Tilting on the lyre

[Guy, Karen, and Tor Nichols]

List,
	I've watched this thread and been glad to see that most agree that tilting
on the lyre is not always the best way. I have seen joint damage from that
style of tilting, especially in our dry climate, where the joints come
loose anyway.
	The following post from Dennis points out the relative importance of skid
contact when the piano's left edge is first lowered. It has also been
mentioned that some lower the piano with the board already on the dolly.
When moving units that have a lot of "miles", the most common damage we see
is a crushed left corner. Polyester pianos have a neat habit of loosing
chunks of finish when the wood changes dimension.
	The technique we use does lower the piano with the board on the dolly, and
despite the fact that we don't like to tilt the board up for the dolly, the
biggest advantage IS the fact that when the piano goes down to the board,
the board tips as it takes the weight, bringing the long part of the board
up to meet the long side of the piano. The biggest challenge is that we
prefer all-swivel type dollies, so we lay down a folded blanket to act as
"anti-skate". Not an issue on carpet, but lotsa fun on concrete or tile. It
allows a manual shifting of the long end of the board for precise
placement, and reduces the damage that can result from the inelastic
collision that occurs if the board is on the floor. When raising a piano
from the board, with the board still on the dolly, it's possible to lever
the piano up by pressing down on the tail end of the board, thereby giving
the hoisters a lot of extra help, without much strain. We always use a
three-legged steel prop, with a vertical piece of heavy all-thread that
passes through a large steel nut welded in the center of the top of the
three legs. Adjustable, very strong, and able to be positioned for
stability or overbalance. Also can be used under the keybed of uprights
that are getting leg-work.
	Safety first. Right. At least for the hired help.......

Guy Nichols, RPT


At 03:35 PM 5/31/99 -0400, you wrote:
>David:
>
>The Horse IS on the skid board before tilting.  The block under the tail end 
>of the board is only to insure that the tail of the piano touches the skid 
>board before the key end of the piano.  Mr. Crail (who is a professional 
>piano mover) advised that the front bass edge of pianos frequently are 
>damaged when that edge comes down on the board first.  The block is removed 
>after the piano is on its side and secured.  When the piano is removed from 
>the skid board, the tail block is not used.
>
>Dennis Hershman
>Hershman Piano Service
>