Brash Failure...was "Dead Wood"

[Ric Brekne]

Hi you guys... :)

Old wood again eh ?? Well being one to defend the properties of old wood I have to admit that in carefully removing the soundboard for the Bluther, it became obvious that repairing the old panel was going to be en effort in futility. It was just plain too broken up and too brittle to work with. Being as thin as it was discouraged me further.

Ok.. no doubt if I had a sophistimigated enough type working environment all things could be accomplished... and then a rib crowned and supported solution would probable function poifect utilizing the old panel.  But an easy task would it not be me thinks.  So I decided to simply stabilize the old panel, clean it up and frame it for display.  The piano is getting a brand new panel.

Tho the shank example and the soundboard example are worlds apart... at some point all things must be allowed to die.... hopefully with dignity :)

Cheers
RicB

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That was a GIANT leap!<G> Theoretically, I would say yes. However, Brash
Failure can occur in a short period of time and sometimes not in many
lifetimes. At least, that's been my experience. I've seen pianos from your
neck of the woods, 50 years old and have major wood integrity failure. And,
I've seen pianos from Eastern Oregon that look and act like their brand
new! Go figger. It's something to do with how the wood has been kept and
the original integrity of the wood, as well, IMO. The only consistency is a
total lack of consistency.<G>	My general approach is: to not trust any wood
older than 50 years until I've worked with it and can make an assessment of
it's strength, etc. It's more of gut feeling than anything else. I have a
feeling you do the same, in one way or another.<G>		
Regards,
Joseph Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain, Tool Police
Squares R I