Victrola X Table Top in Oak from Thrift Shop

[phonogfp]

+1 to what Jerry says. My only question would be whether the motorboard and deck are mahogany or birch? They don't appear to be oak.

George P.

[FellowCollector]

I tend to disagree. It would seem illogical to use mahogany (a more premium wood) in an oak machine. A Circassian walnut VTLA having a mahogany drawer seems logical as this would be a "step down" in wood for an internal, not so noticeable piece on the cabinet stained to "look" like the walnut. But a "step up" from an oak cabinet to using mahogany (even scraps or remnants) for internal pieces seems illogical to me and out of character for Victor. The grain is very straight on the rear tonearm "deck" on Couch Potatoe's machine which surely makes the appearance of mahogany but the grain seen on his (underside) motor board as well as on mine is not typically characteristic of mahogany grain. Yes, sometimes there is slight curvature to the grain in mahogany, but normally it is pretty straight and tight. The rear board on his looks like mahogany wood but who knows what may have been done with that Victrola over the years. Doug

[Couch Potato]

"Fellow Collector" has a very nice example of the machine in oak so thank you for taking time to post the pictures. By the way the one I have that I started the thread with is serial number 4558. It had the left door but was missing the right side door. However both hinges where present and no damage to either. Can't image what happened to the right hand door on mine as there was no visible sign of trauma. Perhaps some one took it off to use as something else. Fortunately it looks like the oak planks they sell at Lowe's is the identical thickness so cutting a replacement should be very easy.

It did come with a reproducer but the more common one with triangle shaped hole for the needle. Not sure if it was the original reproducer but it had been attached for a very long time to the tone arm with completely crispy surgical bandage tape and its serial number is 449573.

[Retrograde]

Fortunately it looks like the oak planks they sell at Lowe's is the identical thickness so cutting a replacement should be very easy.

for correctness and best appearance, the wood should be quarter sawn. The original door was some sort of "otherwood" with quarter sawn oak veneer. Woodworking supply stores sell veneer.

[Jerry B.]

I could certainly be wrong especially because my speculation is based on photos but the color on the deck seems to match the color of the rest of the dark oak cabinet. I have restored numerous machines but have avoided projects where the deck has been cut away. The deck is an integral part of the cabinet and it would be very difficult to replace and make it look factory once it has be removed. The deck does not look like oak. If it was oak with a mahogany motor board I would suspect a switch but the motor board seems to match. Red mahogany was the prevalent color and it would hard to match the dark oak color if it had already been stained red. Unfinished wood, whether it was mahogany, birch (did Victor use much birch?) or another species would be much easier to finish with a fumed oak appearance.
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Isn't if fun to speculate on these century old mysteries? Jerry

[estott]

I might be mistaken on Victor's use of Birch, but sometimes it is hard to tell it from the plainer cuts of mahogany.

[Jerry B.]

What wood was used to build a Vic O case? I believe their advertising stated they had a mahogany finish. Reading betweens the lines would give the impression that it was a cheaper wood finished to look like mahogany. Jerry