Pinblocks

[Ron Nossaman]

>Anyone have a good way to drill pinblocks while in the piano? I have a
>couple of Steinways where the pinblock is in good shape but needs oversize
>pins. I have heard about table drill configurations where the drill can be
>mounted over the pinblock area on a sliding rail. Any ideas?
>
>
>Ray Breakall


Ray,
I use a Delta radial drill press with a double pinblock plank as a flat
working surface sitting on the rim of the piano just aft of the pins. I
built a base, flat bottomed, about 12"x16", with a post (angle adjustable)
to substitute for the original drill press post and base. An air fitting
and valve in a small hole near the center of the base lets the thing float
on an air cushion on the double pinblock plank so it can be moved from hole
to hole effortlessly. Air off, it sits solidly for drilling. squeeze the
valve, and it skates wherever I want it. When I'm not drilling a block, the
drill press is on it's original base the bench doing it's job as a drill
press, the "hovercraft" base hangs on the wall, and the double pin plank is
stored in the worst possible place somewhere in the vast wood pile in the
corner (and expanding).  In the 20+ years since I built it, I haven't seen
anything else that is this simple, or works any better. That's the rig, not
the wood pile. It never has worked.

Ron N