[CAUT] Legs

[Ken Zahringer]

Hey, Eric,

DON¹T CUT THE SPADE OFF!!!

OK, now that I have your attention, I just did this a few weeks ago.  I had
David Hughes talk me through it before I did it, and it came out OK.  I
installed the BIG casters from Pianoforte Supply.

1. The bottom of my legs were really chewed up from being on a truck, and
being moved (coming off and going back on the truck) a lot.  I cut 3/4² of
the bottom of each spade.  This actually turned out to be good, as it
somewhat preserved the proportion of the spade to the shorter leg.
2. The leg comes in two parts: the shaft and the capital.  David had another
term for the top part, but I can¹t remember what it was.  I¹ll say capital.
The joint is a 3² long, 2² diameter blind wedged mortise and tenon.  You
want to separate the two parts and cut down the top of the shaft.  The total
leg length, including caster, must remain 24², so you¹ll be taking off
something like 2². 
3. Remove the leg plate.  Drill a hole through the center point of the
capital, which may not be the center of the plate recess, to gain access to
the blind mortise.  You¹ll be cutting off the end of the tenon as well, so
you can just keep drilling to take out the tenon wedge.  This hole is for
access for a ram, so make it big.  I used a 1 3/8² spade bit.  1 1/2²
wouldn¹t be too much.
4. Put some padding, like 3-4 thicknesses of furniture pad, on sawhorses or
whatever you have available that¹s sturdy.  Brace the capital, letting the
shaft hang free.  Using a ram and a mallet, through the hole you drilled,
drive the shaft out of the capital.  I used a length of 3/4² black iron pipe
with an end cap and a 20 oz hammer.  A 3 lb mallet would have been better.
5. On a band saw, cut the necessary amount off the top of the shaft, leaving
the tenon intact.  You¹ll need to make a jig to hold the end of the tapered
leg square to the blade.  If you have an older D with the recessed panel
legs, cut an extra 1/2² off the shaft, then make a 1/2² thick plate that
will slide down over the tenon and replace the top border of the panel.  Cut
the end of the tenon off so it is again 3²overall.
6. Now you have a leg the right length and a tenon that is part round and
part square.  Use a good sharp chisel to round off the bottom new part of
the tenon, and extend the slot to the bottom on the band saw.
7. Reassemble the leg.  I used epoxy, since that old hide glue came apart
way too easily.  Insert a new wedge through the hole you drilled, and glue a
plug in the hole.  Drilling the hole probably damaged at least one of the
plate screw holes, so you¹ll have to deal with that.  Drill whatever hole
you need in the bottom of the leg for the caster, install the caster, and
reinstall the plate.
8. Touch up the finish at the top of the leg and you¹re done.

I think that¹s everything.  It¹s really not too bad; I did all three legs in
a day.  After most of a day of planning, that is.  The alternative, of
course, is to spend $800 or so on a new set of legs from Steinway.  At my
pay, I could have spent a week on the project and still come out a little
cheaper.

If you have any questions, call David.  He¹s Da Man.

Hope this helps,
Ken Z.


On 4/6/07 10:18 AM, "Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel)" <WOLFLEEL at ucmail.uc.edu>
wrote:

> I¹m interested in hearing from anybody who has cut down legs to install some
> large brass casters on a S&S D. We have a couple of instruments that could
> really use this treatment here. I¹ve looked at some really nice casters that
> Piano Forte Supply is sellingŠ
>  
> I don¹t have a Hamburg D to look at here so I¹m wondering how the ³spade² part
> of the spade leg looks on those instruments. Does it just look like a NY leg
> that has been cut down or have they changed the proportions somehow. I¹m
> concerned that the legs might not look right after we¹ve spent all that money
> on themŠ
>  
> Thanks,
> Eric

-- 
Ken Zahringer, RPT
University of Missouri
School of Music

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