Which Tannoys, folks?

[Rare Bird]

Nop do not agree at all.

[Marco]

Lol... I don't like staining woods either, dude.

I'd far rather buy something made of wood that I liked in the first place, and wax it, iif necessary, to bring out the grain (I like using Liberon clear wax), than 'tart up' something not particularly nice, with staining, in order to try and make it look better, when in reality all it ends up looking like is rather artificial - although I'm not saying that's what Paul has achieved.

However, it depends on your specific needs and how much you want to spend on a particular project. I admire and applaud your desire for perfection, but not everyone is like you

Marco.

[Reffc]

Its personal tase and does not reflect either the quality of the veneer chosen or the standards of workmanship. I made it clear that I wanted a close match for the original Teak but could not get a veneer to match which was certified from sustainable sources and I won't use non-sustainable or non-certified timbers. The Sapele was too light in colour and as Tom pointed out, in its natural state drew too much attention to itself. Some people might have liked that but it looked too disjointed to my eyes so my intention all along was to stain it to match the main cabs. I can tell you that in the flesh, it blends beautifully, so the intent was carried through.

Normally I'd agree about not staining timbers (I usually oil them or wax them and whilst they inevitably darken, they remain natural with the grain emphasised). In this case, that was not the intention. I'm happy with the end result.

This picture sums up the result, and whilst some may not like it, I'd bet most would agree its a good match:



Close up of the main cabs which have had the original finish stripped back, all scratches removed and 3 coats of Danish Oil:



Wadding going in:

[oscarsaudio]

Paul , as long as your get your veneers from a reputable source then you should be ok ,I'm 99% sure my normal supplier stocks verified teak.Its the rich Arabs and Chinese who are using a lot of the rarer woods at the moment I know a guy who helped do an Arab's room in solid rose wood (book shelves desk skirting etc).

Anyway looking good when are you hoping to get the drivers back.

[Rare Bird]

I'm not being funny Paul but do realise how much solid teak timber went into Gresley's Railway coaches from 1920's-40's how much Teak veneer was actually used in the 1960's/70's for furniture, i doubt a bit of veneers gonna save the world! If you don't buy any someone else will, all you have done is cut your nose of to spite your face so to speak.

[Reffc]

Paul , as long as your get your veneers from a reputable source then you should be ok ,I'm 99% sure my normal supplier stocks verified teak.Its the rich Arabs and Chinese who are using a lot of the rarer woods at the moment I know a guy who helped do an Arab's room in solid rose wood (book shelves desk skirting etc).

Anyway looking good when are you hoping to get the drivers back.

Hi Oscar

That's true. I used a trusted supplier for these but must admit I did find getting the veneer I wanted as certified was difficult. Could have tried harder as I'm sure you're right but TBH I'm pretty happy with the results and the veneer went down very well. It was a nice quality cut.

Hoping to have the drivers back Tuesday or Wednesday along with the crossovers so I can get the things assembled and hopefully hooked up next week. It's been a costly exercise but worth it to see these restored. They'll be better than when brand new, from the crossovers, to the wiring, voice coils used and cones used, plus the cabs have had days of work lavished on them.

[Reffc]

I'm not being funny Paul but do realise how much solid teak timer went into Gresley's Railway coaches from 1920's-40's how much Teak veneer was actually used in the 1960's/70's for furniture, i doubt a bit of veneers gonna save the world! If you don't buy any someone else will, all you have done is cut your nose of to spite your face so to speak.

True but you have to draw the line somewhere and I am a person of principle, so if I have cut my nose off, so be it. It's really not that important to me to be honest as I do like what I've ended up with and I'm sure if ever I come to sell these on, the prospective buyer will be delighted. Very, very few vintage Tannoys are found in this "as new" condition unless treated to the expense and time needed and that's usually reflected in some of the selling prices these days.

[oscarsaudio]

I'm not being funny Paul but do realise how much solid teak timber went into Gresley's Railway coaches from 1920's-40's how much Teak veneer was actually used in the 1960's/70's for furniture, i doubt a bit of veneers gonna save the world! If you don't buy any someone else will, all you have done is cut your nose of to spite your face so to speak.

I can sort of see where your coming from , but would you have this same view if it were Ivory ?
Trees are just as important , the problem is we cut far to many down years ago and some of the trees take hundreds of years to fully mature.
Where possible its all ways good practice to use a non endangered species.IMO

[chelsea]

Paul,was there any reason for making the base smaller than the speakers?
Just think they would have looked nicer if they had been the same dimensions as the cab or slightly bigger.

Nice work BTW.

[Reffc]

Paul,was there any reason for making the base smaller than the speakers?
Just think they would have looked nicer if they had been the same dimensions as the cab or slightly bigger.

Nice work BTW.

Thanks Stu

the original plinths on Tannoys are usually stepped in (at least on these and on my Turnberrys....same design). All I did was to extend them by 250mm to keep the same design which allows for someone returning them to standard (with a little work), but yes, with hindsight it may have looked better. Nothing to prevent some more laminating to double panel thickness which would achieve the same result but in the flesh they do look ok so I'll leave as-is. I've done these for myself really and everyone has different tastes so I'm sure not everyone will like the way I've done them.