All this talk about flat workbenches is fine, but most keybeds are not. Here are a couple of alternatives. One member in our chapter uses a hollow core door and two sawhorses. The door flexes, and changing the distance between the sawhorses can replicate both keybeds that are either humped or dipped in the center. He uses a thin straight edge to ascertain the 'shape' of the front rail in the piano, and recreates it on his decidedly unflat bench. He swears by it. I use a system demonstrated by the Snyders, or at least my interpretation of it. Bed the keyframe always first and foremost. Next take accurate dip measurements on sample keys (using a weight can help on the accuracy part). At your flat wavy crooked level (flat does help) bench, use a dial gauge to measure the glide bolt height so you can set it back where it was easily later. Then go ahead and bed the action to your bench. Now recreate the dip measurements you took in the piano. You may have to shim up the back rail with veneer strips. You may have to use finely feathered shims under parts of the front rail to simulate bows or humps or dips. Voila, in essence you have recreated the keybed in the privacy of your own shop. The only place that can cause a little confusion is if you've had to do anything really drastic (like really shim up the back rail for some reason), your string height measurements can be off a little bit. It seems to work pretty well with very little needed back at the piano. There's always some work, but yes I'd much rather be home. > Another suggestion for a flat workbench: > > I use a discarded soapstone tabletop that was removed from > a chemistry laboratory at the University of PA. These things show > up in the hallways periodically on there way out to the dumpster. > If you saw all of the useful stuff I see getting wasted, it might > make you cry. > > Larry Toto > > >
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