Let's make a Trainwreck amp cabinet in London Plane (not walnut as originally thought)

guitargeek62 · February 6

duotone said:

Love the look of those Trainwreck amps, they are beautiful.

Enjoyed watching Pete Thorn play through a Trainwreck Liverpool model (in July 2021) this evening

https://youtu.be/jYEyX_Ng79w?feature=shared

Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.

Most of those tones are exactly the type of things I want from an amp.

I have zero need for the volume levels that a Trainwreck requires to get the best out of though, but I'd love to find/build a super-low wattage version at ~2w for home use. I imagine that'd change things quite a bit though as I've read a lot about the interaction between pre- & power-amps on these.

guitargeek62 · February 6

Hold up - there's a Z-Wreck Jr?! 15w is still f'in loud, but...

http://drzamps.com/product/z-wreck-jr/

Kurtis · February 6

Looking great!

From previous experience of building a head cab, it looks like it will be a fair weight?

Neilybob · February 7

Thanks guys. It's getting there slowly but surely. Hoping to have it finished before the spring.

@Kurtis you have definitely built a head cab before! Planning to let the neighbours hear it lots lol

@duotone and @guitargeek62 I do have a attenuator but I do love to play loud also!

Have you seen this demo of the Ceriatone Expression Trainwreck clone?

And this one is a great watch also.

Kurtis · February 8

I think if I ever did it again I'd probably use thin plywood or something thinner and lighter than the stuff I did use. Maybe a nice piece for the front panel.
It was a mare to cut and shape too!

Maybe not make much difference right enough with the transformers.
Mine's just for home use anyway and it looks nice.

Neilybob · February 12

After much time away from this project we've returned to get it done

Edges rolled with the router tonight (photos 1, 3 &4). Man this is coming along nicely now!

We created a paste out of sawdust and PVA glue to use a filler around a couple of the corners that needed a little filler. We've left the filler to dry and then it's time to sand the b'jesus out of it.

We also had a go at setting up the jig to cut veneer pieces using off cuts of wood (photo 2)

Rabs · February 12

Neilybob said:

Great work.. But also, with this shot I can confirm that, that is 100% London Plane

Neilybob · February 12

Rabs said:

Neilybob said:

Great work.. But also, with this shot I can confirm that, that is 100% London Plane

Thanks Rabs.

revsorg · February 12

I recently chopped a London plane woodturning blank into cubes, planning to carve numbers and card suits into them to use when playing bridge. When we're doing woodturning we use a Chestnut three-stage buffing system, which results in a lovely finish to our bowls - among its attributes it eradicates the concentric lines that are otherwise hard to eradicate. So, I used the buffing system to polish the London plane cubes and was awestruck by the finish, particularly on the surface that has flecks - to me it looks like the feathers on a little bird - a thrush or something. It's not like any other wood I have encountered, it has one face that has a kind of iridescent depth, with those flecks, while the other faces just look like wood. I tried to video them to show what it's like, but I haven't really done it justice. Anyway, I think if you can buff that cabinet it will be worth the effort.

Rabs · February 12

revsorg said:

I recently chopped a London plane woodturning blank into cubes, planning to carve numbers and card suits into them to use when playing bridge. When we're doing woodturning we use a Chestnut three-stage buffing system, which results in a lovely finish to our bowls - among its attributes it eradicates the concentric lines that are otherwise hard to eradicate. So, I used the buffing system to polish the London plane cubes and was awestruck by the finish, particularly on the surface that has flecks - to me it looks like the feathers on a little bird - a thrush or something. It's not like any other wood I have encountered, it has one face that has a kind of iridescent depth, with those flecks, while the other faces just look like wood. I tried to video them to show what it's like, but I haven't really done it justice. Anyway, I think if you can buff that cabinet it will be worth the effort.

Yes its incredible stuff.. I have been working with it for several years at a timber company. I didnt even know what it was before I started but it is unlike any other wood in its character. You get the lace when it is quarter sawn.. But even without lace it can be anything from pale cream to dark pink, spalted, burry and more (sometimes all in the same piece). Just incredible stuff. I have tried showing it to people on here but other than a couple of people no one was really interested.

