Hey Will, Thank you for viewing the video. I wanted to develop a piano with as much potential for sound as possible with the available technology we have today. The instrument incorporates a lightweight plate and case, with some innovations to follow. The cantilever design in the high treble starts as follows. the bridge material begins to lighten gradually as it goes from the center of the piano soundboard to the highest point. This is acheived with holes in specific center glue-up pieces of laminated maple. The holes are spaced acordingly, and the bridge looses mass as it reaches the top. (this does not account for the cap, just the core.) The point at which the bridge glues down to the soundboard also changes. Most bridges bear down directly over the glue line. This is easy. Upright pianos have more soundboard area in the high end because the hammers strike from the other side of the string, and the soundboard and frame do not have to clear for strike. On this premise, the cantilever design alows me to put a wider cap, carve relieved in the center, and the glue line starts about 3/4" back from the front of the bridge in the high treble, and tapers down until it goes into a normal bridge about middle of the piano again. This alows the string to bear at it's correct speaking length, but releiving the glue down point from being stuck 1/2" away from the frame. the better the bridge can diaphragm, the cleaner the sound is in that high end. The bridge is not subject to roll, because the cantilever compensates with bearing off of the back side, and the overall shape of the bridge keeping it square to the glue joint. The other interesting yet not terribly important innovation, is that the keys have no center bushings. I made the keys out of spanish cedar.... dimensionally stable, and a nice aged look. The centers have inlaid walnut "bearings". To better explain, the walnut is pressure empregnated with silicone and resin to harden and lubricate for the life of the piano. It is not subject to thermal or humidity changes at the same rate as standard wood, as it is sealed througout. the wood also sets into the key 1/16 deep, so it cannot come un-glued or even crack like so many do. the fronts are bushed. Anywho, the plate is a stacked layered weldment of AHSS - advanced high strength steel, bonded with carbon, decorated with traditional compo, and nonblushing cyanoacrylic resins tested in salt water for over 75 years in direct sunlight. It looks like cast iron, but is about 1/2 the weight, and maintains the same strength as cast iron, with higher stiffness, and greater accuracy in temperature and climate changes. God Bless, Mark From: surfdog at metrocast.net To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2009 05:55:34 -0500 Subject: Re: [pianotech] new carved piano legs and wippens Hi Mark: I visited your website and watched your video. Your woodworking and refinishing is truly exceptional. Clearly you are a craftsman of highly developed skills. You briefly touched on your patented offset cantilevered high treble bridge in the video. Would you be so kind as to share a bit more on the design – details of it and purpose? It looks very interesting. Will Truitt From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of perrys piano restorations Sent: Saturday, April 04, 2009 12:08 AM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] new carved piano legs and wippens Hello Everyone, I was thinking of gearing up my shop to glue up and carve seven or eight sets of Steinway Tulip Legs. I'm carving a set right now, and in the mode for cut millwork on more sets. Of course I can carve up anything you guys need, but it would make sense to make several of these sets. anybody interested in 3 legs and a lyre hand-carved in solid Mahogany for $2,500? www.carvedpianoparts.com if you wish to take a look at them. Also, I have 5 new sets of wippens on the shelf for sale @ $500 per set I need to unload. Thanks for looking. God Bless, Mark p.s. while your on the web-site, check out the piano my shop is building from scratch right here in Virginia! It's ALL American Made! Quick access to your favorite MSN content and Windows Live with Internet Explorer 8. Download FREE now! _________________________________________________________________ Quick access to your favorite MSN content and Windows Live with Internet Explorer 8. http://ie8.msn.com/microsoft/internet-explorer-8/en-us/ie8.aspx?ocid=B037MSN55C0701A -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20090405/39699e23/attachment.html>
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