My wife recently was given an Edison LU 37 Diamond Disc Phonograph built around 1922. Some of her cousins had it and wanted to find a good home for it. Aside from extensive cleanup, it had all parts but the grille.
I checked around online and found some photos of the same type phonograph to see the design of the grille.
Next, I went to work in VCarve Pro to do a layout. The only measurements I had were the height and width of the opening - 10.25" by 14.75". So, I did some calculations, tested some dimensions and finally got a suitable design. A combination of circles, half-circles, arcs and straights got it started, then I had to do a lot of node editing to setup the carve properly.
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Grille for Edison Phonograph
- BArnold
- Vectric Craftsman
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 12:20 am
- Model of CNC Machine: SO2/XCarve hybrid w/NEMA23 on all axes
- Location: Thomasville, GA, USA
Grille for Edison Phonograph
Bill Arnold
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA
- BArnold
- Vectric Craftsman
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 12:20 am
- Model of CNC Machine: SO2/XCarve hybrid w/NEMA23 on all axes
- Location: Thomasville, GA, USA
Re: Grille for Edison Phonograph
I set up my cnc to do most of the cuts with a 1/8" end mill running at 70ipm and 1/16"doc. I set up a final pass using a 1/16" end mill to get into the small notches and clean up the previous carving.
I didn't get photographs of the finish steps, but you wouldn't want to watch paint dry anyway! My first step was wiping on some brown mahogany stain. To darken the grille more, I sprayed shellac with a few drops of TT Dark Walnut dye in it. Then, I sanded that back a little to expose the stain and give the grille a distressed appearance.
Here's a before and after look at the phonograph.
Momma's happy!
I didn't get photographs of the finish steps, but you wouldn't want to watch paint dry anyway! My first step was wiping on some brown mahogany stain. To darken the grille more, I sprayed shellac with a few drops of TT Dark Walnut dye in it. Then, I sanded that back a little to expose the stain and give the grille a distressed appearance.
Here's a before and after look at the phonograph.
Momma's happy!
Bill Arnold
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA
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- Vectric Apprentice
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Re: Grille for Edison Phonograph
Momma should be very happy, that looks awesome
Grant "gad5264"
Westerville, OH
Westerville, OH
- mike.davison
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Re: Grille for Edison Phonograph
Nice work Bill! I love to see old furniture nicely restored. Digital design and fabrication was a great tool here.
cheers,Mike
cheers,Mike
Re: Grille for Edison Phonograph
That looks really good. Very nice replica.
I remember my grandfather having an old Victrola. He let me crank it when I was young and he offered it to me when I was old enough to appreciate it, but I had no place to keep it, so he sold it along with a huge stack of vinyl records a few years later.
I remember my grandfather having an old Victrola. He let me crank it when I was young and he offered it to me when I was old enough to appreciate it, but I had no place to keep it, so he sold it along with a huge stack of vinyl records a few years later.
- BArnold
- Vectric Craftsman
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 12:20 am
- Model of CNC Machine: SO2/XCarve hybrid w/NEMA23 on all axes
- Location: Thomasville, GA, USA
Re: Grille for Edison Phonograph
Thanks, Mike.mike.davison wrote:Nice work Bill! I love to see old furniture nicely restored. Digital design and fabrication was a great tool here.
cheers,Mike
On another forum, one of the guys commented about the use of a 2016 CNC machine to refurbish a piece of 1922 furniture! The originals were probably made using a treadle scroll saw, although I wouldn't be surprised if Edison set up some kind of powered saw.
Bill Arnold
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA
- BArnold
- Vectric Craftsman
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 12:20 am
- Model of CNC Machine: SO2/XCarve hybrid w/NEMA23 on all axes
- Location: Thomasville, GA, USA
Re: Grille for Edison Phonograph
Thanks, Samson.Samson wrote:That looks really good. Very nice replica.
I remember my grandfather having an old Victrola. He let me crank it when I was young and he offered it to me when I was old enough to appreciate it, but I had no place to keep it, so he sold it along with a huge stack of vinyl records a few years later.
This is different from a Victrola. See details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Disc_Record
Bill Arnold
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA
VCarvePro, PhotoVCarve, SketchUp, UGS
Member of Mensa and NRA