<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Erwinspiano@AOL.COM href="mailto:Erwinspiano@AOL.COM">Erwinspiano@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> July 19, 2002 8:22 = AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Untapered = Soundboard Ribs</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = face="Times New Roman" size=2 FAMILY="SERIF"><I>In a message dated 7/19/2002 7:18:05 AM = Pacific Daylight Time, <A href="mailto:caute@optusnet.com.au">caute@optusnet.com.au</A> writes:<BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: = #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></I><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">Subj:<B>Re: Untapered Soundboard Ribs = </B><BR>Date:7/19/2002 7:18:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time<BR>From:<A = href="mailto:caute@optusnet.com.au">caute@optusnet.com.au</A><BR>Reply-= to:<A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A><BR>To:<A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A><BR><I>Sent = from the Internet </I><BR><BR>       Hi Tony</FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" = face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" = face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR></FONT><FONT = lang=0 style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face="Times New Roman" = color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SERIF">      Thanks for the post. = Interesting trip?  I don't think this all that new. I've seen Baldwin L = grands with the same deal. It might be a Del Fandrich idea but I'm not speaking = for him of course.  Actually when you think about it that little piece of = thin rib that goes into the liner is only a small part of the equation as far = as the strentgh needed to hold the board on the rim. The glue is doing 95% of = .the work. Radio speaker thing and labor saving method. No fitting notches = to the rib and the board can float a bit during installation hhm not good.<BR>           Dale</FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 = style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT = face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>No, this was Baldwin practice before I got = there. The only problem with this practice was found along the inside curve on the = treble side where the soundboard grain angle roughly paralleled the inner = rim--there was a propensity toward soundboard cracks just inside the inner rim. = That is, between the end of the ribs and the inner rim. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>The practice of inletting the ribs to the = inner rim is a holdover from the animal hide glue days. If the glue wasn't kept fresh = and used properly--very difficult to do in high production--they tended = to pop off as the glue aged and turned brittle. Originally the ends of the ribs = were fitted so that the thickness of the feather was exactly the thickness of = the notch in the inner rim. In other words, the rib would be glued to the = soundboard and clamped between it and the bottom of the notch where it would also = be glued. A practice rarely seen today. These days the notches are most often = routed in to a depth that will easily clear the rib and the rib does not = actually touch the bottom of the notch. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>The practice does add stiffness to the = soundboard system which, in some cases may be desirable. I designed the Walter 190 soundboard such that the top seven ribs (toward the treble) were set = into to notches both because I wanted the additional stiffness and to avoid the = cracking problem the Baldwin M, R and L models were having. (The SF-10 and SD-10 = ribs were fully inlet to notches.) The rest of the ribs I floated because I = did not want the added parameter stiffness. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>I've always puzzled over the practice of = thinning part or all of the outside parameter of a soundboard and then running a = bunch of ribs over the thinned portion and onto the inner rim. Only Marketing = Logic can explain the thinking behind that practice.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>There is no reason to inlet the ribs of a = laminated soundboard to the inner rim. There are many reasons to not do = so.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Re: your last comment:  Only the glue = between the soundboard and the inner rim/soundboard liner is holding the soundboard = to the inner rim. It's doing 100% of the work. The notch in the inner = rim/soundboard liner is only detracting from there being a continuous glue bond = holding the soundboard to the inner rim. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>