Dale writes:
<< I really think the soft start is a must as the blade is just so big & the
mass is considerable. I wouldn't want to just turn it on & expect to hit
whatever speed it may. At least not if I'm holding it! >>
I am using a carbide blade from Acousticraft. It is years and years
old. However, it is, I think, smaller than the Bolduc blade ( its 80 mm
dia.). How much bigger is the Bolduc?
I chuck it in a small Sears router, (4.5 amp, don't know about HP).
Hitting the switch gives me an instant 25,000 rpm and I begin with a shallow,
light pass, then gradually take deeper passes. Multiple passes leave a
slightly wider kerf, so there is good clearance as I move deeper, and at full speed,
a fairly light touch is all that is needed to carve a trench up through the
back mm of the block.
This blade doesn't go all the way up through the block, but cuts it so
free that a chisel tapped between the remnant and the stretcher usually just
pops loose whatever glue joint is left. There are models of Steinways that
have dowels so close to the end that this blade doesn't reach them. (larger
model A's.)
A 3/4" brad point in a 1/2" drill will completely remove the end dowels
in about one minute. A pinblock jack under the front edges of the extreme
bass and treble ends, maybe a chisel or wedge used to help get things started,
and the block will just come on out of there. I have begun chiseling away the
top of the bass block directly over the end so that as soon as both ends are
loose, I can raise the block out bass end first without damaging the inner rim
of the piano.
My last Steinway block removal took 18 minutes, and left me with an
intact block for a pattern, an unmarked case, and no band-aids.
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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