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VV-IX, what kind of wood?

Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 6:21 am
by tesch1932
Hi, I have what is probably a silly question:

Is the mahogany VV-IX cabinet made from solid mahogany or laminate?

More specifically, are the feet and bottom panel solid mahogany, or a different kind of wood?

Thanks!

Re: VV-IX, what kind of wood?

Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:31 am
by Jerry B.
Most high quality furniture is made using veneers in the highly visible areas. This is true with all but the cheapest Victrolas. Your Victrola IX is a quality piece of cabinetry and surfaces like the lid top, doors, and sides are all veneer. Some parts less visible like the area around the motor board or feet may be solid mahogany. The curved pieces that form the sides of the lid are solid mahogany and the cabinet workers were very careful to select choice pieces of mahogany because this area is highly visible.

Jerry Blais

Re: VV-IX, what kind of wood?

Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:02 pm
by Jerry B.
More specifically, are the feet and bottom panel solid mahogany, or a different kind of wood?
That's a really good question. We had a thread some time ago about Circassian Victrolas. It was my opinion that the Victor Cabinet Department used non-Circassian wood for some parts of the cabinet that were not highly visible. I believe a good cabinet worker can match color so that was not an issue. Other very experienced collectors thought the whole cabinet was made from Circassian walnut. I could certainly be wrong. But the grain of wood cut for beautiful veneers looks much different than dimensionally cut wood.

The Victor O is an interesting machine. Do most collectors think it was made from mahogany? A Victor catalog reads "Victor O, Price $17.50, Mahogany finished cabinet..." A Victor IV in the same catalog reads "Victor IV, Price $50, Mahogany cabinet..." A Victor O was made from a less expensive wood than mahogany. But the finish sure makes it look like a mahogany machine.

Jerry Blais

Re: VV-IX, what kind of wood?

Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 9:05 am
by Wes K
Very interesting questions.
I disassembled a junk VV-X mahogany cabinet and found the unstained parts of the legs to be a green color, like poplar. The legs and motor boards are usually solids, and judging by the unstained colors of the wood on these parts it must be a mix of mahogany and poplar solids. I noticed that the wood used for the core on the veneered sides on this machine were oak! It would be interesting to dissect an oak cabinet to see how much is oak.

Re: VV-IX, what kind of wood?

Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 10:57 am
by Jerry B.
the core on the veneered sides on this machine were oak!
Some years ago I helped a friend move his phono collection. (Yes, I'm the friend with a strong back and a weak mind. ;) We moved a Brunswick upright and a short time later moved a Victrola is a similar size. I remember that the Victrola was substantially heavier. Some time later I was given a big upright Victrola that had been in a fire. After salvaging good parts I broke up the main portion of the cabinet and discovered the core of the mahogany machine was oak. That explained the difference in weight between the Brunswick and similarly sized Victrola.

Veneers can make an object quiet durable. The Victor spearpoint horn with several layers of thin wood is much more rugged than a Music Master horn that is glued on edge. Solid wood has a tendency to warp. But If you apply a layer of veneer on the front and back it is much less likely to warp.

Jerry Blais

Re: VV-IX, what kind of wood?

Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 1:14 pm
by gramophone-georg
Jerry B. wrote:
the core on the veneered sides on this machine were oak!
Some years ago I helped a friend move his phono collection. (Yes, I'm the friend with a strong back and a weak mind. ;) We moved a Brunswick upright and a short time later moved a Victrola is a similar size. I remember that the Victrola was substantially heavier. Some time later I was given a big upright Victrola that had been in a fire. After salvaging good parts I broke up the main portion of the cabinet and discovered the core of the mahogany machine was oak. That explained the difference in weight between the Brunswick and similarly sized Victrola.

Veneers can make an object quiet durable. The Victor spearpoint horn with several layers of thin wood is much more rugged than a Music Master horn that is glued on edge. Solid wood has a tendency to warp. But If you apply a layer of veneer on the front and back it is much less likely to warp.

Jerry Blais
Crossing grains in laminated layers adds strength and resists warping and shrinking due to the "barriers" of laminating glue between the layers. This practice begat modern plywood.

Re: VV-IX, what kind of wood?

Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 6:10 am
by tesch1932
Thank you for all the input. I carefully scratched the underside of one of the feet, and yes, I looks like mahogany to me!

I asked because the VV-IX I have is missing it's bottom panel, so I'd like to replace it.

So we are thinking poplar for the unseen parts?