Grammoporn

[gramophoneshane]

I think Jerry was referring to the other end of the tonearm, closer to the soundbox.
Some tonearms swivelled at that front joint where the metal tube on yours meets the wood section.
By lifting the soundbox and continuing in a counterclockwise direct, the soundbox would be left upside down to facilitate changing the needle.
The tonearm rest on your machine however pretty much indicates this isn't the case with your tonearm though.
I too think the problem lies in the base of the tonearm as you've pictured above.

I've actually seen some Thorens arms where that wooden flange near the base of your tonearm, uses the undersurface of the wood for a pin running through the metal elbow to run against so the tonearm can rotate, and the pin wears the wood away so the tonearm no longer sits at the correct angle.
Why they didn't put a simple metal washer under the wooden flange I don't know, but it would have prevented the pin from wearing away the woods surface.

Do you know what brand the motor is?
It almost looks like the Thorens motor that resembles the Garrard 1A, though I'm not sure which company copied the others design first.
A picture of the bottom plate of your motor would be helpful in identifying it.

[Inigo]

Maybe that ball junction is a bit worn, or had a guide groove or something that has been lost. If you could disassemble it v berry carefully and examine the parts....

[slammer]

Maybe that ball junction is a bit worn, or had a guide groove or something that has been lost. If you could disassemble it v berry carefully and examine the parts....

Going to do that shortly. One little quirk of this machine is that there is no motorboard per-se, the entire head plus lid lifts off and the motor is attached to the underside of the head.

[slammer]

Hmm! Must admit I am a tad disappointed. I spun it up and played a few records. Although the wind wanted to be smooth after the third side it developed a hard clunk every few turns of the handle, so I´m thinking I may take the motor back for a check.
I also find that the turntable needs balancing, without the plate the motor runs very smooth but with it on it gets kind of rumbly, as it is one of the older types with holes I could get away with a few strategically placed lead fishing weights.
A big problem is that I cant figure out how to dismantle the ball join without breaking anything, it seems to have been glued in recently, whereby recent is a relative term, there is a rusty bolt though the ball that you can see if you turn the head upside down and look into it, to dismantle this construction I think would take more tools and more knowledge that I have available , (I´m a WD40 if it doesnt move then hit it with a club till it does move, if it moves too much then Duct tape kind of guy) so I am not sure what to do, I think I´ll take it to the local carpenter who has a thing for old furniture restoration and tell him to have fun.
It is going to be a beauty when I am happy with it, but until then it is going to be polished and admired but put to one side until my other projects are done and I am going to play my records on the HMV and the Serenade.

Looking at the bottom side picture over a meditative beer, it may be possible to tap the entire arm out of the hole.... Now where did I put the club?

[epigramophone]

The logo on the bottom plate of the motor could be Steidinger.

[slammer]

The logo on the bottom plate of the motor could be Steidinger.

Uff! If my google-fu is strong, then Seidinger is the granddaddy of Dual, and as I just read, the name "Dual" comes from Steidinger´s hybrid electric-spring mechanic gramophone motor.

1907 als "Gebrüder Steidinger - Fabrik für Feinmechanik" in St. Georgen im Schwarzwald gegründet, in der neben Uhrmacherwerkzeugen auch Grammophone mit Federantrieb hergestellt wurden, entwickelte sich das Unternehmen unter Leitung von Christian Steidinger (1873-1937) nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg zu einem der führenden Phonohersteller. Seit 1927 produzierte Steidinger als neuartigen Antrieb eine Kombination aus Federlaufwerk und Elektromotor, den Elektro-Feder-Motor, der "Dual" genannt wurde und zunächst den damit ausgestatteten Plattenspielern, später auch der Firma den Namen gab.

The more I dig into this passion, the more I see how things are connected, it is astounding how interwoven todays brand names are connected to the past.
Just need to figure out who built the device from the manufactures logo, have not idea but I am enjoying the hunt.