keytop trimming (HELP!)

[Joe And Penny Goss]

Greg,
YES! see my site below for an idea.
If you would like to try it the plans are free. Only one item not mentioned.
To do the shaping of the key top afer it has been glued on I use a belt
sander for everything but the notch.
For the notch a long piece of strap iron 1"x1/8"x48" is clamped to the keys
( whites only ) with the keys on the balance rail. I then use a 3/8" file to
do the notches. The file has no rough on the edges and is also on my page
below.
The strap iron keeps the notches square.
Joe Goss
imatunr@srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg Newell" <gnewell@ameritech.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>; <mpt@talklist.net>
Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 2:23 PM
Subject: keytop trimming (HELP!)


> Greetings listees,
>          I've been having consistent trouble in my endeavors to replace
> keytops. I really wish to do a good job at this so if you could share with
> me what you do I'd greatly appreciate it. I had tried the Peterson Jig
> using essentially two parallel rails to ride a router on and the key is
> clamped beneath. The theory is that this will evenly trim the tops down.
> Not So! After several sets of disasters that I did more than twice the
work
> on making them right, I have finally built Bill Spurlocks jigs to use in
> conjunction with a rotary planer. This has been the ticket in the planning
> department as I have never made a set of keys quite so even before.
>          Now I'm at the trimming stage and I am using another of Bill's (I
> think) jigs where a piloted bit comes up through the center of the jig
> which is a ever so slightly tapered away from center and covered with
denim
> material to prevent scratches on the keytop. The key is inverted and the
> pilot bearing rides against the side of the key and trims any overhanging
> plastic. This is the part I'm having trouble with. It seems that either
I'm
> not holding the key steady enough or there are some imperfections in the
> key that I'm not seeing, or there's stuff on the table from the last key.
I
> really don't know what it is but I'm not winding up with a straightly
> trimmed side. Can anyone suggest a different method of a different jig?
> I've been thinking of a 1" belt sander as  trimmer. Anyone ever use one of
> those for this purpose? Any and all ideas greatly appreciated. I'm so
happy
> with how the planing went I don't want to ruin this in the trimming stage.
>
> Greg Newell
> mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net
>