Doweled and Fully Fit Pinblocks

[Will Truitt]

Ah, Fenton there is a good way to do this and get it very snug without
munging up the sides of the case.   Fully fit the pinblock as you would in
your usual fashion for fit to the stretcher and treble end.  I then cut the
bass end short by about ½ inch  (the exact amount doesn’t really matter).
Set the block in the piano and butt it up against the treble end and
stretcher.  Measure the gap to the bass end rim.  Cut a fill piece of
pinblock stock to that measure, but with a 1 degree taper, so that it is
narrower at the bottom than the top.  Do a partial dry fit (you need to be
able to get it out again).  Sometimes I need to feather it down on my table
belt sander until it is just right.  When you are ready to glue the block
in, butter it with glue and tap it in place.  It should seat on the ledge
and look like it belongs there.  Voila, your fully fitted block and intact
case sides.

 

I would love  to take credit for this to prove how smart I am, but it is a
trick that I learned from Chris Robinson years ago.  I fully fit any block
that the case and plate allow, and this has long been my practice.  

 

Will Truitt

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Fenton Murray
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 4:34 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Doweled and Fully Fit Pinblocks

 

List,

Of all the contact and glue surfaces of the full fit block certainly the
ones with the least structural significance must be the end grain glue joint
at the rim. In many woodworking aplications this is left to float, but not
in the wooden fortress circle of sound. I enjoy attempting to fit all of
these joints as well as I can if for no other reason than to be able to look
under the plate and see something that looks like it did 100 years ago. But
this end joint is about the hardest to nail, even when attained it's
impossible to get into the piano. So, I inevetably slip in the veneer at the
end which always seems difficult and messy to do and never looks quite
right. I do under cut the ends slightly.

I would love to read procedures for nailing this left, right, tight at both
ends fit. It is, after all one that can be seen by every one.

Fenton

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