Stwy B boards

[Farrell]

So what does all that mean? A sad excuse for a cut-off bar?

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phillip Ford" <fordpiano@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2004 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: Stwy B boards


> >    Perhaps a point of interest.
> >    I'm currently putting boards in 2 Stwy Bs. One is a 20's piano & the
> > other an 1895ish.  Any one who has looked at the bottom of the B has
seen
> > no cut off bar but some amount of ribs that are whittled done
> > significantly in the bass corner with a flat maple stick running between
> > them. It has printed on it pulsator bar. patent 1878. No one has ever
> > been able to explain what the thing is for & in my mind promotes a
> > significant loss of stiffness.
> >    I've always wondered what it was really for but in my mind it is
> > useless. for any reason I can see or hear.
>
> Sacrilege.  CFT must be rolling over in his grave.  In Patent 204,110 CFT
> refers to it as a sustaining-bar.  'Pulsator bar' must have come from the
> marketing department.  According to CFT:
>
> 'The invention consists, first, in the combination, with a piano-forte
> sounding-board, of a sustaining-bar (one or more) arranged crosswise with
> relation to the ribs, and connected to the sounding-board, either above or
> below, at a distance from the bridge equal or nearly equal to the distance
> of the bridge from the opposite edge of the sounding-board, for the
purpose
> of preventing the sounding-board from warping without disturbing its
proper
> vibrations, and also forming a limit for the vibration; secondly, in the
> combination, with the sounding-board, of two coincident sustaining-bars,
> which are arranged crosswise to the ribs, and are fastened to said board,
> one above and the other below, at a distance from the bridge equal or
> nearly equal to the distance of the bridge from the opposite edge of the
> sounding-board the upper bar being metallic, and supported by cushions of
> wood, or other suitable material, for the purpose of preventing lateral
> movement of the ribs, and to increase the duration and strength of the
sound.'
>
> He goes on to say:
>
>     'By the action of the sustaining-bar C the sounding-board is prevented
> from warping without disturbing the vibrations, and this effect is still
> further increased by the employment of the sustaining-bars C D, one above
> and the other below.  Furthermore, by the metallic sustaining-bar D, the
> duration and strength of the sound are materially increased.
>    My invention enables me to increase the area of the sounding-board
> without incurring the danger that such sounding-board will bulge up or sag
> down.  I have found that by running the sustaining bar or bars out to the
> edges of the sounding-board the beneficial effect of the same is reduced.'
>
> Which would seem to indicate that he felt that turning this into a full
> cutoff bar would not be as 'beneficial' as having a 'sustaining-bar'.
>
> The illustration of the patent shows the metal bar above the board and a
> wooden bar below the ribs, although I have never actually seen a piano
that
> looked like that.  The patent does not mention or illustrate cutting down
> the ribs in the corner.
>
> Phil Ford
>
> >  Oddly the older board had 14 ribs with the extra one in the treble end,
> > It had only 3 whittled down ribs & appeared to me from a design point of
> > view the stiffer idea. The 20's one had 5!! ribs whittled down with only
> > 13 ribs total. I suspect this board has been flat a really looonngg
time.
> >    The 1911 B & it's board I just sold & delivered was made without the
> > whittled down ribs. I ran the ribs full length to the bass corner with
> > the usual scallop. I have to say the sound was as good as any I've ever
> > heard & am convinced the extra crown support is far more important than
> > the devices purpose which is unknown & apparently unheard.
> >   Cheers
> >     Dale
> >
>
>
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