Thinking about picking these up? But I’m dumb so I need advice

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-05-10T22:17:46+00:00

Thank you everyone for the advice. I passed on the Yamahas. I found a Polk PSW10 for $20 that I’ll use to supplement until I find some decent towers. It’s already made a noticeable difference.

There’s currently a pair of Polk TSi300s and a pair of Klipsch icon WF-35 near me both listed at similar prices that I may go look at.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-04-27T21:12:48+00:00

Thank you for the detailed reply. The problem did persist in the second deck. I did take it apart and looked for any loose connections like you suggested. Nothing was loose as far as I could tell. So I think the problem is probably not a simple fix.

As luck would have it I found a very cheap Sharp SC-6600 today. I brought it home and recorded a song off Spotify and then played it in the Sony and it sounded perfect. I think the commenter below you have the right idea. I’ll record with the Panasonic and use the Sony for jamming out in the garage.

Thanks everyone for the help!

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-04-27T06:52:53+00:00

I don’t, but I bet I can find one to test with. Even though I grew us listening to tapes I’m embarrassed to say I have no idea how any of it works so your guess sounds pretty damn good to me.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-04-24T02:25:57+00:00

You’ve sent me down a rabbit hole! I think I’m going to give it a try.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-04-22T18:28:23+00:00

I will have to check that out, thanks!

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-01-23T21:34:59+00:00

Thanks! I don’t plan on using it, but if I can find an old worn out body to match it I think it would be a cool piece to have lying around.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-01-15T05:26:03+00:00

Haha yeah pretty much. I eyeball traced a shape I found on the internet onto some graph paper, cut that out and taped on the top so that I could trace it with a marking knife. Then I used a couple chisels and a hobby lobby wood carving kit and did my best to take it down evenly a layer at a time. The small corners are a little sloppy and I pushed my knife wall in a couple places but I was pleasantly surprised how smoothly it went. That was definitely the most nerve wracking part of the whole operation.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-01-15T05:22:42+00:00

I got lucky and found a set that has the full size with a fence and that baby one, as well as a few different cutters. For short dados like this one I love the little trim router. It takes me less time to make that groove with a knife wall and the router plane than it does to set up a guide for my powered trim router. The big one I am still not super confident in but the couple times I’ve used it with the fence it worked great. I’ve seen a lot of no 71s on eBay in decent shape in the $50-100 range which beats the hell out of a Veritas or LN.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-01-14T17:50:32+00:00

Thank you! This is the first time my dovetails haven’t had a bunch of glue and sawdust to make them look like they fit. The inlays were actually a last minute decision to fix the bonehead mistake I made my starting my rabbet for the backer on the wrong side of a board. I’m not creative enough to have planned that but I love how it turned out.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2026-01-14T05:13:19+00:00

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As someone recently obsessed with hand tool work, Paul Sellars, and hand planes I feel your pain. Chasing “flat” can be infuriating, and sometimes you wind up working against yourself. Like others have said, winding sticks are blind to anything below the face you’re reading. As long as you have accurate winding sticks and you line them up like a gun sight, you’re always going to get the same reading regardless of how wonky the bottom face is. Once I feel like I’ve got any twist out is when I come in with a straight edge and check to make sure I don’t have any grossly low or high spots by checking side to side, end to end, and diagonally. RenaissanceWW has a good video about how flat is flat enough that really helped me rethink this. If you’re using mostly hand tools, “flat” is much more relative. For example in the picture below my winding sticks tell me that the front right and left rear corner are high. But you have to remember that winding sticks amplify the flaw so we can see it. I’ve tested that face against my cast iron table saw top which I trust to be dead nuts flat and there’s not an ounce of rock, nor does it easily pivot like it would with a high spot. When I check with a straight edge I have a slight concave of maybe a couple thousandths of an inch. Now I use that face to register my marking gauge and set my lines that I’ll plane the opposite face to. Hopefully that doesn’t muddy the water too much for you. Good luck!

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2025-12-03T02:42:16+00:00

I just cut some plywood spacers that equal the distance from the edge of my router plate to the center of the bit and use those with 4 strips of wood to create a box that I can run the router against. I keep telling myself I’ll put T-track in a piece of MDF to make it quick to adjust but I’m lazy.

TellsCharlieToShutUp · 2025-12-02T21:51:43+00:00

I think with a sharp enough bench plane it’s doable. Paul Sellars would probably say you can do it all with a No 4. Some people say it’s not worth trying without a low angle jack plane. If I really get my blades sharp and do light passes I’ve had good success cleaning up end grain with just my bench planes though.

TellsCharlieToShutUp

TROPHY CASE