sawing off hammershank tails

Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel) WOLFLEEL@UCMAIL.UC.EDU
Thu, 19 Feb 2004 14:58:19 -0500


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Wim,
 
I've found this method to be the most effective:
 
On the workbench, flip the action stack onto its front so the hammers can
individually come down onto the bench with the tails pointing up. I position
the stack at a point near the edge of the bench so I can grab one hammer
head at a time with a plastic spring-clamp (available at Big-Lots, 5 for a
dollar) and brace the clamp with my hand against the front edge of the
bench. (Geesh, a picture really would be worth a thousand words here) . This
makes for a really firm anchor. I then cut the end of the shank off with one
of those beautiful Japanese pull-saws designed for cutting off dowels.
(#JBS-2204, page D-42 Pianotek catalog). Three or four pulls and its gone
leaving a nice slick, flush cut which needs no further treatment. Believe it
or not, it only takes 15 - 20 minutes to do the whole set this way. Its nice
and quiet too...
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eric Wolfley
Head Piano Technician
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Wimblees@aol.com [mailto:Wimblees@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 12:57 PM
To: caut@ptg.org
Subject: sawing off hammershank tails
 
I used to saw off the ends of shanks with a Dremel saw. But Dremel
discontinued making them. (I guess too many people trying to stop the saw
with their fingers, and suing Dremel because it cut off their fingers.)
 
For a while I was taking the hammers and shanks off, and trimming the tails
with a band saw. But lately I've been using a Heavy Duty Cutt-Off Wheel, no.
420 from Dremel. I just did a set,  and it worked OK, except that it burns
the wood, which creates a bad smell, and I used 6 wheels. 
 
Does anyone else have a way to trim the tails, other than using a band saw?
 
Wim 
Willem Blees, RPT
Piano tuner/technician
School of Music
University of Alabama

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