I've done quartered maple shoes twice, on a mentor's advice, and will never do it again. Basswood or poplar in the future. Noise is the problem. There is too little room for very slight inaccuracies, too little room for wear. I found that the balance holes had to be just shy of an interference fit and relieved to only 1/16 for proper clearance. If the key dropped slowly of its own weight, it was way too loose and made noise. The key had to be snugged down onto the balance felts by slight pressure. This tightness was required to avoid clicking, but then made inserting punchings a complete chore because the keys did not lift easily to insert the punchings(key leveling with the stack on)....no, no, no, never again for this puppy... I've made my own mahogany buttons, but see no reason to wrestle with maple. Why? it's not very stable, and the hardness is too unforgiving...what exactly does it buy you in a positive way? Jim I > Opinions about having keys made with maple shoes and maple buttons versus > all bass wood? Sizing issues and noise versus longevity are the issues. > All the keys I've had made have both maple buttons and shoes but I'm not > sure I like it. > > David Love > www.davidlovepianos.com > > > > -- Jim Ialeggio grandpianosolutions.com 978- 425-9026 Shirley, MA
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC