They don't seem to be for sale via the usual channels yet.
Hammond Mfg. - Walnut Chassis with Aluminum Top Panel (HWCHAS Series)
Hammond Mfg. - Walnut Chassis with Aluminum Top Panel (HWCHAS Series)
I guess that depends on your point of view. I see $12 to $15 worth of wood, and $13 for a pre cut aluminum top sheet. About 1 hour with a table saw and router table and it is done.
I bet that my wood shop teacher would be willing to make these in any size you want for about half of Hammonds price.
It appears that the Hammond chassis is not made with veneer, so I assumed similar construction. For small stuff like this, using veneer doesn't save much money, and requires extra care to avoid chipping the edges. The beveled edge at the top would also require extra steps with veneer. With solid hardwood it is just one pass over the router table. It could even be done on the table saw.
A piece of .08 aluminum cut to a precise size and decently finished (i.e. not scrap from onlinemetals) and with corner holes is more than $30 + shipping from FPE. A piece big enough to cut one of these tops out of from McMaster is $20. Any wood worker worth hiring is going to charge more than $50 to $75 for the wood work.
I don't think these are the greatest deal ever, and I am sure Hammond makes a decent profit, but unless you have your own table saw and router, or know a cabinet maker who is willing to work for cheaper than normal, I doubt you could do much better in small quantities. I looked into selling cases very similar to this, but unassembled, and decided against it as my prices were going to have to be higher than this to make it worthwhile.
If you know someone willing and able to make cases that are as nice for less, I am sure we'd all like his phone number
I have ordered from Online Metals several times with good results. This is in contrast with Metals Depot who tossed the aluminum channel in the same box with the diamond plate thereby scratching the top piece of diamond plate beyond use. I would assume that the small stuff from Online Metals are indeed remnants, but not scrap. It would also be fair to say that it may not be finished to the level required for direct use. I usually punch and drill all the holes needed, then paint or polish the aluminum.
It is too soon to tell whether it is a good deal. Someone is going to have to buy one and report on it first. Are they "decently finished" or do they look like a 200 series power transformer. We don't know yet.
I would agree. If you went to a cabinet maker and asked for one chassis, you would pay far more than the Hammond price. For some the Hammond may be a good option. For someone to make them cheaper, there would need to be a few "stock designs" done in batches.
I have both, but my time is far too scarce lately for me to even set them up. A viable option is for me to enroll in an evening woodworking class that meets once a week in a local high school. Everything is set up already. That is where I have made my amp chassis for the last two years.
I have recently completed a rather unusual looking "Tube Cube" amplifier design. I will show it here as soon as the internal wiring and assembly is done. I have been making a solid body guitar too. Of course it has tubes inside!
I will talk to the shop teacher next Thursday. We discussed making simple chassis for the Simple SE and Simple P-P amps about a year ago and it was economically feasible. I just haven't had the time to chase all of the details yet. During the summer, school teachers are not working. Projects that bring extra income are usually welcome.
I am amazed to see people here whingeing about a hundred and fifty dollar finished chassis, real cabinet hardwood and finished aluminum plates.
The chassis shown, in complete implementation takes about a thousand dollars of my labor, along with a hundred dollars or two of wood, aluminum, and various connectors, to complete.
You guys need to get a grip. In the current world, a hun and a half is nothing.
Best Aloha,
Poinz
The chassis shown, in complete implementation takes about a thousand dollars of my labor, along with a hundred dollars or two of wood, aluminum, and various connectors, to complete.
You guys need to get a grip. In the current world, a hun and a half is nothing.
Best Aloha,
Poinz
absolutely poinz - except for the hobby factor, it is really difficult to justify the time to get a finish that is remotely decent when products like the Hammond chassis are around.
My wife and I restore furniture as a pass-time / extra income. Takes hours and hours and looks great, but its not a good way to get rich. The effort to get a good finish is high, and the stock, equipment and space all has a cost.
Of course, the satisfaction is also up there...
My wife and I restore furniture as a pass-time / extra income. Takes hours and hours and looks great, but its not a good way to get rich. The effort to get a good finish is high, and the stock, equipment and space all has a cost.
Of course, the satisfaction is also up there...
It may seem like I am slamming the Hammond chassis at $120. I didn't mean to. For many builders it should offer a step above the usual $30 aluminum box (or $10 baking pan), and it is priced below what it would cost to have a one off chassis custom made. It remains to be seen what it actually looks like.
It must be noted that the Hammond chassis is not drilled or punched and contains no provisions for things like volume control, power jack, input and speaker connections. The top plate can be removed for punching and drilling, but how do you make holes in a completed wood box for controls and connectors without damaging it? The wood panels need to meet the router table before they are glued together.
Three years ago I would have agreed, and I would have ordered one already without having a project in mind for it. The current world is far different. My wife and daughter (who has 2 kids) have both lost their jobs, and my mother in law has been fighting cancer for 3 years. $150 is no longer nothing.
Most of my complete projects over the last 2 years have been built for less than that. Fortunately I have a good stash of tubes, transformers, and other parts. If I had to build a good sounding HiFi amp on a strict budget, I would spend most of the money on the OPT's and build it in a cake pan if necessary. I know plenty of other people in the same situation.
4 years ago Sherri and I enrolled in an evening woodworking class at a local high school. The idea was for us to have something new and different to do. Sherri no longer attends since she spends much of her time with her mother 1200 miles away. I have found the woodworking class a pleasant diversion from 10 hour days in a cubicle surrounded by other engineers. The other woodworking students are from all walks of life (most are professionals) and varying skill levels. None had ever remembered seing a tube amp, so I brought in some pictures from this forum. That stirred up the "how much do people spend on these things" discussion which has recently sprung back to life thanks to the currently running Acura TV commercials.
