sawing off hammershank tails

[llafargue]

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Eric, I can't picture the spring clamp securing the hammer enough.  How
does that work?  
Wim,
I basically do it like Eric, laying the stack so the hammer strike
points face the bench top.  I then use a block of wood with a slot cut
in it to surround the hammer head and brace it, but expose the shank
end, so I can cut it off with Spurlock's pull saw (3 swipes) and the
block prevents the saw from catching into the hammer felt itself after
going through the last of the shank and protects the saw teeth.  I then
use a Dremel drum sander to pretty them.  No burn, just factory-looking.
It almost takes longer to vac all of the shank nubs off the floor/bench
than it does to do the job.  ;  )  
 
Lance Lafargue, RPT
LAFARGUE PIANOS
New Orleans Chapter, PTG
985.72P.IANO
llafargue@charter.net
 
-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel)
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2004 1:58 PM
To: 'College and University Technicians'
Subject: RE: sawing off hammershank tails
 
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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