Kurt where do you live? I have a table saw available - *cheap*. I live in Issaquah, Washington. ☺ For tapering un-hung hammers, I think the Spurlock method is absolutely the best way to go. The blade should run true, which means it should not wobble on its axis, and be squared up to the table. But any decent, even cheap, saw should be able to handle that requirement. You do not use a fence in the cutting operation using Spurlock’s method, so no need to worry about longitudinal straight lines at a distance as you would if cross cuts of any significance were involved, necessitating accurate fence alignment, and hence a more costly saw. Although having a really nice table saw is always great when immersing oneself in woodworking in the shop! Your call and budget considerations. My dedicated set up worked great in my hammer hanging days. Hammers looked fabulous after the cuts and none of that burned or bled-out-in-the-felt look you get when using a sanding device. Of course, common sense would dictate you use a sharp blade – I did use a fine tooth cabinet saw blade with the resulting excellent hammer appearance characteristics. I have the Spurlock jig for sale, too! Hope that helps! Joseph Alkana RPT (Retired) _____ From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of kurt baxter Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 8:53 AM To: Pianotech List Subject: [pianotech] Hammer tapering methods? In the past I have tapered hammers on a belt sander, last time using a jig I fashioned for use on the WNG hammer tail arcing jig base. My problems with this method: Although it works great for tail-only tapering, it is awkward to taper the entire hammer. (and seems rather... wavy) Staining. I hate the look of the dark wood dust that gets ground into the felt, and won't go away even with compressed air. I like the idea of the Spurlock jig, except that I don't own a table saw. I also have concerns that a table saw in my price range would not be stable and precise enough. What has been your experience with the Spurlock jig? Does the quality of table saw matter? Anyone have a better method? Has anyone tried using a router or a jointer? (I have access to a workshop with both of those) I saw that someone on this list uses a safety planer. Anyone else have success with that method? -kurt -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100708/6cc718d1/attachment.htm>
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