No Power Yamaha revisited (accurate bedding adjustment)

Ron Overs sec@overspianos.com.au
Sat, 24 May 2003 12:42:39 +1000


---------------------- multipart/related attachment
--============_-1158378333==_ma============
At 12:26 PM +0200 23/5/03, Richard Brekne wrote:
>
>Yes... this is the proceedure I've been using for nigh on 20 years 
>now. Ever Since Laroy's first visit to Oslo. And as I have said, it 
>generally has worked well, but recently I have run into 3 
>instruments where this was not enough. This proceedure left the 
>keyframe bedded, with all glide bolts in contact with the frame...

(?)

>  but there was lots of lost power, and lots of neighbor hammer 
>bobbing on hard blows,

"Bobbing [adjacent] hammers" is a clear indication that not all glide 
bolts were accurately adjusted.

I remember back about 1990 when a Steinway tech visited Sydney for a 
three day technical workshop. Two grands were to be regulated by a 
small group of invited technicians.

On the first day the usual paper shim under the bolts, lifting and 
tapping procedure was demonstrated by the Steinway technician, to 
show the locals just how it was done. I wasn't impressed since we had 
for some years been using our own dial-indicator procedure (which is 
accurate and quick - a while back the PTG published one of my 
documents detailing this procedure in the Journal).

On the second day of the seminar I bought in my dial indicator and 
wooden mounting block, to demonstrate our procedure. Sure enough, the 
glide bolt adjustment was 'all over the shop'. The visiting tech 
seemed unimpressed with our alternative procedure. It never ceases to 
amaze me how many folks stick with an inferior procedure just because 
its 'the way we've always done it'.

Anyhow, for those who may be interested in our procedure, I will take 
you through the process.

A dial indicator is mounted in a small wooden block with a single 
hole sized to create a slight interference fit with the rear plunger 
cover of the dial indicator (see diagram below).



The mounted dial indicator is used to set exactly the adjustment of 
each glide bolt, so that each just makes contact with the key bed. 
After the precise contact position has been established, each bolt is 
re-adjusted down a further small amount to ensure that the key frame 
doesn't lift the glide bolts clear of the key bed during variable 
weather conditions.

The procedure we use is as follows;

* All glide bolts are adjusted up to clear the key bed while the 
touch blocks are fitted to the piano and tightened. If an action has 
mid section glide bolts (eg. Yamaha) you will need to remove a key 
over each one to enable adjustment access with the action in the 
piano. These also are initially adjusted to clear the key bed.

* The dial indicator is positioned right next to each glide bolt in 
turn, with the wooden block resting on top of the balance pins while 
the dial indicator plunger is depressed by the underside of the pin 
block (and showing a measurement which is mentally noted). The 
adjacent glide bolt is adjusted down until the dial indicator moves 
just 1 thou' or 0.025 mm. This procedure is repeated for all glide 
bolts until all are just contacting the key bed.

* Now repeat the adjustment procedure again, only this time adjust 
all glide bolts down a further 5 thou' or 0.125 mm.

That's it!

The reason behind adjusting the glide bolts to a just-contacting 
setting, before finally pre-loading the balance rail, is that the 
initial 1 thou' or 0.025 mm adjustment will not cause any positional 
change of the balance rail which might interfere with the initial 
setting of the other glide bolts. The end result is absolutely 
accurate and, provided that the front and rear contact surfaces of 
the key frame to key bed are accurate, it will be quiet and there 
will be no 'bobbing' hammers.

Dial indicators are generally available at any good engineers supply. 
The one illustrated above was lifted from the Cutting Tool Mall 
website at;

http://www.cuttingtoolmall.com/catalog/standard.cfm?FamilyID=900100

Cutting Tool Mall is in New York state, they sell on-line, and the 
prices look OK. Furthermore, when used with a magnetic stand, the 
dial indicator can be used between the plate and the bridge as the 
definitive tool for adjusting the set bolts. We set-up our pianos 
with the set bolts just contacting the plate in its resting position. 
There are many uses for a dial indicator in piano work.

On my return trip from the 2001 Reno convention I called on Richard 
Davenport and toured his LA workshop. Richard had independently come 
up with the same idea of using a dial indicator for setting the glide 
bolts. So all roads do lead to Rome.

Best,
Ron O.

-- 
_______________________

OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY
Grand Piano Manufacturers

Web: http://overspianos.com.au
mailto:info@overspianos.com.au
_______________________
--============_-1158378333==_ma============
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/16/a0/c5/dd/attachment.htm

--============_-1158378333==_ma============--
---------------------- multipart/related attachment
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: dialind.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 17919 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/93/52/d3/ca/dialind.jpg

---------------------- multipart/related attachment--

This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC