Well, it took a while but I’ve finally settled on the wood for the new amp chassis. I had narrowed the decision down to either the Purple Heart as I used in The 6DJ8 Headphone Amp or the Wenge that I used in the Dummy Speaker Load. So I took a careful look at both previous projects.
Here is the Dummy Speaker Load with a piece of the copper plate:
And here is a recent pick of the 6DJ8 Headphone Amp with the purple heart after aging for about 3-1/3 years:
I really wanted to like the wenge with the copper. However it is clear, in my opinion, that it’s simply not nearly as nice as the purple heart. So purple heart it is.
Now it’s time for me to finish the chassis details and get cutting some wood. The new 6AS7 SET is finally on its way.
Matt, I’m curious how you go about cutting openings in wood panels. They look good.
The process is really simple. First I lay out the opening in pencil on the back of the pieces. Then, using Forster bits and a saber saw, I remove most of the wood leaving about 1/8″ to 3/16″ inside the marked lines. Then I affix scraps of wood on the back that line up with the marked lines (or I use a pre-made template). Using a flush trim bit in a router table, I set the depth to let the bearing ride on the wood template, then carefully go along the inside of the opening. Then I round over the front and usually rebate the back a little.
Sometime I should do a dedicated article on some of my woodworking techniques.