Thanks for the info - I take it that you pattern and route the mortises prior to gluing on the ribs? Maybe I will try this next time - this time ribs are glued on the board prior to mortising the inner rim. Gene ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Nossaman" <rnossaman at cox.net> To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 12:35 PM Subject: Re: on rib notching > >> Would anyone care to share their technique for locating and notching rib >> ends into the inner rim? > > I make a Masonite pattern, and rout the mortises - an idea stolen from Del > Fandrich. I don't know if he originated it, but the mortises found in > Baldwins look similar. > > >> My first piano I used two sided tape on the rib ends and set the board >> in - the tape stuck to the inner rim and I used this to cut the notch. > > I tape the ribs in the mortises with locater pins in the rib ends, then > drop the panel in so the pins mark it for later assembly outside the > piano. > > >> This was not as accurate as I would have liked. >> Some of the other problems were the shape of the rib end - being tapered >> presented some difficulty with this notching - trying to match the taper >> was not easy. On the second piano the rib ends are flat. >> Also the depth of the notch - should the depth of notch exactly match rib >> end hight? Be slightly deeper? > > I make the mortises both deeper and wider than the rib ends. There's no > mechanical or acoustic reason to fit the ribs to the mortise. > > >> How thick or thin should the rib end be? Thinner is better in my mind. > > I cut mine about 4.5mm. > > >> Is there a limit on how thin? > > They don't even have to be mortised into the rim at all, except there may > be a tendency for the panel to crack on the bent side where the grain runs > tangent to the inside curve. > > Ron N > >
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