Why not lap soundboard joints?

[Delwin D Fandrich]

Tom,

It would make clamping considerably more difficult. Usually a stack of individual boards
have glue spread on the edges, then they are aligned in a fixture and the panel is clamped
as a unit from the sides. Lap jointing would require that each individual joint be aligned
and clamped separately. It would take a lot of additional time.

Besides, there would be no practical advantage to doing this. Most soundboard damage is
the result of excessive internal compression resulting from wood fiber expanding as it is
exposed to moisture. It is pretty rare, these days, for an actual glue joint to fail in a
piano soundboard. Most soundboard cracks occur immediately adjacent to the glue joint, not
on it. Lap joints wouldn't help this situation any.

-- ddf

----------------------------

TLowell989 wrote:

> Dear list:
>
> The subject has come up at a local PTG meeting,  "Why not lap soundboard
> joints instead of using the traditional face joints?  Perhaps there is someone
> who has the manufacturer's explanation for this, and could respond?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom Lowell RPT