It looks like a $1200 chassis too, very nice.
The empty chassis shown below is made from a piece of pre cut aluminum from Online Metals. I also used a single piece of red oak, one can of "stone" spray paint, and some Minwax Tung oil finish, all from Home Depot. The total material cost was about $35. About 8 hours of "labor" were involved but much of that time was spent talking and goofing off in class. If you were to count the time spent at the rate I get paid to go to work, yes, this becomes a $500+ chassis. As pointed out this is a hobby and I would have gone to class anyway and built something else less useful to me. If I counted all the time I spent figuring out how to actually design the amps, well then I could have bought anything Acura makes!
The picture of my 845SE is included to illustrate the difference that going to a woodworking class and hanging out with other people who play with power tools makes. I made it about 5 years ago before I knew any better. Someday I will make it a proper chassis, but it isn't high on the list since I rarely use it.
It must be noted that the Hammond chassis is not drilled or punched and contains no provisions for things like volume control, power jack, input and speaker connections. The top plate can be removed for punching and drilling, but how do you make holes in a completed wood box for controls and connectors without damaging it? The wood panels need to meet the router table before they are glued together.
Three years ago I would have agreed, and I would have ordered one already without having a project in mind for it. The current world is far different. My wife and daughter (who has 2 kids) have both lost their jobs, and my mother in law has been fighting cancer for 3 years. $150 is no longer nothing.
Most of my complete projects over the last 2 years have been built for less than that. Fortunately I have a good stash of tubes, transformers, and other parts. If I had to build a good sounding HiFi amp on a strict budget, I would spend most of the money on the OPT's and build it in a cake pan if necessary. I know plenty of other people in the same situation.
4 years ago Sherri and I enrolled in an evening woodworking class at a local high school. The idea was for us to have something new and different to do. Sherri no longer attends since she spends much of her time with her mother 1200 miles away. I have found the woodworking class a pleasant diversion from 10 hour days in a cubicle surrounded by other engineers. The other woodworking students are from all walks of life (most are professionals) and varying skill levels. None had ever remembered seing a tube amp, so I brought in some pictures from this forum. That stirred up the "how much do people spend on these things" discussion which has recently sprung back to life thanks to the currently running Acura TV commercials.
It looks like a $1200 chassis too, very nice.
The empty chassis shown below is made from a piece of pre cut aluminum from Online Metals. I also used a single piece of red oak, one can of "stone" spray paint, and some Minwax Tung oil finish, all from Home Depot. The total material cost was about $35. About 8 hours of "labor" were involved but much of that time was spent talking and goofing off in class. If you were to count the time spent at the rate I get paid to go to work, yes, this becomes a $500+ chassis. As pointed out this is a hobby and I would have gone to class anyway and built something else less useful to me. If I counted all the time I spent figuring out how to actually design the amps, well then I could have bought anything Acura makes!
The picture of my 845SE is included to illustrate the difference that going to a woodworking class and hanging out with other people who play with power tools makes. I made it about 5 years ago before I knew any better. Someday I will make it a proper chassis, but it isn't high on the list since I rarely use it.
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I like George's philosophy. To me, this is a hobby and the process is a good part of what i am looking for. I am always torn between the desire to play/hear a finished project and the fact that once it is finished, I have to find something else to do. Or else...
Of course, the finished projects are mighty few and far between, so not really an issue...
Although I am fortunate that i could afford a chassis like that, I would prefer to learn to make one myself. I am not mass producing, I have a lot of patience and it keeps me off the streets.
I need to follow George's example though and find a woodworking class. Sounds like a great idea. I have the tools, but the skills are rudimentary.
Of course, the finished projects are mighty few and far between, so not really an issue...
Although I am fortunate that i could afford a chassis like that, I would prefer to learn to make one myself. I am not mass producing, I have a lot of patience and it keeps me off the streets.
I need to follow George's example though and find a woodworking class. Sounds like a great idea. I have the tools, but the skills are rudimentary.
Those commercials are pretty hilarious.
The best bet would be to put all the jacks, ect on the top panel and leave the wood alone. It won't look quite as cool as some of the ones which have the wood routed for these provisions, but there are a lot of nice looking amps which are done this way.
That's a really nice looking chassis you built there George. What kind of amp are you going to stuff in it?
It houses a Simple P-P. The amp has been completed once, then dissasembled so I could document its assembly for my web site. I jumped on to a project at work that hasn't left me much tube time lately, so the amp hasn't been put back together yet. The company I work for speciallizes in laying off engineers, so grabbing onto the mega projects is more important than melting tubes.
Check with your local school board. Many high schools and middle schools have shop classes for the kids during the day. Often the same teacher runs an "adult education" class at night to supplement their income. The economic downturn has killed off many of these classes. If there aren't enough students to make money the classes go away. In my case the price of the class has doubled in the past 4 years, but it is still a cheap diversion from the daily grind.
"It reproduces frequencies only dogs can hear." Bearded gentleman sitting next to a Jolida tube amp.
There is another one that is played much less often where he is mumbling something about a "crossover coaxial", and of course, "there is real gas in these tubes". See it here:
Acura : Excuses Tube Amp [video] | scaryideas.com
The two sizes offered don't work for me. They are both only 8.75" deep. I need more real estate than that for my builds....
I am glad they are offering these though. If they sell well, they may offer more sizes. They look well made and for those without woodworking tools and they are a decent deal.
I am glad they are offering these though. If they sell well, they may offer more sizes. They look well made and for those without woodworking tools and they are a decent deal.
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