At 07:06 6/1/2005 -0400, you wrote: >Alan, > >On most pianos, yes, it would be easier to just replace the pinblock. But >in cases where, as Ed stated "(the) block comprises the upper portion of >the sounding assembly and there was no way to remove it without completely >destroying the piano and starting from scratch" or in the situation like >what I photographed, when the pinblock is mortised into the case around >more than half its perimeter (you would have to come close to building a >new exterior case for the square grand to remove and replace the >pinblock), then plugging rapidly becomes an efficient approach. > >Terry Farrell > >Question (based on zero experience in this procedure): When you have do >all that, wouldn't it be easier, faster, and cheaper just to start with a >new piece of lumber? > >Alan Barnard >Salem, Missouri > If you are fixated to the idea of using "a new piece of lumber" and want to use your router, chisels and sweat, go for it! You could rout/chisel out as much as you want and lay in new. Good luck routing close to the sides/stretcher. I've experimented, and (for me) it ain't worth it. Use plugs, and if an exposed pinblock, veneer over. I'm intermittently working on a Krakauer which is similar to S&S with doweling down into the inner rim. The stretcher is also integral with the pinblock but, unlike $&$, the underside is not flat. There is a cove for fallboard clearance which extends back further than the leading edge of the pinblock (by about an inch). Construction sequence appears to be that the pinblock/stretcher assembly with the nice cove was attached to the case/rim with dowels and recessed corner brackets. I suppose I could have sawn the old block back to the start of the cove and prayed that: - the plate screws weren't "in the crack" - that whatever I used for a saw made a nice straight line parallel to the stretcher - the new block was the exact same thickness as the old to make vertical fit easier - fit/joined the new block to the old - fit the new block to the plate - had several fits along the way I'm plugging away, thank you. Conrad Hoffsommer It is a mistake to allow any mechanical object realize that you are in a hurry.
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