Fw: Piano Bench Construction Pt. 1

[Al Jeschke]

James Grebe
R.P.T. from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com
"Only my best is good enough"

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 From: drgrebe <drgrebe@inlink.com>
 To: pianoman@inlink.com
 Subject: Piano Bench Construction Pt. 1
 Date: Monday, December 01, 1997 6:13 PM
 
 	The bench size I normally make is 19" high and 14" X 30" which matches
the normal size bench cushion available from GRK which is an added source of
potential profit.
 	The top can be made in one of two ways.  The first and easiest is to build
the top and rails of the bench out of hardwood furniture grade plywood.  I
normally use Birch as it is readily available and works well and takes color
easy.  Because I buy so little quantity of wood I wind up paying retail but
thats just the way it is.  From one 4' X 8'  3/4" sheet you can build a
number of benches so the cost is not as bad as it seems.
 	From the 4' X 8' sheet mark out the lid area at 14& 1/2" and 30 & 1/2".
Use a hand saw to cut this out of the sheet.  On your table saw you can cut
it to the correct size.  I have a Craftsman Contractors 10" saw with a
Forrest Woodworker II blade.  With this blade very little sanding is needed
afterwards.  I normally put strips of masking tape over where the saw blade
is going to saw through the wood which keeps tearout to a minimum.  
 	  To cover the edges of the plywood I use edge banding.  You can buy the
 edge banding in White Birch at most hardware superstores like HQ, Builders
Square, or Home Depot.  I try to get mine from a mail-order company called
Woodworkers Supply where I also get other hardware for the bench.  I get the
7/8' edge banding .  With a iron set to cotton temperature you can glue the
banding on the edge of the top.  I like to do both long edges first.  After
gluing it on I like to take a piece of hardwood and rub over the entire
glued surface several times to secure the band in place.  I then wait about
5 minutes and trim of the ends and edges.  Next glue on the 2 end pieces of
edge banding.  I usually cut the edge banding about a 1/2" to  long section
to glue on.  After pressing on with the hardwood rub I wait
 about another 5 minutes.  The entire lid, edges too,  (both sides can be
sanded with 150 sandpaper on a random orbit electric finishing sander
followed by 220 rade sandpaper.  Set this piece aside. 
 	If you wish to use solid hardwood select the several pieces you are going
 to use to try to match the grain as pleasing as possible.   I haven't come
to a firm decision about making sure the grain is running opposite from the
other to prevent warping.  I try to have pieces that will be about 2" too
wide and the same too long.  Try to select the straightest boards you can
because warpage will eally mess you up.  I then use my jointer to make sure
I have true 90 degree edges to work with.  You have the choice of  using
biscuits, dowels, or I have been using my router mounted horizontally on a
table cutting out a 1/4" groove to within 1 & 1/2 " from each end.  I make
the groove about 1/2" deep in both boards.  It takes several passes to do
this.  You can then get a 1/4" thick piece of Masonite and cut a strip just
under 1" thick by the length you have just slotted out.  For one bench I
tried just edge gluing a very carefully jointed edge and used titebond.  I
did not detect any problems just edge gluing this lid, and since I guaranty
my benches for the rest of my lifetime I hope it stay  glued.
 	For the next step you need several clamps that you can not only pull your 
 boards together but also keep them level under pressure.  There are a
number of clamping systems available to do this.  Where ever I have a glue
line I will stick a piece of 1/2" masking tape along both sides of the glue
line.  When the clamps are applied I have wax paper underneath to keep the
clamps and hold downs from sticking to my work.  You can never have too many
clamps.  Do a dry fit of everything to make sure it will pull together level
and all the way.  Then proceed with your glue.  I use regular white glue
most of the time because of the long period of time that it takes to set up
gives me ample opportunity to shift things around to where I want them to
be.  Make sure you coat both sides of the Masonite as well as both slots to
make sure your pieces are not glue starved.  	
 	After clamping I rest the glued up piece with all clamps vertically so
the glue runout  will run longways with the joint rather than across the board
 making a mess to clean up and get rid of.  I will normally let this dry in 
 clamps 48 hours before removing the clamps.  When the clamps are removed,
peel off the masking tape and use a wide sharp chisel to remove glue residue
along your joint.  If things come out right you can use a belt sander very
lightly and carefully to even out any level irregularities.  This is usually
the most difficult for me as it seems as careful as I can be the two boards
don't quite come out level with each other.  I have to really exercise my
patience at this junction.  This is a very important place to have the bench
lid level and sanded uniformly smooth so your stain will not mess you up
when it comes time to finish.  When your worked up
lid is smooth you can decide whether you want to use your router to rout and
edge pattern for a bevel.  If you do, always cut the bevel on the cross
grain directions before the long grain.  That way any tear out will be
absorbed by the long grain routing.  This is the part you can't do when you
use plywood.  A nice bevel really sets off your lid to looking much more
expensive.  
 	Next step is part II making the rails out of solid or plyed wood and
choosing what method to hold all together, whether metal corner brackets or
some kind of wood locking joint.
 	Part III is creation of the bench legs, tapered square or rounded.  	
 	Part IV is making the bottom and deciding where it will go and how to
attach it. 
 	 Part V is putting it all together so all legs reach the floor with
hinges, lid travel stops, rubber buttons.  
 	Part VI will be on how I finish my benches