pinblock drillpress

[Wallace Wilson]

Brian makes some excellent observations here.  His comments prompted my
memory on a previous post.  I meant to add that prior to removing the
original pinblock, but after the pins are out, I set up my drilling
support plank and my drill on its angled platform, place a dowel in the
drill press, and adjust the drill base so the dowel will pass easily
through the tuning pin holes.  Then I don't mess with the base until
time to drill the new one.  Prior to destringing is an excellent time to
observe how the current angle is working: too sharp, to vertical, or
just right!  Now there's no guess work when it's time to drill ....

Wally Wilson, RPT
Ravenswood, WV 


Brian Trout wrote:
> 
> Hi Eliot,
> 
> I was thinking about this one while I was out tuning today.  (It's amazing
> what a mind can think about while tuning...)
> 
> I don't know a lot of where you're going with this one, so my comments may
> not help. ?
> 
> I've read a number of the other posts in response to your query, and from
> what I saw, there was some good advice posted already.
> 
> I do hope the 7 deg. angle isn't just a figure you're thinking of using,
> simply because that's what somebody said some years ago and everybody
> remembered it.  Like other people have said, on a lot of pianos, it can be
> excessive, and can make it more difficult to get and keep the coils tight on
> the tuning pins.  I've seen the figure 5 deg. tossed about as better.  From
> my own experience, the longer I make pinblocks, the smaller I've been making
> that number.  Most of mine are now down to 2 or maybe 3 degrees at this
> point, but vary somewhat from one piano to another.
> 
> I've never drilled a pinblock in a piano.  I have an old maple plank,
> something like 10" wide and about 4' long that sits on a wedge shaped block
> that gives about a 7 deg. angle if I just bolt it flat to the drill press
> table.  Then the whole thing gets bolted onto the drill press table with
> some flat washers placed so that the angle is adjusted to where I want it.
> It takes almost as long to describe it as it does to set it all up.  The
> 'plank' gives a nice work surface and doesn't make you work quite as hard,
> especially when drilling the ends.
> 
> As for using a radial drill press, I was wondering if you would need to set
> it _on_ the piano at all??  What would happen if you swung the arm all the
> way out towards the back, out and over the keybed of the piano to do the
> drilling?  My radial drill press has a reach of about 32" I think, so there
> would probably be plenty of room for a lot of pianos.  And to angle or slant
> the pin, you might try angling the Piano instead of the drill press.
> Something like removing a caster from the nose leg, or putting the two
> 'front' legs on larger casters or shop dollies might be enough to get you
> the angle you need.  (There's more than one way to get the angle.)
> 
> One thing about this business... there's probably a hundred variations on
> just how to accomplish something.  Think about it, and you'll probably come
> up with a variation of your very own.
> 
> Good luck, and happy drilling.  :-)
> 
> Brian Trout
> Quarryville, PA
> btrout@desupernet.net
> 
> \Original Message -----
> From: Eliot Lee <elee@amug.org>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Friday, November 05, 1999 1:05 AM
> Subject: pinblock drillpress
> 
> > Hello List,
> >
> > I was wondering which drill press is recommended for an on the
> > piano drillpress to drill pinblocks at a 7 degree angle.  What kind of
> > attachments are needed to make it fit?   If there is an article you could
> > refer me to in the PTG journal, I could look it up or buy the back issue.
> >
> > Maybe  one of you have come up with a different attachment which
> > can do the job.
> >
> > One technician here had a bubble gauge to make sure the angle was
> > right for a hand held drill, but I would rather not drill the pins by
> hands
> > because I probably would mess it up too much.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Eliot Lee
> >
> > "You are never alone or helpless, the force that guides the stars guides
> > you too." -P.R. Sarkar
> >
> >
> >