I actually have a project on the go with some spalted plane.. Just look at this
https://i.imgur.com/c58LVlB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vDGCO3P.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Hg70RYN.jpg

And a short while a go we made some London Plane tiles at work for an order. Something like 2000 of them.. My job was to oil them all. Talk about variety.

https://i.imgur.com/YhIWrws.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/T7JMJlQ.jpg

Neilybob · February 13

Rabs said:

revsorg said:

I recently chopped a London plane woodturning blank into cubes, planning to carve numbers and card suits into them to use when playing bridge. When we're doing woodturning we use a Chestnut three-stage buffing system, which results in a lovely finish to our bowls - among its attributes it eradicates the concentric lines that are otherwise hard to eradicate. So, I used the buffing system to polish the London plane cubes and was awestruck by the finish, particularly on the surface that has flecks - to me it looks like the feathers on a little bird - a thrush or something. It's not like any other wood I have encountered, it has one face that has a kind of iridescent depth, with those flecks, while the other faces just look like wood. I tried to video them to show what it's like, but I haven't really done it justice. Anyway, I think if you can buff that cabinet it will be worth the effort.

Yes its incredible stuff.. I have been working with it for several years at a timber company. I didnt even know what it was before I started but it is unlike any other wood in its character. You get the lace when it is quarter sawn.. But even without lace it can be anything from pale cream to dark pink, spalted, burry and more (sometimes all in the same piece). Just incredible stuff. I have tried showing it to people on here but other than a couple of people no one was really interested.

I actually have a project on the go with some spalted plane.. Just look at this
https://i.imgur.com/c58LVlB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vDGCO3P.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Hg70RYN.jpg

And a short while a go we made some London Plane tiles at work for an order. Something like 2000 of them.. My job was to oil them all. Talk about variety.

https://i.imgur.com/YhIWrws.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/T7JMJlQ.jpg

Tbh I had never heard of London Plane until I bought this piece thinking it was walnut. Very pleased with it.

Sporky · February 13

That spalted bit is quite something.

Neilybob · February 13

Sporky said:

That spalted bit is quite something.

Eye catching isn't it!

Neilybob · February 21

I wonder about finish for this London Plane?

I originally thought I'd bought a piece of walnut so I was aiming for a dark colour cabinet and I have bought a piece of lighter wood for the front panel for a contrast.

Like this really Trainwreck

Rabs · February 22

Plane will stain but you have to watch the colouring. As it has red in it. A dark brown may actually work. We use Osmo oil a lot at work. Osmo Thin will make it go darker.

I have a pic here of someone who ebonised some plane.
https://i.imgur.com/PSu5AWB.jpg

And @SteveRobinson did a guitar with a plane top..
https://i.imgur.com/R1IjaKQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Hq4hioq.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qRMijpt.jpg

Neilybob · February 22

Rabs said:

Plane will stain but you have to watch the colouring. As it has red in it. A dark brown may actually work. We use Osmo oil a lot at work. Osmo Thin will make it go darker.

I have a pic here of someone who ebonised some plane.
https://i.imgur.com/PSu5AWB.jpg

And @SteveRobinson did a guitar with a plane top..
https://i.imgur.com/R1IjaKQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Hq4hioq.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qRMijpt.jpg

That ebonised looks amazing! Thanks

Neilybob · February 22

I might try Monty's Espresso Wax on the cab to darken it.

elstoof · February 22

I’d be wary of darkening it, purely because your boards are made up of 5 or 6 pieces. They’ll each take the dye differently, very difficult to keep it looking like a uniform board

WezV · February 22

Neilybob said:

I might try Monty's Espresso Wax on the cab to darken it.

I wouldn't, at least not without testing on scrap first.

If you want a wax finish, direct stain first then wax will be more consistent. Don't start with a wax based finish unless you know it is going to work the way you want. It makes it hard to try anything else afterwards.

Rabs · February 22

elstoof said:

I’d be wary of darkening it, purely because your boards are made up of 5 or 6 pieces. They’ll each take the dye differently, very difficult to keep it looking like a uniform board

That is actually a very good point.

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Let's make a Trainwreck amp cabinet in London Plane (not walnut as originally thought)

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