[pianotech] Multi-tool

[William Monroe]

Joe,

For most S&S Pinblocks: a sharp smack with a mallet on the stretcher
sometimes works.  Otherwise, I apply alcohol to the joint and wedge it apart
from the stretcher.  Then, I use a flush cutting or other thin saw to cut
the dowels.  This is, of course, after drilling out the end dowels from the
shelves.  Pretty quick and easy.  If you want to cut the block off, I figure
you'll have some clean up to do afterwards, so I'd just use a sawzall or
some such.  I have the DeWalt 304 which has a flush cutting feature (flush
in construction terms).  It does a pretty decent job.  Gets you a straight
line and leaves just a small bit of old pinblock to remove from the
stretcher.  Alcohol works well then, too.

I like removing with alcohol and wedges most of the time, as it gives you a
nice clean stretcher, and a "perfect" template for the new block.

William R. Monroe


Hi Dale,
>
> I used the HF Multi-Tool to cut out one Steinway pinblock.  It had plenty
> of power, but one big drawback, which is that since you are basically plunge
> cutting down, the sawdust has nowhere to go (at least until you break
> through), and the blade gets hot.  You can probably imagine what comes next:
>  yep, the invigorating (overpowering?) aroma of burning sugar maple in the
> morning (or afternoon or evening).  Because of the high sugar content, maple
> is one of the woods most prone to burning while machining.  In this case,
> the trapped sawdust got chopped and re-chopped until it was a mass of fine,
> burnt, dark brown powder.
>
> As for total time spent, I spent about an hour on it.  Most of that time
> was spent just doing other tasks while waiting for the blade and the block
> to cool down;  the actual cutting time was perhaps 5-10 minutes, tops.  Even
> still, the shop smelled like burning maple for a day or so.
>
> The next time I try it, I intend to aim compressed air or my vortex chiller
> at the cutting point, both to cool things down and to excavate the resulting
> fine sawdust.  I'll probably also keep the shop vac hose on the other side
> of the blade to catch that fine maple sawdust.  It's what I should have done
> the first time, and might be worth considering for anyone else who decided
> to try it.  Of course, the "quick and easy" aspect of the whole operation
> greatly diminishes once you get out, mount, and continually reposition your
> compressed air/chiller and vacuum hose.
>
> Worth the trouble?  I don't know, and would like to hear about anyone
> else's experiences and methods, especially if the "burning maple" problem
> was mitigated more easily.
>
> Joe DeFazio
> Pittsburgh
>
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