Spending Time At The Library
I can’t remember when I got the first Seeburg Library Unit or where it came from. I thought Seeburg’s 100 record continuous play 45rpm machine was wonderful. Compact, hours of music. It was used a lot for background music in stores and yes, libraries and very popular in skating rinks where the music could be dialed up and left to play on its own. Seeburg made these in the early 50’s. It’s interesting to see the various mechanism covers that come with them and the coloring of the mechanisms. Most mechs are gray. These Library Units had hideaway-style mechanism covers. Very plain, no medallions. The earliest ones have the 100 Select art deco style mechanism cover. I’ve had one with the light blue plain R cover, another with a pink 222 cover-no medallion, one with a tan V200 mech cover, and V200 mechanism green, um, mechanism. This would seem to span from roughly 1952 to 1959. I don’t know if this indicates any year or Seeburg just used what they had laying around. I’d like to think it roughly corresponds to the year a unit was made but that is another Seeburg mystery.
Years ago I got two Library Units, botyh LU3’s which have the hinged top lid and PA5 preamplifier. I went through both mechanisms and amplifiers. One sat in the spare bedroom on the floor covered and the other on top of one of the large DDS-1 speakers in the dining room as a test unit for amps. One of the cabinets was pretty rough needing a lot of the wood pieces replaced. Because of that I kept the other cabinet empty, in pieces, sitting on its side to use for patterns. I bought a nice used Ryobi router table and reconditioned it with some new pieces. I have wood working in my blood as one grandfather was a carpenter but no real skill at it. However, a router table cuts straight lines and this I could handle, even enjoy. I think the precision appeals to me.
That Library Unit cabinet was always at the end of a long list of projects and work to be done and as such got desultory work here and there. I cut several pieces to size out of hardwood and had done some preliminary routing. ( routering?) Now that I’m moving to Vancouver I have to do something as I intend to take them with me and finish them properly. That something is to completely assemble them to travel. Mike Morton, an old school mate came through for me big time. He was actually a couple grades ahead of me in high school and I doubt we knew each other existed back then. I’ve come to know him over the years though. He lives in Longview and has a deep love for Library Units and jukeboxes as I do. He wanted to know one day if I would like a couple of Library Unit cabinets. “Oh yes, please!” I had visions of not having to resurrect the one cabinet in rough condition.
Mike gave me two Library Unit cabinets, several preamps, and a bunch of miscellaneous parts. One of the cabinets is in extremely good condition and I immediately started swapping any needed parts from the rough cabinet to this one. I re-installed the fluorescent lamp fixture and on/off switch someone had modified, actually got a replacement glass cut and the pull/lock hole drilled at my go-to glass company-Country Glass here in Mesquite. They are my glass heroes for the small jobs they do for me so well and so affordably. One of the cabinets is the older LU2. It had a Lexan piece in place of the glass. I’m hoping their diamond drill will cut one more hole. It didn’t take long to populate the new cabinet and yesterday I hoisted the mechanism off the speaker, where it sat for years, and installed it in its new cabinet. It is now bolted down and ready to move. The older LU2 cabinet is pretty nice as well. I have a mechanism and preamp for it thanks to Mike. It will get assembled and hauled west as well.
And so I dug the router table out and re-familiarized myself with it and where I had left off. Got my trusty Craftsman router bolted down and did some routering for the middle bottom cabinet piece. It connects via slots front and back and holds the two square pieces that constitute the bottom. I’m down to cutting slots. Setting up the slot cutter it looked like the blade was too large. I had to break out the dial calipers ( the good one not the cheap plastic digital) to ascertain that indeed it was almost 20 thousandths too large. Glue could probably make it for it but I wanted a tighter fit. Careful measuring of the slot came to .180. A quick trip to the computer and google and I found I needed a 3/16″ cutter which comes to .187. Another few minutes at Amazon using the very last of my Prime membership will get me the new bit sometime today. I’ll cut two of any of the new pieces I need so that the rough cabinet can be re-assembled and given to a buddy. He would like to have a flip top cabinet. I told him its rough but he would like to give it a go. Hopefully his woodworking skills are much better than mine. I’m still debating just how to finish out the wood on the ones I have.
My Seeburg Life 