Ossus Amplifiers - Step 9, drill and preparing for wiring

This morning I said that I was going to try to get things ready to wire up, I think I'm there. I had a few things to get done. I needed to drill out the garolite turret board so that I could install turrets to which I'll solder the components. I needed to install the turrets. I needed to drill out the chassis top, front, and back. I needed to drill out the face and back plates too and match them up with the chassis. It sounds like a lot, but if you get things setup and ready to go it doesn't take that long, a few hours of work for me.
I went down to Ace Hardware on Charles street (its not a True Value after all, you'd think I'd know being such a good patron) and borrowed their full size large chuck drill press. I needed that because the step bit I purchased (from them for $44, yikes) required a large chuck press. I also needed the press to properly use the turret install tool and properly seat the turrets into the garolite.
Things went fairly well at Ace, the guys (and lovely college girls) who work there are getting to know me. Is that a good thing? I'm not sure it is.
The prep for the chassis top is to print out the plans at scale, cut them out of the paper to size, then rubber cement them to the top of the chassis. I did that and it turned out to be a perfect guide (I hope, I've not mounted anything yet, here's hoping that the holes are all in the proper places). Then drill things using the press and sharp new bits.
The prep for the chassis front and rear is easy, but needs to be precise. Take the etched face plates that still have their protective covering on and tape them (use painter's blue masking tape) one at a time to the chassis. Position them properly, make sure the front is on the front (or the back is on the back) and double check the hole sizes from the plans against the parts you have for those holes. When you have the plates etched ask for small pilot holes, not full size holes. Using the drill press drill through both the face plate and the chassis. This will make sure that things will line up later when you do final assembly. Drill slowly and decisively (using sharp bits!).
Installing the turrets was a breeze once I had put together and aligned a jig holding the turret install tool at the proper height. Just take your time, then go back and check to make sure that they are all snug.
So, now I have a chassis and a turret board ready for me to install parts and start the process of wiring and soldering things together. I've turned one of my desks into a work bench so that I can keep everything out while I do this. It'll also be a nice clean place to do the work.
Maybe I'll relax a bit over the holiday weekend and save this for another time. It was particularly nice out today while I was in Ace's basement working.

Technorati Tags: audiophile, diy, guitar, hobbies, music