs is a cartridge........ ;)

Marco.

Thanks matey, i've got 2 on the way an A&R C77 and an Audio Technica AT110, by the way you don't happen to know the tracking weight for the C77 do ya?

[Marco]

Pretty sure the optimal is 1.5g, dude. I'd start at 1.3g and go up to no more than 1.8g. The sweet spot should be somewhere between those points.

Your ears will soon tell ya when it's right! :)

Marco.

[keiths]

by the way you don't happen to know the tracking weight for the C77 do ya?

According to the cartridge database on Vinyl Engine, it's 1.6g to 2.2g

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge_database.php?m=ARCAM&t=any&mod=C77&sort=1&Search=Search&sty=&ovlo=&ovhi=&can=&dclo=&dchi=&stid=&masslo=&masshi=&notes=&prlo=&prhi=

BTW, At long last, my Sumiko headshell should be posted to me on Tuesday. So I should be able to post your turntable's original headshell off to you by Friday - if you need it?

[Marco]

Personally, I wouldn't take it over 2g. I strongly suspect that the sweet spot will reside somewhere between 1.5 and 1.8g.

Let us know, Mike, when you get try it :)

Marco.