my own Soundboard

[Farrell]

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Thanks Del. I feel like I've got some good ammo now.

"But, I suspect you're thinking like a boatbuilder now. The method =
you're describing sound some like fairing a boat hull. No?"

Boy oh boy, you should see what such a tool can help you do in prepping =
a transom before varnishing. You can get the mirror finish without all =
those wigglies you so often see! Now how did you know that was where I =
got the idea from?

"I did have a small, but excellent (Inca), thickness planer to thickness =
the stock with. This was pretty expensive back then, but pretty good =
ones are available for just a few hundred bucks now. One of the =
table-top 12"ers will work just fine."

I have my new Dewald 12" planer that works great! Or at least it did =
before I ran a board with a drywall screw in it through  :-(. I guess =
that is why they give you and extra set of blades with the machine! I'm =
sure I will be using it for a panel to get close to desired thickness.

"I edge glued them with simple bar clamps--still do, though I've =
modified them a bit to get them to stay in place--and hand planed them =
to thickness with a variety of hand planes. Then sanded."

This sounds like the way to go with board #1. This is pretty consistent =
with what Stephen Birkett was suggesting (thanks Stephen!). OK, I'm =
ready to roll! Just gotta get a couple pianos out of my shop and to =
their owners homes and then I'll rip into this project.

Have you gotten all this Greg Newell??????

Terry Farrell =20
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Delwin D Fandrich=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 11:40 AM
  Subject: Re: my own Soundboard



    ----- Original Message -----=20
    From: Farrell=20
    To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
    Sent: January 18, 2002 5:01 AM
    Subject: Re: my own Soundboard


    Woooh! Yeah. OK, I see now. I guess that is the difference between =
someone that builds quite a few panels, and one that is thinking about =
his first! I suspect such a machine is a bit beyond me at this time. I =
studied the picture for quite a while trying to figure out exactly what =
does what on this machine and am not quite there - don't even try to =
enlighten me, because clearly, I will not be using any such machine for =
a long time!
  A semi-reasonable alternative might be found at:
       =
http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?Product_ID=3D14905&&User_ID=3D14=
2096&St=3D4536&St2=3D86010195&St3=3D-47549886&DS_ID=3D1

  Just in case this doesn't work, this is the address of Grizzly Tools. =
And specifically, their Model G5394 Stroke Sander. It's a bit smaller--a =
58" x 24" working table size--but I know of at least one rebuilder who =
has used it successfully to sand even concert grand sized soundboards. =
Like ours, it requires some outboard supports to hold the things up. But =
the price is more like $1,600 than $4,600.

  If you don't yet have a Grizzly catalog, you should get one. Decent =
imported machinery at reasonable prices with reasonable support.


    But, what I do have, and what I think might work reasonably well, is =
a BIG sanding block. I mean big. I found a real nice flat (like totally =
flat) piece of poplar (I think  it is about 6 inches wide by about 5 =
feet long) and epoxied a strong lattice work of straight dry oak planks =
up on edge (just to try and keep the poplar board real flat, i.e. not =
twisting, bowing, etc. - the back side of my poplar plank looks like the =
underneath of a Bosendorfer). Then I made a couple clamp thingees on the =
back side, one at each end. Then I bought three sanding belts - I forget =
right off what grits - 60, 80, 120 or there abouts - that are 6 inches =
wide and 3 feet in diameter (6-foot-plus in circumference). Cut them and =
attach the belts such that I have what is just like the little =
half-sheet rubber sanding blocks, only mine is 6 inches by 5 feet.
  You might also invest in a couple of good quality hand planes. Mine =
are the Japanese draw type which I find easier to use on a large panel =
such as a soundboard.


    Would you think that careful use of such a sanding tool on a =
soundboard panel would have the potential to result in successful nice, =
even, thickness reduction? (The panel would need to be laid on a very =
flat table of course! - which I have - my regulating table - that I made =
real flat with use of my BIG sanding block!) A few strokes this way, a =
few strokes at right angles to that, moving all around, and so on?
  Of course. Soundboards were surfaced by hand for many decades before =
all of our elaborate power stuff came along. We're so far removed from =
those methods we generally don't even think of them until the power goes =
off. Personally, I'd work with the hand planes a bit before getting into =
the sanding. But, I suspect you're thinking like a boatbuilder now. The =
method you're describing sound some like fairing a boat hull. No?


    Unless there are obvious flaws here, I suppose the way to go is "try =
it and see"!

    Am I on to a simple workable solution here? Or am I just treading =
water before I sink?
  So what if you do sink? The water's not deep--paddle ashore and start =
over. You sound like someone who actually learns from his mistakes. It =
won't take you long to work out a reasonable process you can then share =
with others.


    How do others in the "one or two soundboards a year" shop do it? =
Thanks.
  My first soundboard panels were done mostly by hand. I used the table =
saw to rip my boards to width. I cleaned up the edges with a very =
shooting plane. I did have a small, but excellent (Inca), thickness =
planer to thickness the stock with. This was pretty expensive back then, =
but pretty good ones are available for just a few hundred bucks now. One =
of the table-top 12"ers will work just fine. (Run the boards through =
gentle at first--you want to find the grain slope and mark them for =
orientation.) I edge glued them with simple bar clamps--still do, though =
I've modified them a bit to get them to stay in place--and hand planed =
them to thickness with a variety of hand planes. Then sanded.

  Go for it, and good luck.

  Del

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