junking pianos

[Charles E Faulk]

Mucho dittos here. I have disassembled at least six old uprights just for
the lumber. For instance, the side panels sometimes have a good 1 1/2" of
solid ash core wood, better than you can find at your nearest hardwood
shop. The back posts are often made of either ash or, on rare occasions,
hard maple ... just perfect for turnings, table legs, etc. If anyone
wants to travel to good ole Kansas, I'll give you a tour of my piano
parts furniture menagerie. Such fun.

Charles Faulk

On Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:26:49 -0400 "Tom Servinsky" <tompiano@gate.net>
writes:
> Terry,
> We had a Henry Miller come into our shop with a non-repairable 
> cracked plate
> last summer and the owner was extremely attached to the piece and 
> was
> reluctant to remove it from their life.
> My partner, Craig Clarke, stepped in and offered to convert the 
> small grand
> into an incredible table. He did a superb job and ended up with 
> truly
> magnificent piece when finished.
> The plate and piano parts were removed and he cut a concave sitting 
> area
> where the keys used to be and then lined the whole inner facing with
> beautiful mahogany drawers. The customer was also attached to the 
> ivories
> being used in one way or another so he routed a section for the all 
> the keys
> which were inlaid in the top section, then covered with them with a 
> deep
> epoxy resin.
> The soundboard was made into an intricate filing and storage area 
> for
> envelopes, papers,etc.
> For those throwing junk pianos away, consider the options. Even 
> thought the
> piano end is ruined, consider the furniture possibilities. Ultimate 
> computer
> desks ( old player pianos were great), novelty desks, etc. could be 
> the next
> trending conversion. You never know when something like this just 
> might
> catch the fancy with a client attached to Granny's old pianer.
> Just a thought.
> Tom Servinsky,RPT
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 9:19 AM
> Subject: Re: junking pianos
> 
> 
> > Sounds like fun. BUT:
> >
> > > If you can knock the bridge off, small chunks of maple
> > > come in handy for certain repairs.
> >
> > Just watch that puppy if you push it through you table saw - wear 
> glasses
> > and say good bye to your blade!
> >
> > I like the idea about:
> >
> > > Teenage and twenty-something kids who do
> > > industrial/experimental music...
> >
> > What a hoot!
> >
> > Terry Farrell
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Dave Nereson" <dnereson@dimensional.com>
> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 8:20 AM
> > Subject: junking pianos
> >
> >
> > >     Doesn't happen often, but I have fun when I have to (get to) 
> junk a
> > > piano.  I save all the wood screws, which are higher quality 
> than the
> ones
> > > made nowdays.  I made a hobby workbench out of one old upright 
> and
> donated
> > > player piano bellows, manifold, and other parts to an artist 
> friend who
> > used
> > > them for sculptures.  Recycled the plate at a scrap metal yard.  
> Kept
> the
> > > trapwork, pedals, pedal rods (dowels), casters, hinges, knobs, 
> other
> > > hardware, soaked the ivories and sharps off and kept them for
> > replacements,
> > > gave the keys to a neighbor who has a woodburning stove.  I've 
> knocked
> the
> > > leads out of keys and used them for weighting lightweight cars 
> on my
> model
> > > railroad.... pulled keypins out if in good condition to use for 
> odd
> > > replacements.... made a pinblock supporting jack out of the 
> keyblocks
> and
> > > some nuts and threaded rod.... used the top lids and certain 
> kinds of
> > > fallboards from uprights for shelves in the shop.  Made 2 action 
> models
> > for
> > > use at chapter meetings to teach regulating.  Have used old 
> hammer butt
> > > assemblies on the jigs for the technical exam (hammer filing, 
> broken
> shank
> > > replacement).... made a partial keyframe with several keys for 
> the key
> > > rebushing part of the exam.  The case I knocked apart with a 
> sledge
> > hammer,
> > > saved any wood usable for shelves, jigs, other projects....if 
> you have
> > room,
> > > you might save the bottom board, if it's not split, for a piano 
> that
> needs
> > > one in the future.  If you can knock the bridge off, small 
> chunks of
> maple
> > > come in handy for certain repairs.  Teenage and twenty-something 
> kids
> who
> > do
> > > industrial/experimental music will gladly take the strung back 
> to bang,
> > > pluck, drum and otherwise create cool semi-musical noises on.
> > >     Just yesterday, a local hotel THREW OUT a baby grand.  It 
> was a
> small
> > > Hamilton, and was in the roll-away dumpster being used by a
> > > construction/remodeling crew.   Some musician friends rescued 
> it.
> > > Soundboard OK, pinblock OK, had to dig to find the legs and 
> pedal lyre,
> > top
> > > lid was missing, and it was quite dirty, but heck -- free piano 
> for
> > > struggling musicians.             --Dave Nereson, RPT, Denver
> > >
> > >
> >
> 

________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.