[pianotech] Riding the rails

[Ralinovsky, Jonathan Mr.]

Ed,
I had an older A on which I replaced the hammer rail. The factory drilled rail was indexed differently than the original hammer rail, so I obtained a blank rail and drilled it on a milling machine. It worked out well.

Respectfully,
Jon
________________________________________
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ed Foote [a440a at aol.com]
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 7:47 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Riding the rails

Greetings,
   Well, it has finally happened.  I have to replace two action rails in an 85 note Steinway A.  There are action rails listed in the parts list, but they are for the 88 note models.  I assumed I would chop off the treble section and have only a half hole left at the top.  Holly has asked if I want them unbored, mentioning that some techs say they are the same, while others of us say they are not.
   Would someone with experience in this give me some idea of which way to go?  I got me a drill press, but the work involved in indexing and drilling is something I would just as soon avoid if possible.  However, I don't want to be fighting an alignment nightmare with ill fitting holes.
thanks,

Ed Foote RPT
http://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/index.htmll