Carbon fiber tonearm

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:confused:Let me first start by saying I am new to posting in forums, please forgive me if i have done somthing incorrect by starting a new thread. This is the recent completion of a tonearm constructed from a carbon fiber golf club shaft. The main bearing is a SME 3009 fitted to a Music Hall mmf-2.2 turntable. The effective mass comes in at 17 grams. Audio-Technica headshell with Benz Micro MC Silver Cartridge. Have not yet completed DIY headshell. Sorry I am trying upload images, having trouble.
 
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Here ya go.

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Tis a nice looking build.
. Curios tho: Wall thickness and Weight of the recycled Golf Club carbon tube?
Asking as Golf clubs are Not designed to be feather weight items and in the very least have to survive ,massive impact loads.
I would think a tapered wound CF tube designed for a Quadcopter might be more in keeping with Tone arm usages.. V light and thin.
 
I know a little about golf club design.


Carbon fiber shafts (generally known as graphite) are designed to be comparable to tubular steel shafts, but lighter. They come in a variety of weights and stiffness. The lightest graphite golf shafts weight approximately 1 gram per inch of length, while the heavier ones are about double that. They are tapered, with the grip end larger. The tip where the club head is attached has two standard sizes. For "irons" the tip diameter is .370 inches, while "woods" are .335 inches.


The exact profile (including wall thickness) might vary down the length of the club, depending on the degree of flexibility the manufacturer is trying to design into the shaft. Some "whip action" is part of an effective golf swing, and the shaft flexibility must match the swing speed and tempo of the golfer to maximize this.
 
Carbon fibre wound over thinwall alloy tube, as used in the Easton ACC arrows would appear to provide a very good starting point for a low mass arm.
For a higher mass arm it is easy to add a heatshrink tube over the whole length, which also provides damping, especially if the heatshrink is adhesive lined.
The largest arrow of this type is the 3-71, which is just under 0.3", or approx 7.5 mm.
 
I am no expert and like many I source available information that can very in content. It is commonly understood that 10g & below is low, 11-25g moderate and above 25g high effective mass. The cartridges that I like and can afford fall into the moderate compliance range. For this reason I was tring to have the completed arm be between 11-25g.
 
I am new to this sight and joined with the objective of gaining and sharing knowledge. I am no "snow flake" and welcome the input and feedback of this community. The strong point of this sight, the ability to gain information from those willing to share. The down side is, non knowledge based criticism and negativity. I find it interesting that someone with no true understanding of the complexity of building a precision tonearm, or the basics of cartridge compliance feels the need to degrade ones project.
Best regards!
 
;)Well done rapid6......thanks for sharing.
What is Kay on about....surely even he knows it's about matching high or low compliance cartridge to the tonearm's effective mass.
So much hate and no encouragement:mad:
Please continue with your build and let us know of your progress :nod:
 
Thank you for the interest in the arm, happy with the overall sound quality . I have been running a Thorens TD125 with a SME 3009 and no rush in getting back to that setup though it is nice. This should speak to the sound quality of the new arm. The weak link is th Music Hall table and motor. I am looking forward to building another now that I have suffered through many of the mistakes.
Karl
 
:confused:Let me first start by saying I am new to posting in forums, please forgive me if i have done somthing incorrect by starting a new thread. This is the recent completion of a tonearm constructed from a carbon fiber golf club shaft.

I was always hoping someone would try this. Since I re-shaft and re-grip my own clubs I have plenty around. DIY at its most entertaining.
 
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