Wood Specie Insert for Capstan

[Fenton Murray]

Terry,
Report back on this please, I've done at least a dozen sets over the last year or 2 and keep wondering about a better way. I use a 1/4" splined hardwood dowel for convenience more than anything. It works pretty well. Actually it worked not bad on a set of Kawai keys recently that had a 3/8" hardwood cap for the capstan. What I've been looking for is a good 1/4" plug cutter. I've got good cutters but they start at 3/8 which is too big. I would think, pull out the newly installed caps, re-plug with poplar and your good to go. Or, after you re-plug, route for a 3/8 cap of something like poplar with grain running fore and aft, I do a good counter sink on the holes. Carry on, Buana.
Fenton
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Farrell 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 7:29 AM
  Subject: Wood Specie Insert for Capstan


  I moved a capstan line on a set of key and had lousy results. I plugged the original holes with el-cheepo 2x4 spruce from the local home improvement store. The wood had super-wide grain and the material between winter wood was like styrofoam. When I pressed the capstans in place, many wandered because of the harder original wood and the new spruce on some completely collapsed - really weird - but the end result is a wandering capstan line - just won't do.

  So, I'm in the process of routing a 3/4" wide section out of the capstan area (instead of plugging again) from each key to start fresh. I was thinking of gluing a piece of maple in there, but then I thought, well, maybe the maple would be too hard for pushing in a capstan and expecting appropriate capstan-turning torque - maybe just strip the threads off the darn thing. Maybe I should use something softer - poplar perhaps? Or maybe I should go with a wood more close in characteristics to the original wood (think it is sugar pine) - I don't have sugar pine, but I think I may be able to find a little piece of Sitka Spruce somewhere around the shop. 

  Maybe a nice fine grained flat sawn piece of Sitka (I think that is where I am leaning)? Thoughts?

  Terry Farrell
  Farrell Piano

  www.farrellpiano.com
  terry at farrellpiano.com
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