<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [CAUT] Practice Room Piano Benches</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> Elwood, Sounds like a great idea.  How about a picture or drawing, so I can be= a copycat? Ken Z -- Ken Zahringer, RPT Piano Technician University of Missouri School of Music 297 Fine Arts Bldg Columbia, MO 65211 573-882-1202 cell 573-489-7529 On 12/9/04 11:45 AM, "Elwood Doss" <edoss@utm.edu> wrote:<B= R> <BLOCKQUOTE>While this piano bench thread is active, let me tell you about our practice= room piano benches.  We purchased new Baldwin Studio pianos for our pr= actice rooms—please, no comments about the quality of the pianos&#8212= ;about 5 years ago and year before last the custodian for our building start= ed bringing broken benches into my shop.  I do check the tightness of t= he bolts on a regular basis—snug, but not too tight--but the students = began bending the bracket that the leg screw tightens on.  After about = 3 had shown up in the shop, the Chair asked me to look into purchasing new b= enches to replace them.  I suggested benches with stretchers on them&#8= 212;they were about twice the cost of  the regular type of benches. &nb= sp;When they came in I took a look at the stretchers and thought, “I c= an do that to the broken benches here in my shop.”  Sure enough, = I designed one, used very dense wood from Africa, some good wood screws and = glue and went to work.  It worked so well, my work study students ended= up retrofitting stretchers on all the practice room pianos.   The= y have held up beautifully, and no custodian meeting me at the door holding = a bench with a crooked leg!   Now I’m sure all of you old heads do this all the time, but it was an= idea that paid dividends and saved the Department several thousand dollars = in new bench costs!  No, I didn’t get the surplus as check bonus!=   Joy! Elwood   Elwood Doss, Jr. M.M.E.; RPT Piano Technician/Technical Director Department of Music 145 Fine Arts Building The University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, TN  38238 731/881-1852 <= BR> </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY> </HTML>