[Jamie]

Thanks for the info Dick... It has to be the same radio, because I doubt there is another 45 in the same condition. In September, I bought the radio from a dealer who lives in North Carolina. So it somehow made it's way from NY to NC in a month.

I held my breath and removed the clamps this morning. All is fine. Last night I took Arran's advice and added some wood blocks under the inside edges. I'm thinking of adding some small wood screws for extra strength. The downside of screws is that, because of the confined area in the cabinet, it will be very difficult to drill straight holes. I could use self tapping wood screws, but they can cause the wood to split. The cabinet seems very solid as it is, and the clamps only had to pull one side in about 1/4".. sooooo.. I dunno.. we will see..

Right now, Timbermate wood filler has been added to a couple of tiny gaps around the edge of the top, and a couple of places where the lacquer fisheyed on the new wood... As soon as it dries, I'll sand it smooth. I plan to spray toner as soon as the temperature allows.