Victrola X Table Top in Oak from Thrift Shop

[De Soto Frank]

The underside of the lid looks like quarter-sawn oak to me; the motor-board frame though looks like black walnut to my eye... ?

[dutchman]

I'm going with Chestnut with the top veneer missing..

[phonojim]

They built the first IXs with the motor in the horn too. It was a way to get a bigger horn instead into a tabletop machine without having to use a high cabinet. They weren't using up old parts - that was a current model motor.

Jim

[De Soto Frank]

I'm going with Chestnut with the top veneer missing..

Hmmm... Chestnut ? I can only go by the Chesnut trim in my 1917 house, but this grain looks a bit "tight" for Chesnut...

Also, did Victor veneer the tops of motor-boards ? ( At least pre-1920 ?)

[estott]

I think that is Birch or something similar - Victor used stained secondary wood in many of their less expensive machines.

[phonojim]

Is the base part of the cabinet quartersawn oak? It's hard to tell in the pictures but it doesn't look like oak to me. Perhaps the base and the lid are a marriage?

Jim

[Brad]

Great find!

The motor board looks like mahogany to me, clearly secondary stock. I don't think veneer is missing, solid stock would have been used for a board of this design. Veneer along the outside of the routed detail around the outer edge would be prone to chipping and a furniture manufacturer would never do that. Also, if veneer were missing that routed detail would not be as deep.

You can see the mill marks crossing the grain. Not sure this suggests one way or the other.

A couple of points:

If this were indeed missing veneer, I would hazard that this is not the original motor board. If it were, I would expect to see veneer damage on the whole cabinet, not just the motor board.

The color matches the cabinet rather well, If the motor board were refinished, I wouldn't expect to see the mill marks, unless it was a belt sander used. Having said that, the platter covers most of it, so it it essentially invisible. Also, matching the color would have have been difficult and the cabinet does not appear refinished.

The machine displays nice, you are very lucky.

[dutchman]

I'd like to phone a friend

[FellowCollector]

Here are some pictures I took earlier this morning (and woke up my wife in the process by knocking over a flashlight! Not good on a Sunday morning! ) of one of two VV-X table model Victrolas from my collection. I have one in mahogany and one in oak seen here. Both are completely original in every respect. I have always felt that this one was either gun metal oak or Flemish oak finish as it is very dark oak indeed. Mine has a dark oak motor board and Exhibition reproducer with the round needle hole as seen with outside horn Victors. It also has a green felt turntable. I believe that Couch Potatoe’s VV-X has the correct motorboard but his rear (tonearm) board looks odd to me. Almost like it is too straight grained to be oak. Looks more like mahogany to me. I have been hoping to post a video of my VV-X here on my YouTube channel but have been so busy lately. Anyway, I hope the pics of my VV-X are helpful in the discussion. - Doug

[Jerry B.]

Couch Potato's Victrola is interesting in many respects. I'd like to be in the same room as the machine to personally inspect, but from the photos it appears the motor board and deck are correct. Victor used more common and less flashy cuts of wood for areas and parts that were less visible. The veneer selected for the front, sides, and lid are usually consistently spectacular. More secluded areas like the parts drawer on an "L" door, motor boards, and decks are made with ordinary cuts and sometimes with a different wood altogether. I have a Circassian Walnut VTLA and the parts drawer and horn are walnut colored mahogany. This is just a long distance photo opinion but the color of the deck and motor board of Couch Potato's machine appear to be mahogany that is finished to match the dark oak.
The Victor Cabinet Department were masters of finish and color and I think that's what we are looking at. Jerry