Pichel upright (birdcage)

[larudee@pacbell.net]

> On Thursday, November 22, 2001, at 05:06 PM, Graeme Harvey wrote:
> >> Is this an example of an action which unscrews and slides out of the
> >> piano, keybed & all? I don't often work on "cottage pianos" (though
> >> this
> >> one is much better than the typical "birdcage piano") -- I couldn't
> >> figure out how to remove the action!
> >
> > If the action doesn't budge once the centre action nut is removed
> doesn't have one!
> > and metal
> > lock thingees at each end are released
> nor these!
> > then it is likely to be a tray
> > action.
>
> Ah, that's the term! I was hoping for a few clues as to where I should
> locate the screws -- thanks so much.
>
> > These are easy to remove by lifting out a few keys to access the
> > screws in the balance rail that locks the entire tray (key frame and
> > action)
> > to the keybed. (Sometimes the screw position in drawn on the key stick
> > under
> > which the screw is located)
> > Usually there are 4 or 5 screws, one at each end and a couple through
> > the
> > middle.
> > Then the whole assembly, including cheek blocks slides forward and can
> > be
> > lifted out.

I just worked on a German birdcage with a tray action two days ago.  The only
screws holding it to the bed were at each end of the balance rail.  They
looked like typical balance rail screws going only into the keyframe rails,
but these went all the way through into the bed.

Paul Larudee