[CAUT] Benches

[David Ilvedson]

A little something from the archives from Newton...

> We chained music stands to walls also and the same thing happened.  They
> disappeared.  I had been advocating the department purchase cases of
> portable stands and sell them at cost to the students.  Their
> responsibility and if it disappears _they_ have to replace it.
>
> Benches are a problem everywhere.  My idea was to build boxes of 3/8"
> plywood, 15" x 17" x 19", so they can be rotated to different heights
> and paint them ugly colors.  With a table saw, plywood  )one side good),
> some split 1x2s for cleats and some wood screws and Titebond they will
> be easy and cheap to build AND replace.  It is absolutely astonishing
> how strong these boxes will be.  The theatre scene shop can do this work
> as well.  (I  found many piano benches in theatre spaces.)
>
> I got the ugly color idea from a dance teaching I found spray painting a
> black boombox with bright yellow paint.  I asked him why and he said
> that it will not be stolen.  He was right, five years later I saw it
> being used in a class room.  The unuglified music departmentboomboxes
> disappear on a regular basis, every three to six months.

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Waldrop, Craig" <Craig_Waldrop at baylor.edu>
To: caut at ptg.org
Received: 10/2/2009 12:12:43 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Benches


>Hi Dave,

>Funny that you should mention the chains that Mr. Boone put on.  They do help, but 
>this past summer (when there was not as much activity in the practice room area) 3 
>or 4 of those benches just 'disappeared' and have not returned.  You might be 
>surprised at how many of those chains have nothing at the end of them.  I ordered 
>eight replacements in August, because quite a few of the Jansen Petites have 
>broken frames.  I actually have more trouble with the breakage than theft or 
>'re-arrangement.'

>I've actually been pondering the construction of the Petites to see if there might be 
>a way to "beef them up."  If anyone has a good idea about how to do that, please 
>share it.

>Craig

>Craig Waldrop, RPT
>Staff Piano Technician
>Baylor School of Music
>254.710.1723

>________________________________
>From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Porritt, 
>David
>Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 9:28 AM
>To: caut at ptg.org
>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Benches

>The chains have worked well.  One professor who has an extra tall artist bench had 
>his moved out a couple of times so he asked me to chain his to his piano.  He's had 
>no further problems!

>I visited down at Baylor 20+ years ago back when Danny Boone was there.  He had 
>all the practice room benches chained to the pianos.  That's where I got the idea.

>I have just ordered a really nice (and expensive) artist bench from Jansen for our 
>larger recital hall.  This bench is a gas tube adjustable bench but looks like the 
>traditional crank benches.  Jansen doesn't even have them in their catalog though 
>they have been available quite a while.  I fear that this bench will move around a lot 
>too.

>dp

>David M. Porritt, RPT
>dporritt at smu.edu

>From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Paul T 
>Williams
>Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 9:08 AM
>To: caut at ptg.org
>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Benches

>Chained??  I don't think our faculty would go for that.  We're having wandering 
>bench problem as well.  When I started here, every grand practice room had 
>adjustable benches plus a regular bench.  Now...7 adjustables are gone.  All have 2 
>benches still. They didn't go to an upright room, nor did they go to GTA rooms.  Go 
>figgur.    Hey...gorilla glue them to the floor, then push the piano in or out to your 
>liking ;>) ha ha

>Paul

>From:

>"Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>

>To:

>"caut at ptg.org" <caut at ptg.org>

>Date:

>10/02/2009 08:55 AM

>Subject:

>[CAUT] Benches


>________________________________



>Does anyone have any great hints on how to keep benches where they belong?  In 
>our piano major practice rooms we have an adjustable bench (Jansen Petites) and 
>each is chained to its piano.  All 10 have remained in the rooms, no problem.  
>However, in our recital halls it's not possible to chain the bench so they do wander 
>off.  In all my years here I have not found a solution.

>Any bright ideas?

>dave

>_________________________
>David M. Porritt, RPT
>Meadows School of the Arts
>Southern Methodist University
>6101 Bishop
>Dallas, TX 75275
>dporritt at smu.edu