Odd pin block

[Ron Nossaman]

> */   Hi ROn/*
> */  What's the decimal equivalent of 6.8mm.  

That's 6.8/25.4=0.2677".


>I find that a letter f .257 
> is a bit too tight for the block you are describing.  .261 seems better 
> in CA climate. 

Try 17/64" (0.2656" or an H (0.266").


>I hate tight tuning blocks. A tight block in a 
> piano makes for it to be more likely to be more out of tune more of it's 
> life. JMHO /*
> */  You Know?/*
> */  Dale:/*

With the usual block, be it 5 ply, 11 ply, or 342 ply, yes. 
With these hybrids, no, because the "tightness" is 
concentrated at the top of the block, and from there down, the 
fit is much looser than is typical. You wouldn't drill a 
Steinway, Bolduc, or multilam maple block at 0.266" for a 2/0 
pin, would you? The result is that the tuner doesn't load 
residual torque into the pin that will screw up the tuning 
later. That's the main reason I had for trying a block like 
this. I find that 6.8mm leaves a very tight pin, that seems to 
stay tight year after year (so far), and feels *very* 
controllable in tuning, and is exceptionally stable. It takes 
some muscle, but it feels a lot like a good open face block to me.
Ron N