Presented here are a few of my more noteable sets, including some of my favorites. Many of these have been refinished, by myself.
Cathedral radios are some of the nicest, and most sought-after, of antique radios. I acquired this one for a reasonable price because it was in pretty poor condition. The picture shows it in its refinished state. This is an AM and shortwave set, with a rather nice design. The grille cloth is not original, but I think it's quite close. I haven't yet completed the electronic restoration, though I hope to get around to it when I have some free time.
This beauty is real monster. It uses two 6L6's for the audio output, has a tuning eye, three bands, pushbuttons, and a large chassis with a massive power transformer. Total weight is at least 40 pounds, and it's excessive width can easily take up half a counter or table-top. The finish is original, and the electronics have been restored. I'm told this radio is identical to a set my grandparents once owned.
This is a simple, but nice-looking AM-only set that uses just four tubes. I had to refinish this one also, and in my opinion it turned out the best of any cabinet I've ever worked on. The chassis has been repaired and plays well.
The prize piece of my collection, I put more work into this set than any other. When I first acquired this set, it was a mess; the chassis was non-functional and the cabinet was falling apart. I spent about two months (off and on) rebuilding the smashed corners, replacing missing veneer, stripping, staining, etc, but once finished I think the results were well worth the effort. My only regret was that I didn't have the right veneer to put on the top and sides; I only had some oak available, and it really doesn't match the (walnet?) front at all. But from most angles, the radio still looks great.
The chassis is a simple 4-tube neutrodyne, I've restored it to working condition but some alignment is still needed.
This is one of my favorite 1950s radios. It uses a common 5-tube chassis (known as an "All American 5") and receives AM only, but it's the cabinet that makes it so special. It has a colored image of flowers woven into the grille cloth, and also features some decorative carved molding along the edges. The finish is original, and the chassis has been restored.
Another AA5 set with a decorative speaker grille, this grille however features a wood cut-out pattern instead. Although the finish is original, the cabinet was just a pile of pieces when I acquired it. I glued it back together but a few corner pieces were missing, and I was obviously in the process of fabricating those pieces when I set this project aside.
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This impressive looking grandfather clock/radio stands some 5 feet tall and weighs well over 100 lbs. It's a real beauty though, and I hope to have it up and running one of these days. The finish appears to be original, and the entire cabinet looks like solid wood - no veneer at all. The knobs are all mounted in a panel on the side. The radio itself has nine tubes (uses two 45's in the output stage) and receives AM only. The speaker is mounted at the very top of the radio, facing upward. The picture to the right shows the interior, it has two separate chassis which take up nearly every square inch of available space. The papers, dish of parts, and loose wires are all signs of the restoration work this radio is currently undergoing. I've presently set this aside as it needs an audio interstage transformer; replacements are readily available but I'm just too cheap to order one right now.
The clock face has no glass over it, and this appears to be how it was designed. I'm not sure how I'm going to get the clock face cleaned up.....
The chassis of this radio is made by RCA.