The PHILCO Phorum

I have this 1929 Philco 95 Lowboy with a broken Grill. Can any of you wood/cabinet experts out there tell me what type of wood was originally used on this part of the broken grill  I'd like to make up a replacement using the same type of wood or veneer. Thanks!

Looks like walnut veneer over the thin layered plywood.

I think it was French walnut in particular, what cut doesn't matter. The grilles used in the 1928-29 "Lowboy" style console cabinets are almost as notorious for breakage as the Philco 20 cathedrals are. I think that the solution is to acquire some Baltic birch plywood of a suitable thickness, and then laminate it with some French walnut veneer, and then cut it out. Although if might be easier to check with Steve Davis about this, it's such a common problem that he may be replicating replacement grilles for these by now.
Regards
Arran

As I can recall - which might not be too good - these might be birch plywood without any other veneer. Using stain and toner to match the cabinet.

I think that later examples were sold without the grill at all.

I just looked at the one in our bathroom. The grain and color match the area of trim below the cut-out. So it is either walnut or mahogany. Just sand an area of the original. If it is pinkish or orange it is mahogany. If it is brown or reddish brown, walnut

Umm
you have a radio like that in your bathroom

yes. And it isn't in the bathtub.

Thanks for your help guys.

phlogiston: do you use it to sing along to "Singing In The Bathtub"

Is it so guests can put on music so no one can hear them ...... You know...

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I'm off-season from my job, so I'm working on some projects I have been pushing to the back of the cue. I decided to make an attempt at making a new grill for this 1929 Philco 95 Lowboy.

I picked this up July 2016 at the Alameda California Historical Radio Society's annual swap meet and auction for $10.
This is the condition it was in when I brought it home. The radio is complete, and unbelievably has never been serviced.

I finally pulled the crushed grill piece out, and took it down to a store here in town that sells veneer. I asked the experts there what type of wood it was. The consensus was Mahogany that has Toner on it, possibly Walnut color.

I used Photoshop, a scan of the piece, and pics of another radio with the grill intact to create a template of the grill pattern, and printed it out.



I have had a good size sheet Mahogany on hand for quite some time left over from another repair, so I cut a piece off, and applied it to a small piece of nice plywood the correct thickness.

Using the printout, I rubbed some pencil on the back, then laid that down on the wood, traced it out, which transferred the design like carbon paper onto the wood, then used a fine tip sharpie to trace the pencil.





The next step is to cut it out.

WOW. I really like that model! Looks like your on the right track for the repair. I can't wait to see the phinished results!   What an excellent phind!

---another one of those threads that I lost.

Anyway, the model 95 in our bathroom:

[attachment=14985]