[pianotech] Securing Pianos to the floor

[Farrell]

I think you're on the right track Jurgen. I service pianos on Carnival and 
Royal Caribbean ships. The Carnival ships use a square cup (picture a square 
coffee cup) that is a good 4" tall and had a wide flange at the base where 
they run four screws into the floor through the flange. Should be pretty 
secure as long as they keep the ship at less than a 90 degree list. They had 
one piano on a stage that was on a grand piano truck (Yamy C3) when the ship 
hit a rogue wave. Piano ended up half-way across the theatre up-side-down 
(little bit of case and lyre damage, but otherwise okay!).

Royal Caribbean ships have a little _/ \_ shaped bracket where the feet are 
screwed to the floor and the top of the bracket goes between the caster and 
the leg bottom with the caster screws going through it (does that make 
sense?).

I think the Royal Caribbean rig will be effective over a steeper ship list, 
but are not as strong as the Carnival rig.

I wouldn't want to be on the same floor as a piano sitting on caster cups on 
a ship!

Terry Farrell


----- Original Message ----- 
>> You can buy caster cups from most supply houses, or from Jim Grebe. Just
>> screw the caster cups into the floor, and put the piano legs in the cups.
>
>
> Not!
> Speaking as someone who has been on large and smaller ships in heavy 
> weather,
> I can attest that the last thing you want to worry about in that moment is 
> a
> 750 lb grand piano which has jumped over the rim of the caster cups and is
> now creating havoc in the main salon, rolling to and fro, overturning 
> tables,
> smashing into walls and crushing furniture, hopefully vacated furniture...
> If someone believes that a 1/4' or 3/8" lip on a caster cup provides an
> adequate guarantee that the piano will stay  put, I suggest that they have
> never been on a real ship when it encounters real weather, as will be
> unavoidable from time to time.  The operative words are "safety margin".
>
> For this purpose, the cup should be closer to 3/4 or 1" deep.  Better yet:
> remove the caster and bolt a square cup to the floor which snuggly fits 
> the
> piano's legs
>
> Jurgen Goering